> but there are huge sums of money being poured into a media structure designed to keep us afraid and tuned in. Perhaps true, but I see this argument a lot by

> but there are huge sums of money being poured into a media structure designed to keep us afraid and tuned in. Perhaps true, but I see this argument a lot by engineering folks, and I think it misses a major point of human nature. Large, violent, deadly events, in places where you completely don't expect them, are always going to be a lot scarier than the random low-lying "background" events, like car accidents. The fact that the world is so safe only magnifies how unexpected and terrifying it would be to walk around enjoying the mundane events of modern life - going to a concert, taking a trip somewhere, dancing in a club - and suddenly meet a violent death.