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Re:The Silent Anniversary: Fifteen Years Since Our Last Majo... by drewrv on Thursday December 08, 2016 @05:06PM (#13134732)
People know they're statistically safe when they go to a scary movie or a haunted house too. Fear is a primal emotion, not weighed to meaningful statistics.

Airline passengers are trapped in a cramped, shaking metal tube 30,000 feet in the air. I'm surprised fear of flying isn't more common.

Re:The Silent Anniversary: Fifteen Years Since Our Last Majo... by cmurf on Thursday December 08, 2016 @06:44PM (#13135423)
Yes. It's completely rational for people to be scared out of their wits in an airplane, or higher than say twice the distance of a tree. No primate is in either situation, it's just not natural. What's different is the ability for many people to distract themselves, they have a more effective coping mechanism. There really isn't much distraction on an airplane for people who either do not read magazines/books, or watch tons of TV and movies. That's pretty much the only distraction an airplane has to offer.