I am always fascinated by what we Americans choose to fear……according to some blogs it is creeping socialism (this from a people that have NO idea what socialism is) or possibly the refugees, then there are the immigrants that are stealing thousands of American jobs….or possibly a liberal or for that matter a conservative….my point being is that we Americans are always finding something to fear and the media does its best to feed whatever fear that may be……
But what do we really fear?
Yep, there was a survey to determine this question (there is always a survey or study or poll to help us fear this or that)…….
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”—well, that and almost 90 other things. California’s Chapman University last week came out with its second annual Survey of American Fears. The 1,541 adults who were polled were asked about 89 (by our count) fears that fall into what the university describes as four basic categories: personal fears, natural disasters, paranormal fears, and drivers of fear behavior. Participants were asked to assign a number to each fear ranging from 1 (not afraid) to 4 (very afraid), explains the school in a blog post. The following top 10 fears represent those in which the highest percentage of adults said they were “afraid” or “very afraid.”
- Corruption of government officials: 58.0%
- Cyber-terrorism: 44.8%
- Corporate tracking of personal information: 44.6%
- Terrorist attacks: 44.4%
- Government tracking of personal information: 41.4%
- Bio-warfare: 40.9%
- Identity theft: 39.6%
- Economic collapse: 39.2%
- Running of out money in the future: 37.4%
- Credit-card fraud: 36.9%
Our top personal anxiety (at No. 17) is reptiles; public speaking comes in at No. 26, with heights just behind at 28; drones occupy No. 46; and we’re more afraid of romantic rejection (No. 76) than we are ghosts (No. 78) and zombies (No. 83). What occupies the final slot? That would be others judging the way we dress, at 4.2%. Full list here.
Now that we have an “official” list……it appears that the majority is not at all afraid of those pesky illegals….of course this report will be wrong simply because it will not feed their hatred and their fear…….
What are you most in fear of happening? Are you normal or are you out-there?
Do we think ANY of the respondents actually talked of their REAL fears? Of the first list, NONE were anything to actually FEAR; just to watch for, and prepare. Of the rest, it all reminded me of how people tend to be VERY lenient when judging themselves for this sort of survey, and put their best persona forward… the simple fact it isn’t true at all doesn’t enter into their calculations, not when protecting ego…
Most people won’t/can’t admit, even to themselves, most of their actual fears, for they deny their very existence much of the time… For example; I’ll bet most folks who believe in God have more than a few doubts about their faith in a supernatural being; will any of them admit to anything other than strong faith? Not usually….
I’d best stop here; I feel a VERY long rant coming on, re: human nature, and how our fears have led us to the situation we are in today, world-wide… I guess I’ll do that over on my own blog, now I’m BACK ONLINE!
Sorry, had to celebrate…
gigoid, the dubious…. I have a keyboard, and internet access, and I’m not afraid to use it….
😎
There will be plenty of time for hatred and fear once the plague strikes home and starts consuming lifestyles, fortunes and futures of the willfully unconcerned.
The only plague is the one that is destroying this country from the inside….
There is a difference between what more people fear (as you have listed) and what people fear more.
See: http://joyfulpublicspeaking.blogspot.com/2015/10/according-to-2015-chapman-survey-of.html
THanx for the visit and the link….chuq
I try not to fear what i can’t control. Lol if someone is stupid enough to steal my identity i say let them and hope they choke.
Yours is the best way of dealing with stuff…work on what you can and let the rest develop as it may….chuq