# Things That Have Become Less Scary With Time **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2020, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081 "2020-10-03T03:00:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/21 "2020-10-03T16:41:36Z")
Communists. They seem a lot less scary than they used to. Russians, however … ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/22 "2020-10-03T17:24:50Z")
I have no doubt that the use of hallucenogenic (did I spell that right? Trying a new keyboard and it doesn’t seem to know that word) drugs can cause problems… I’ve just never seen or heard of anyone becoming genuinely and permanently schizoprenic from the use of LSD, which was something I was specifically taught in 7th grade health class… as for alla youse librul commies, well, yer a sight less scary, it turns out, than I was taught and right now a damn sight less scary than the other guys ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/23 "2020-10-03T17:32:22Z")
The opposite sex? No, they still terrify me at times. Death? No, that’s becoming more scary, not less, as I get older. I got nothin. And re: quicksand, reminds me of a bit from some comedian— “quicksand has turned out to be much less of a problem than I was led to believe as a child”. John Mulaney, I’m thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/24 "2020-10-03T17:59:15Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I like to relax by driving my truck around the countryside and solving mysteries. You don’t have to tell **me** about the dangers of quicksand. Almost lost a buddy. Old Man Withers came kind of close to getting the abandoned hoard of pirate gold - not nearly as close as he believed. But it was foolish of him to dress up as a cowboy ghost just to scare the townspeople. So _you’re_ one of those meddling kids! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/25 "2020-10-03T18:06:58Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > So _you’re_ one of those meddling kids! But which ones? The ones with the talking dog? The talking shark? The talking car? The talking rocket ship? The talking ghost? The talking caveman? The talking werewolf? The talking schmoo? The talking Mr. T? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/26 "2020-10-03T18:13:06Z")
I’m just old enough we were once taught to “duck and cover”, although not specifically with those bizarre government films for the loop projector. John Mulaney’s proposed movie _Love At First Sight_ is comedy brilliance. But how many mysteries did _he_ solve? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/27 "2020-10-03T18:24:14Z")
**Heavy metal music**. Parents and congresspersons were absolutely terrified of it in the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/28 "2020-10-03T18:42:14Z")
I used to have gephyrophobia (fear of bridges) but after passing over the Bay Bridge a couple dozen times it hardly bothers me at all. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/29 "2020-10-03T19:02:23Z")
> [@solost](#): > > The opposite sex? No, they still terrify me at times. I found the proper therapy for that. I will only go to a woman dentist because I expect pain from women. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/30 "2020-10-03T19:06:13Z")
Automatic transmissions. My dad used to fill my head with nonsense about how dangerous they were. They’ll just jump right into gear and your car will run you down. Rattlesnakes. Now, yeah, like quicksand, buzzworms are a real and serious threat. But they aren’t the hideous demonic monsters that will chase you down faster than a horse can run, etc. that (again) my papa told me. (He believed a lot of the things debunked in the original hardback “The Straight Dope” books.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/31 "2020-10-03T19:23:27Z")
[How Deadly Is Quicksand? | Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/story/how-deadly-is-quicksand#:~:text=Is%20quicksand%20actually%20as%20dangerous,denser%20than%20the%20human%20body). _It used to be a standard trope in action movies, although you don’t see it much these days: a patch of apparently solid ground in the jungle that, when stepped on, turns out to have the consistency of cold oatmeal. The unlucky victim starts sinking down into the muck; struggling only makes it worse. Unless there’s a vine to grab a hold of, he or she disappears without a trace (except maybe a hat floating sadly on the surface). It was a bad way to go. [Quicksand](https://www.britannica.com/science/quicksand-geology) was probably the number-one hazard faced by silver-screen adventurers, followed by decaying rope bridges and giant clams that could hold a diver underwater._ _Nope. **Quicksand—that is, sand that behaves as a liquid because it is saturated with water—can be a mucky nuisance, but it’s basically impossible to die in the way that is depicted in movies.** That’s because quicksand is denser than the human body. People and animals can get stuck in it, but they don’t get sucked down to the bottom—they float on the surface. Our legs are pretty dense, so they may sink, but the torso contains the lungs, and thus is buoyant enough to stay out of trouble._ > **[Can quicksand really suck you to your death?](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160323-can-quicksand-really-suck-you-to-your-death)** > > Death-by-quicksand is a favourite of B-movie directors. But would a hapless cowboy or bandit really be sucked under? Claudia Hammond pokes a tentative toe into the science… > **[Will Quicksand Really Kill You?](http://thescienceexplorer.com/nature/will-quicksand-really-kill-you)** > > Quicksand may not be the horrific danger we see portrayed in popular movies and television. _## Quicksand may not be the horrific danger we see portrayed in popular movies and television._ _Whether in movies or on TV, any consumer of popular media will be familiar with tales of quicksand swallowing people and animals whole, but as is often found in movies and entertainment, the science and reality behind the fantasy don’t always add up._ _In fact, [studies have found](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0928_050928_quicksand_2.html) it is impossible to be completely submerged in quicksand because humans are less dense than quicksand and a person would only sink to their chest before they begin to float._ _But what can make quicksand deadly is its ability to trap and hold unsuspecting victims_. So, while still a clear hazzard, it is nowhere near as deadly as shown in film and TV. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/32 "2020-10-03T19:45:42Z")
Playing music backwards. On an unrelated topic: Cranberry sauce. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/33 "2020-10-03T20:09:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, while still a clear hazzard, it is nowhere near as deadly as shown in film and TV. Unless it’s the legendary [dry quicksand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_quicksand). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/34 "2020-10-03T20:17:49Z")
I know all that stuff. The OP started with ‘quicksand’, an actual danger, and then was followed by 4 fictitious dangers. It was a bit different from the rest. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/35 "2020-10-03T20:25:55Z")
He won’t respect you in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/36 "2020-10-03T20:29:38Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > On an unrelated topic: Cranberry sauce Not sure what that’s about but it reminds me that you can easily drown in a cranberry bog because cranberry/water mixture is much less dense than water and humans will sink like a rock. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/37 "2020-10-03T21:27:41Z")
Ring around the collar turned out to be way less of a concern than I was led to believe as a kid. > [@digs](#): > > It was a grand piano being hauled up by a winch on the roof of an apartment building, and was clearly going to be swung through a top floor window. This and the false danger of slipping on banana peels were mentioned back to back in the Sesame Street original [Danger’s No Stranger but How Now Brown & the Moo Wave](https://youtu.be/hVcZ7cDggeE?t=100) (skip to 1:40 in case the link doesn’t work). ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/38 "2020-10-03T23:10:27Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > He won’t respect you in the morning. Based on the tenuous assumption that he does now. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/39 "2020-10-04T00:53:20Z")
Abortion. Fifteen years later, no signs of breast cancer, infertility, regret, or smiting. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081/40 "2020-10-04T01:02:56Z")
The threat of being engulfed by flames. Not once have I had to stop, drop, and roll. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-have-become-less-scary-with-time/922081.md?page=3)