“Rational fear is healthy. Having some fear that that grizzly bear staring you down may kill you is rational. The danger is very real. That’s the distinction to keep in mind…the nature of the danger the fear is in response to. Irrational fear serves no survival purpose, and it could (be) said that it distracts from rational fear of real dangers. These people that fear guns are irrational. The gun itself poses no danger. A gun sitting on a table, untouched, cannot cause harm. The two big problems (are) (1) the takeover of irrational fear as meaningful…equivalent to the rational, and (2) those with such irrationality seek to make social rules based on it.” – JR_in_NC, commenting under Quote of the Day: Don’t Be A Dumbass [via thetruthaboutguns.com]
“We have nothing to fear.but fear itself.”
Of course FDR should have said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself, oh and the response to your fear by liberal politicians such as myself…”
Not a fan of the man or his policies. But that is one sweet line.
“Fear is the mind-killer.”
It makes much more sense in it’s full glory.
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
Very good.
Frank Herbert
(1920-1986)
You can defend irrational fear the way so many defend the current tax code: think of all the people who would be out of a job.
Without irrational fear entire industries wouldn’t exist. So much of our modern day to day lives is thanks (or no-thanks) to irrational fear being so pervasive.
Sit back and think of all the ways somebody else’s paranoid nonsensical fear has affected your life. It’s remarkable. Take just one politician who won a seat thanks to irrational fear and quantify the affect. When a butterfly flaps its wings and all.
The fear industry, very interesting point.
Akin to the happy pills from big pharm and workout/supplement industries, buy this, or take that, and it will make everything all better.
As an Oklahoma resident, I am living through being surrounded with that irrational fear right now with gay marriage now being legal.
That really is an irrational fear. Unless you’re afraid you’ll have to come out of the closet now. 🙂
Very much on point. Well said JR.
Gun Free Zones- a combination of magical wishful thinking, delusion and denial.
Expected in a child, but when an “adult” engages in such a mental process as a matter of policy and the making of law; well, we get the end result, killing fields of the defenseless.
“Rational”? No. Insane? Well, maybe not by definition, you know, hearing voices and all, but it definitely is not being in touch with reality.
or it is a rational fear based upon the belief that those who are armed with guns cannot be enslaved, either literally or mentally, by those who think (and presume) they are better, smarter, or more deserving of limited resources provided in society, and any resistance to that thought is fearful to those who seek to be(come) our proverbial masters.
This!
Well done, kudos JR, for rating “Quote of the Day”.
This is how I picture Farago
https://imgflip.com/i/cv72x
It is healthy to be able to discern what ought to or should be feared and to what extent. it is also healthy to be prepared (homage to Boy Scout motto) to resist or oppose that which you are justifiably fearful of.
It is irrational to project your fears onto other people, inanimate objects and forces of Nature and use that fear projection as a rationalization to try to impose control over that which ought not and/or cannot be controlled.
Those people who will not or cannot utilize these simple principles are a danger to themselves and others.
Ter-ror-ist – noun
“a person who uses terrorism in the pursuit of political aims”
Now I know we’ve redefined “terrorist” as a religiously-backed murderer (not listing a religion because they all have them) but in the end the basic definition is that of someone who instills fear for political gain.
Interesting tidbit on the first use of the word as returned by Google:
“The word was originally applied to supporters of the Jacobins in the French Revolution, who advocated repression and violence in pursuit of the principles of democracy and equality.”
So they “advocated repression” (gun control?) in pursuit of “democracy and equality”? Oh really. So just because someone isn’t carrying a weapon or chanting praise to a god, it doesn’t make them any less of a terrorist if they’re spreading irrational fears (lies) to get want they want.
Also don’t forget that “Fear is often disguised as moral outrage.” – Judy Blume
When someone is expressing moral outrage about guns or gun owners, it is often due to a deep-seated fear of guns. In that case, it is more effective to address their fear, instead of trying to defend yourself against their moral outrage.
Comments are closed.