Aguila Blanca
Staff
To use your example, then, for a person who has been shot by a firearm it might not be irrational to fear firearms. (It also might be irrational, but let's not go there.)Metal god said:I'd like to understand when the irrational part comes in and who defines it ? A firearm can take a life in a heart beat in countless ways so fearing that is not in it self irrational IMHO . It's not like being afraid of the dark where literally nothing can happen to you or being claustrophobic . Those are phobias that are actually irrational on there face . Being irrationally afraid of guns would seem to me to need a higher standard then just simply being afraid like other phobias are .
I was in a bad car accident in my teens and was literally terrified to be in a moving vehicle for months after that . Was that me just having an irrational fear ? I'd say no , there was a very good reason .
For a person who has never fired a firearm and who has never been shot by (i.e. with) a firearm to break out in cold sweats at the mere sight of a firearm is decidedly irrational.
"But," you say, "A firearm can take a life in a heart beat in countless ways ..."
So can an automobile, but is it rational for a person who has never been injured in or by an automobile to be paralyzed at the sight of an automobile?