ajduplessis
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Selachophobia
How many fatal shark attacks to stop you diving
- Thread starter Foxfish
- Start date
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Well.... I think if you read through the lines then it is. Maybe that's a difference in interpretation.
Has he tried to be manipulative and make the discussion come out in a way that will verify his world view and validate his fears? Yes.
Is that part and parcel of an anxiety disorder? yes.
So it's how you look at the big picture, really. The way I'm reading this, it has absolutely nothing to do with rational risk assessment.
That doesn't, however, make the discussion pointless as many people have suggested. I think the issue Foxfish is facing is not unique to him. I think it represents a fear that many divers have and as such it would have been better for everyone if the REST of us had addressed what he is really saying, which is that he's afraid of sharks.
There's no shame in that and there's no shame in admitting that. The real shame, to me, is that the whole bloody lot of us completely missed the point.
R..
LOL, no, it is how YOU percieve the big picture. You appear to be projecting, which may or may not be appropriate. At this time, my perception of Foxfish motives is not in line with yours.
That's possible. I've been trying to draw him out into discussing it but up to now he has declined. I admit that I'm filling in some blanks.
R..
I think the poll is flawed, not just because of the answers, but also because of the input group. I am sure there is a difference between people who are serious divers, people who dive year round or who dive for a living, and people who go on a two week dive vacation once a year. If one is flying out 20 hours once a year to get to where he/she would like to dive, and had the choice between a place where there have been no reports of shark attacks, and a place where there are reports of fatal shark attacks, same distance, same price, similar dive experience, I could very well imagine more people have a tendency to go to the place where there are no reports.
Is it rational? Probably not. Are people rational? Definitely not.
Even though it is statistically much riskier to drive your car to work than to dive with sharks around, people have irrationally less fear when they _believe_ they are in control. They are behind the steering wheel, and because most people believe they are a better driver than anybody else, of course nothing will happen to them. So, I think while it might make sense to compare those two on paper, in reality it won't really work.
It's like people who stopped eating beef after they heard of mad cow disease.
Is it rational? Probably not. Are people rational? Definitely not.
Even though it is statistically much riskier to drive your car to work than to dive with sharks around, people have irrationally less fear when they _believe_ they are in control. They are behind the steering wheel, and because most people believe they are a better driver than anybody else, of course nothing will happen to them. So, I think while it might make sense to compare those two on paper, in reality it won't really work.
It's like people who stopped eating beef after they heard of mad cow disease.
why is there no option for number of sharks with frikkin' laser beams attached to their heads? 
The Chairman
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Skittl1321
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But I don't think sharks are going to be the -only- part of the choice. So if say, the touristry minster of a state in Australia killed 3,000 sharks; but I knew there were still bull sharks in Playa del Carmen that attacked a person at the beach; well, I still wouldn't go dive in Australia because it is 'safe'. Because 1) I would not want to support the decimation of a species and 2) it's crazy expensive to get to Australia. I'd still dive in Mexico.
In this scenario, all things were not equal. So let's say two destinations cost the same, and all else was equal. As a tourist, I would not give my money to a region that culled sharks. I don't care if it makes me statistically safer; statistically, I was already very safe and the world wide food chain hasn't been interupted, not to mention the life of so many animals.
The Chairman
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Peter Benchley on sharks:
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