[UA] Deaths and psychology

[Rev Kev]

>>>I see where you're comming from, but it strikes me as an odd thing.
Are people more afraid of being killed than of dieing?

Is it the fear of a killer, rather than of death?<<<

Oh, I'd wager that there is still a fear of death, but I think death is more frightening to people if they can put a face on it.  

Many of the natural disasters have been forgotten.  It usually takes a high death toll or remarkable circumstances to make the events stand out in the collective minds.  For example, many people remember the double-decker highway that collapsed in California.  Many other earthquakes that did not have such a remarkable visual image stamped in our minds eventually became glossed over.  

But, if someone is responsible for the deaths, it is almost always remarkable.  When a tornado strikes, very few people ask, "Why?"  It is the course of nature (or God, if you are inclined to that belief), so it is useless to ask, "Why?"  On the other hand, when someone murders a group of schoolchildren, very few people are not asking, "Why?"  

Look at some of the well-known serial killers.  Manson, Ramirez, etc. killed far less people than many natural disasters.  But, they were done by humans who had some opportunity in their lives to turn away from this path, but they didn't.  

You can be struck by a car at any moment.  You could be hit by a piece of blue ice falling from an airplane at any moment.  You could touch the wrong wire at any moment.  Those eventualities are scary, yes.  But, the serial killer fascinates people, because you could be shot by one at any moment, and it isn't just sheer happenstance (except that it was bad luck it was *you*).  The death was a conscious effort by one person.

I think the fear may also be tied to anger.  The thought of someone choosing to end your life is enough to piss you off.  Who the hell is this guy that he thinks that he has the right to put you in his crosshairs?  A car accident may involve someone who is at fault (driving too fast, using cell phone, etc.), but it's usually not malicious.  The malice just makes things even worse.

Kevin
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