Top 5 Things American's Fear - What's yours? (1 Viewer)

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6. A spider dressed as a clown inside an MRI with you

 

[spOOfy]

I don't fear death, no reason to, it happens to everyone. I fear sitting in my own drool with no one really being home. The loss of my ability to think and communicate clearly is the one thing I fear happening in old age.

There are over 5 billion people in this world who haven't died yet. So let's not jump the gun on this "everyone dies" business.

Roughly 107 billion people have been born on this planet. All but 7 billion are dead. It seems pretty much guaranteed.

7 billion is a large number.

Historically 100 billion people have died. So that would be over 90 percent of everyone who has ever lived. Odds don't favor not dying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCKOI24k_UY

 

[Milkman]

I don't fear death, no reason to, it happens to everyone. I fear sitting in my own drool with no one really being home. The loss of my ability to think and communicate clearly is the one thing I fear happening in old age.

There are over 5 billion people in this world who haven't died yet. So let's not jump the gun on this "everyone dies" business.

That's right. I plan on ascending into heaven, just haven't decided when.

I unfortunately haven't been able to convince myself that there IS a heaven. I'm not opposed to religion, but I'm far too logical. Actually believing in something like that with no scientific proof is a leap I haven't made. I hope I can. I honestly wish I could come to terms with the concept as I think believing in it would make the thought of death much much more bearable...for now, I just believe that when I die, there's absolute nothingness....and that terrifies me.

Was it terrifying and painful before you were born?

 

[Fennis]

Actually I think there is a very good chance many of us typing here today will live to be over 100 years old. In fact I have read several experts in the field of aging who say the first person to live to be 150 years old has already been born.

sounds horrible.

 

[Zow]

The top five things Americans fear the most are as follows:

1. Walking alone at night
2. Becoming the victim of identity theft
3. Lack of safety on the Internet
4. Being the victim of a mass/random shooting
5. Public speaking

Discuss. I think #2 and #3 are completely ridiculous. 1st world problems people? #4 is also an irrational fear if you base it on the numbers.

I think if I had to make my own, it'd be:

1) Debilitating illness (cancer, alzheimers, etc.)

2) Losing my job and not being able to support my family (unlikely, but I still worry about it)

3) Dying in my sleep (I go to bed...I don't wake up...I don't believe in heaven/afterlife, etc...I wouldn't even be able to be upset about it.

4) Reverse-darwinism...America is getting dumber and dumber.

5) Terrorists getting a nuclear weapon - It's going to happen in our lifetime...

I think your #4 is completely ridiculous.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

I think the only thing that really worries me is Hurricane Season.

 

[Milkman]

1. Long debilitating illness

2. My son dying before me

3. Hell - I'm pretty confident it doesn't exist but if it does I'm really screwed. If it does though that means God exists which means when he created me he knew he was going to send me to hell. Makes God not very nice either. I mean what kind of sicko creates a person in their likeness just to torture them for eternity after they die?

4. Public Speaking

5. Geese! Vicious ####ers!

 

[NCCommish]

I don't fear death, no reason to, it happens to everyone. I fear sitting in my own drool with no one really being home. The loss of my ability to think and communicate clearly is the one thing I fear happening in old age.

There are over 5 billion people in this world who haven't died yet. So let's not jump the gun on this "everyone dies" business.

That's right. I plan on ascending into heaven, just haven't decided when.

I unfortunately haven't been able to convince myself that there IS a heaven. I'm not opposed to religion, but I'm far too logical. Actually believing in something like that with no scientific proof is a leap I haven't made. I hope I can. I honestly wish I could come to terms with the concept as I think believing in it would make the thought of death much much more bearable...for now, I just believe that when I die, there's absolute nothingness....and that terrifies me.

Ashes to ashes and all that. It is what it is. Believing in something you don't understand won't really change what it is. But the thought of mortality will lead to conversions. I know lots of people i would call non-religious who got that old time religion once they confronted the fact they were getting old and death was creeping nearer. If it makes them feel better all good I guess. But to me it's just fooling yourself like setting the clock fast or something.

You know there was a time when I professed Christ as my savior in front of a Baptist church congregation. 9 years old and youngest to come up that day. Everyone made a big deal. I was trying to put aside doubts I already had even at that age. Obviously it didn't work as I left religion behind less than a year later. I wonder if I am still covered?

 

[Fennis]

I think the only thing that really worries me is Hurricane Season.

I know they are 4-3, but they will turn it around soon.

 

[Fat Nick]

The top five things Americans fear the most are as follows:

1. Walking alone at night
2. Becoming the victim of identity theft
3. Lack of safety on the Internet
4. Being the victim of a mass/random shooting
5. Public speaking

Discuss. I think #2 and #3 are completely ridiculous. 1st world problems people? #4 is also an irrational fear if you base it on the numbers.

I think if I had to make my own, it'd be:

1) Debilitating illness (cancer, alzheimers, etc.)

2) Losing my job and not being able to support my family (unlikely, but I still worry about it)

3) Dying in my sleep (I go to bed...I don't wake up...I don't believe in heaven/afterlife, etc...I wouldn't even be able to be upset about it.

4) Reverse-darwinism...America is getting dumber and dumber.

5) Terrorists getting a nuclear weapon - It's going to happen in our lifetime...

I think your #4 is completely ridiculous.

Care to elaborate? Dumb people have more kids. It's a fact. I just had my 1st kid...A girl I went to HS with is now a grandmother, and had 4 kids with 3 different daddies...I don't expect them to be super bright (as evident by the oldest one who had a kid at 16, just like her momma.

Normally, the stupid animals get eaten or die. We support them and since they don't work, they have lots of time to reproduce. (I'm gonna get flamed for that last comment, but it's true...)

 

[Fat Nick]

I don't fear death, no reason to, it happens to everyone. I fear sitting in my own drool with no one really being home. The loss of my ability to think and communicate clearly is the one thing I fear happening in old age.

There are over 5 billion people in this world who haven't died yet. So let's not jump the gun on this "everyone dies" business.

That's right. I plan on ascending into heaven, just haven't decided when.

I unfortunately haven't been able to convince myself that there IS a heaven. I'm not opposed to religion, but I'm far too logical. Actually believing in something like that with no scientific proof is a leap I haven't made. I hope I can. I honestly wish I could come to terms with the concept as I think believing in it would make the thought of death much much more bearable...for now, I just believe that when I die, there's absolute nothingness....and that terrifies me.

Ashes to ashes and all that. It is what it is. Believing in something you don't understand won't really change what it is. But the thought of mortality will lead to conversions. I know lots of people i would call non-religious who got that old time religion once they confronted the fact they were getting old and death was creeping nearer. If it makes them feel better all good I guess. But to me it's just fooling yourself like setting the clock fast or something.

You know there was a time when I professed Christ as my savior in front of a Baptist church congregation. 9 years old and youngest to come up that day. Everyone made a big deal. I was trying to put aside doubts I already had even at that age. Obviously it didn't work as I left religion behind less than a year later. I wonder if I am still covered?

I kind of wonder if the bolded part will be true for me...I'm reaching that point where I don't consider myself young anymore...it's...enlightening or something. I keep thinking at some point, I'll learn to fool myself to make me more OK with it...Who knows.

Religion and I have always been strange bedfellows. I'm not opposed to it. Wife is Catholic. I'm happy to let her raise our son that way. I have no issue going to church with her. I do not like trying to be converted, but wouldn't have any issue becoming religious if I can just come to grips with it and actually believe it rather than just following the crowd.

 

[NCCommish]

I don't fear death, no reason to, it happens to everyone. I fear sitting in my own drool with no one really being home. The loss of my ability to think and communicate clearly is the one thing I fear happening in old age.

There are over 5 billion people in this world who haven't died yet. So let's not jump the gun on this "everyone dies" business.

That's right. I plan on ascending into heaven, just haven't decided when.

I unfortunately haven't been able to convince myself that there IS a heaven. I'm not opposed to religion, but I'm far too logical. Actually believing in something like that with no scientific proof is a leap I haven't made. I hope I can. I honestly wish I could come to terms with the concept as I think believing in it would make the thought of death much much more bearable...for now, I just believe that when I die, there's absolute nothingness....and that terrifies me.

Ashes to ashes and all that. It is what it is. Believing in something you don't understand won't really change what it is. But the thought of mortality will lead to conversions. I know lots of people i would call non-religious who got that old time religion once they confronted the fact they were getting old and death was creeping nearer. If it makes them feel better all good I guess. But to me it's just fooling yourself like setting the clock fast or something.

You know there was a time when I professed Christ as my savior in front of a Baptist church congregation. 9 years old and youngest to come up that day. Everyone made a big deal. I was trying to put aside doubts I already had even at that age. Obviously it didn't work as I left religion behind less than a year later. I wonder if I am still covered?

I kind of wonder if the bolded part will be true for me...I'm reaching that point where I don't consider myself young anymore...it's...enlightening or something. I keep thinking at some point, I'll learn to fool myself to make me more OK with it...Who knows.

Religion and I have always been strange bedfellows. I'm not opposed to it. Wife is Catholic. I'm happy to let her raise our son that way. I have no issue going to church with her. I do not like trying to be converted, but wouldn't have any issue becoming religious if I can just come to grips with it and actually believe it rather than just following the crowd.

Yeah i just can't suspend my disbelief. God would make the universe infinitely more complex. And more complexity is almost always the path to the wrong answer.

 

[Zow]

The top five things Americans fear the most are as follows:

1. Walking alone at night
2. Becoming the victim of identity theft
3. Lack of safety on the Internet
4. Being the victim of a mass/random shooting
5. Public speaking

Discuss. I think #2 and #3 are completely ridiculous. 1st world problems people? #4 is also an irrational fear if you base it on the numbers.

I think if I had to make my own, it'd be:

1) Debilitating illness (cancer, alzheimers, etc.)

2) Losing my job and not being able to support my family (unlikely, but I still worry about it)

3) Dying in my sleep (I go to bed...I don't wake up...I don't believe in heaven/afterlife, etc...I wouldn't even be able to be upset about it.

4) Reverse-darwinism...America is getting dumber and dumber.

5) Terrorists getting a nuclear weapon - It's going to happen in our lifetime...

I think your #4 is completely ridiculous.

Care to elaborate? Dumb people have more kids. It's a fact. I just had my 1st kid...A girl I went to HS with is now a grandmother, and had 4 kids with 3 different daddies...I don't expect them to be super bright (as evident by the oldest one who had a kid at 16, just like her momma.

Normally, the stupid animals get eaten or die. We support them and since they don't work, they have lots of time to reproduce. (I'm gonna get flamed for that last comment, but it's true...)

I don't necessarily disagree with much of what you said. In fact I think that was a basis in Freakanomics.

I just think that because our technology and education has continued to improve that humans will still continue to get smarter.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

I think the only thing that really worries me is Hurricane Season.

I know they are 4-3, but they will turn it around soon.

Oh right you mean the real Disaster. Yeah, thanks.

 

[Brony]

1. Something happening to my kids or wife

2. Something happening to my family

3. Dying in a fire

4. Having someone pull down my pants at a school assembly that time when I was 9 years old by that ##### Johnny Patushka

5. Living an unexamined life.

 

[jon_mx]

1. Fat women in Yoga pants

 

[McGarnicle]

1. Cancer

2. Cowboys winning a SB

3. Experiencing the consequences of my actions

4. My department VP

5. Economic collapse/post-apocalyptic dystopia/Hillary etc.

 

[Josie Maran]

1-Working a 9 to 5 cubicle-based job.

2-Getting stranded at sea like in that movie with the scuba divers that got left behind.

3-George RR Martin dying before finishing Game of Thrones.

4-Kardashians.

5-Hannibal getting cancelled before the whole story plays out.

 

[dickey moe]

Zombie Hitler

Shoot him in the head and he sings "Edelweiss."

 

[KarmaPolice]

I don't fear death, no reason to, it happens to everyone. I fear sitting in my own drool with no one really being home. The loss of my ability to think and communicate clearly is the one thing I fear happening in old age.

I don't fear death, I fear dying.

Also I would take a scenario you listed above and be a mostly oblivious mess drooling on myself over the opposite - something that severely debilitates physical function and communication, but my mind is 100%.

 

[Hawks64]

bald faced hornets

Tarantula Hawk is more frightening to me.