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Anecdotally, people's fear of sharks still feels very overblown. I've gone surfing in SoCal a couple times a month for the last 5 years or so, I've never known
by pinkmuffinere 11mo ago
Anecdotally, people's fear of sharks still feels very overblown. I've gone surfing in SoCal a couple times a month for the last 5 years or so, I've never known anyone that's had a shark attack, and have only been told "there's a shark nearby" once. On the other hand, many friends have hit rocks, got caught in rip currents, and or had stingray stings. Even though the severity of these things is less than a shark attack, their prevalence means that there are many more deaths every year due to these relatively mundane things. But when I offer to teach somebody to surf, sharks are still one of the most common objections (it's probably second to "I can't swim").
None of this contradicts what the study is saying -- it's totally possible that the overall fear is decreasing. It's just _still irrationally high_, imo.
- eviks 11mo ago> But when I offer to teach somebody to surf, sharks are still one of the most common objections (it's probably second to "I can't swim"). It could also be just a good common excuse (and also a cover for the sometimes embarrassing "can't swim")
- pinkmuffinere 11mo agoHuh, that’s a really good point. I wonder if that is what’s happening, will have to pay more attention next time. Thanks for suggesting it!
- defrost 11mo agoThere are way more things to worry about than sharks, placement, wave mass, reef suck, if you go down will you come up again, etc. The Right, going well: https://youtu.be/cYb9HOuhBrc?t=299 https://youtu.be/cYb9HOuhBrc?t=299 The Right, a bit wrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjHaFOGBPzk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjHaFOGBPzk More on that location: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X03-6lTxFTg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X03-6lTxFTg
- shipman05 11mo agoI'd say irrational risk-ranking is a near-universal human weakness. Parents fear kidnappers more than car accidents. The elderly fear whatever the news is telling them to fear more than heart disease or falling.
- Cthulhu_ 11mo agoKids fear quicksand and the Bermuda triangle. ...or maybe they don't fear it enough, given https://nos.nl/artikel/2590957-vier-jongens-uit-cementslib-bevrijd-in-belgische-steengroeve https://nos.nl/artikel/2590957-vier-jongens-uit-cementslib-b....