If you read ancient folklore - fairy tales, fables and legends… no, not carefully edited versions for children in the 19th or 20th centuries, but the original texts - you can be surprised and even amazed at how scary and bloodthirsty they sound. Almost any old fairy tale is quite capable of causing some kind of phobia in a modern person.But the good thing about the modern world is that today we are trying to understand the true essence of things and people, without always succumbing to their mass perception. And it turns out that certain things, phenomena or groups of people are not as scary as they have been portrayed as being for many years. And then we go tothis dedicated thread in the AskReddit community… or read this collection thatBored Pandaprepared for you.More info:RedditThis post may includeaffiliate links.
If you read ancient folklore - fairy tales, fables and legends… no, not carefully edited versions for children in the 19th or 20th centuries, but the original texts - you can be surprised and even amazed at how scary and bloodthirsty they sound. Almost any old fairy tale is quite capable of causing some kind of phobia in a modern person.
But the good thing about the modern world is that today we are trying to understand the true essence of things and people, without always succumbing to their mass perception. And it turns out that certain things, phenomena or groups of people are not as scary as they have been portrayed as being for many years. And then we go tothis dedicated thread in the AskReddit community… or read this collection thatBored Pandaprepared for you.
More info:Reddit
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Vaccines
In terms of how much we thought it would affect us, probably quicksand.
Strangers. Most of the violent crimes you hear happen between acquaintances.
No, we in no way want to claim that, for example, absolutely all snakes are completely safe, or that you will never become the victim of a plane crash. But the contemporary world is full of data, and on its basis we can conclude that certain species of snakes that live, let’s say, in an area where we are planning to travel to are, in fact, not venomous.Or that the likelihood of getting into a plane crash today is really extremely low. “If you take one flight a day, you would on average need to fly every day for 55,000 years before being involved in a fatal crash,”Executive Flyers quotes Arnold Barnett, who has calculated the chances of a plane crashing, and is an expert in the field of aviation safety and risk and Professor of Statistics at MIT. And now all that remains is to believe in the truth of the statistical data.
No, we in no way want to claim that, for example, absolutely all snakes are completely safe, or that you will never become the victim of a plane crash. But the contemporary world is full of data, and on its basis we can conclude that certain species of snakes that live, let’s say, in an area where we are planning to travel to are, in fact, not venomous.
Or that the likelihood of getting into a plane crash today is really extremely low. “If you take one flight a day, you would on average need to fly every day for 55,000 years before being involved in a fatal crash,”Executive Flyers quotes Arnold Barnett, who has calculated the chances of a plane crashing, and is an expert in the field of aviation safety and risk and Professor of Statistics at MIT. And now all that remains is to believe in the truth of the statistical data.
Drag Queens
Snakes. People get so freaked out, but come on. It’s a noodle with a face. Almost all snakes are non-venomous, and even the ones that are are NOT coming to hunt you down. No snake is coming to get you. If they attack, it’s only out of defense - imagine if some gargantuan creature the size of a skyscraper was coming after you! Just leave them to live their lives in peace and they’ll do the same to you. They’re a huge part of a delicate ecosystem… plus they’re cute as hell! Look at a hognose’s upturned snoot or a ball python’s little puppy dog face and tell me they’re not.
The Bermuda Triangle, particularly with modern navigation equipment.
“Hence all the numerous horrors of ancient fairy tales. Because, having told the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, the narrator then always added that it is unlikely that the kids would be as lucky to have people passing near their grandma’s hut… and therefore, it is better not to walk through the forest wilderness at all. This worked quite successfully for many centuries, but today it plays a cruel joke on us, because we are accustomed to believing in scary stories - even if they are actually not scary at all," Volodymyr concludes.
People who have no/few friendsMost of the time they’re either weird, shy, socially awkward, quiet, or simply just prefer to be alone
Immigrants wanting a better life…
At the same time, the impact of fossil fuels on the environment, as we can now see, turned out to be almost worse than from major accidents at nuclear power plants. Moreover, modern nuclear power plants are built with unambiguous consideration of the negative experience of their predecessors. But fears - fears have not gone away…
Swimming after eating - I used to fully believe I would drown in seconds if I didn’t wait a full hour before getting back in the water.
Critical thinking.
Opossums
Trans people
MSG
Leaving your foot hanging out of the bed covers.
Travelling alone as a woman. So many people looked at me in shock when I told them about my solo trips. Sure, it’s not without a risk, but nothing in life is and I’m not gonna miss seeing the world and living life just because I haven’t got someone to go with me. And so far I haven’t made a single negative experience. The world isn’t always as evil as some make it out to be.
Sharks
Flashing your high beams at someone who doesn’t have their headlights on at night. I’ve done it hundreds of times and I’ve never been gang-style assassinated
Flying
Hiking. I’ve been shocked at the amount of people who think a bear is about to get them. This even happens in places where bears don’t exist.
See Also on Bored Panda
Foreigners
Nuclear power
GMOs
Alligators.Yes, people do get eaten sometimes but as someone who grew up in Florida, they are everywhere and if they were that dangerous there would be an attack every day.
Turning the light on in the car.
Piranha
I’ll throw in beekeeping! Super fulfilling!
Swallowing gum
Chicago. They’re barely even in the top 100 most dangerous cities anymore (98th). And yet they’re still the default example of a dangerous city in a lot of people’s minds.
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Being a police officer
Asbestos. People act like one small exposure and it’s a death sentence.The original studies that determined the regulations were on career (20+ years experience) asbestos insulation workers who used no PPE or engineering controls and were literally engulfed in friable asbestos 8+ hours a day. Even among that group the rate of lung disease was 10x above general population. Smoking increases your lung disease rate to 25x general population, yet people are way more afraid of a tiny one time asbestos exposure.I’m not saying asbestos isn’t dangerous, just that people think it’s way worse than it really is.
Using phone on a plane
Skateboarding.Sure you get the occasional freak accidents and stuff and sometimes you eat hard s**t, but just cruising around is super fun and with practice is really safe. I haven’t fallen while cruising in a long time.Well I mean it’s dangerous for sure but it’s not the death trap most people think it is.
Roller coasters 🎢
Skydiving.
Mushroom foraging
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