ABSTRACT
The common ideologies of meddling such as health, family, prevention, etc. represent the belief systems that propel meddling social movements. Ideologies are essentially discourses composed of what people think and say. Because there are so many possible ideological rationales available to postmodern meddlers, this chapter considers only the most prevalent of these belief systems and their relationship to interpersonal conduct. It includes an analysis of the veritable explosion of meddling into people's lives in the names of health and safety, along with such venerable favorites as the aforementioned meddling in the name of God and meddling "for the sake of the children". Health and safety meddlers intervene in the lives of others, confident that their ideology of security and eternal life comes from God himself. Of course, anxiety, guilt, and shame have always been the traditional devices, but these tools have been joined by a series of dichotomies that further justify meddling into people's lives.
