Why do we fear terrorists so much? Shouldn't you be more scared of bad drivers?

Question

Less than 10,000 Americans have died in terrorist attacks in the history of the country. Over 40,000 die each year in traffic accidents. What if we took 1/4 of the antiterrorism budget and used it to train people to drive better?

Answer 1

Thank you.....Its the politics of fear and loathing. Life is much more dangerous just driving down the street then having to deal with a terrorist. But this govt would have you think otherwise!

Answer 2

Apparently you flunked Economics 101. Set aside death tolls for a second...

Did you notice how much the WTC attacks affected our nation economically, or how important stability matters?

So some schmuck here and there dies in a car accident, big deal. More people die each year from some kind of cancer or plain old age. Being pre-emptive against an attack is not always about the number of deaths (though one of the arguments - nuclear - could very well be used).

It would be great if you could show how fear has anything to do with the war on terror. The attack occurred here on many attempts and finally one slips in. That's all it took for us to change our mindset, and now you want to criticize. If inaction is the course you suggest, then perhaps you'd like to show how that's been successful in the past?

Answer 3

I DO NOT FEAR FOREIGN TERRORISTS!
The U.S. Government are our worst enemies. You cannot protect yourself against violent perpetrators, without being arrested and possibly sued.
How many people walking down the street are mugged or stopped at a traffic light and get carjacked? How many lives are lost? Do you think it may exceed the 40,000 lives lost, to bad drivers?

Answer 4

People respond to stimulus, and, unfortunately, some of that stimulus comes through news stories. Guilt and empathy result strongly from visual representations of human tragedy. One or two car accidents on your 10 o'clock news doesn't register as that bad particularly if you see it every night (you become jaded). If we could relate large, single event tragedies (airplane crash) to statistics of cumulative tragedies (car accidents) in a visually impactful way (not a bar chart) then we would see more focus on the real issues. People would be more afraid to drive than fly; people would watch their diets; and people would give more to eradicate the causes of easily preventable diseases which kill as many people in a year as were killed in the Indian Ocean tsunami.

Answer 5

Everybody thinks they are a better driver than the next terrorist.
Funny thing is, if we would stop driving so much (or so fast), we wouldn't need so much oil, and VOILA! the terrorists wouldn't have so much money, we wouldn't be trying to build pipelines through their deserts, and both problems would be lessened.
huh.

Answer 6

Bad drivers don't usually have a bomb strapped around them. I see your point and living in fear only gives power to who or what you fear. Unfortunately for most terrorists death is a reward and how do you fight that?

Answer 7

10,000 Americans died in terrorist attacks in the history of the country. 80,000 kids die monthly in Africa of starving. Should we be affraid of terrorist ?. No, like Bob Marley Said "UNTIL THE BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS ARE EQUALY GUARANTEE TO ALL WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE .. THERE'LL BE WAR".

Answer 8

We fear terrorists because they are an "unknown". We do not understand them. We find it scary that these people do not care what happens to them, all for a higher cause.

Answer 9

We should be forever vigilant against every form of evil, terrorism, drunkenness, idolatry, adultry, slovenness, whatever form it comes in we need to combat it, else it will ruin us..and devour our nation that was founded by Christians to be a becon in the world.

Answer 10

Drivers are accidents with no targets, terrorist have a target and a goal, your death for there cause.