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Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
Probably the one based on the much higher improbability or, in extreme cases, fantasy.
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In either case in the examples, the fear is not really the Happy Meal or not having a gun. In one case it seems to be a fear of corrupt big corporations and the other rooted in the fear of corrupt big government.
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I'd be more afraid of junk that's actually inside of children than of the totalitarian state that might one day come.
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Fat, salt and sugar is a necessary part of the human diet. It seems your statement supports my point - your fear can not really be what is in a Happy Meal, given acceptable food quality standards. A Happy Meal can easily be a part of a healthy diet for a child.
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It's kind of a silly comparison though, and I don't think this is really what this is about.
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If your point is that I could have given two better side by side examples of irrational fear, I can be comfortable with the "silly" terminology. If your point is that a comparison of group A's irrational fears to group B's irrational fears is "silly", I think that is "silly".
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I think the idea is about how we handle fear and how perspectives vary based on how we handle or otherwise register fear.
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The human response to fear is very predictable. Most of the initial reaction occurs on a subconscious level. It is easy for me to accept and understand a response to fears that I share - it is more difficult to accept and understand a response to fears that I don't have. I think this is true for most people.
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Kind of a "close the borders!" vs. "reform immigration policy!" sort of thing.
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Isn't that just a question of degree. Neither allows for open boarders or a total free-flow. In order to actually have an immigration policy there has to be some kind of closed boarder - even if it is to regulate the flow. Most people I know who want closed boarders actually want the government to do that first and then reform immigration policy. It is a chicken v egg kind of question in my view more than a issue of intolerance.