# What's your biggest worry? Terrorism, Gun violence, or Police brutality? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755 "2015-12-08T00:12:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/21 "2015-12-08T03:46:23Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > None of them. Why worry? Fear of any of those accomplishes precisely nothing. Yep. This country needs to stop running on fear. I think of Frank Herbert… > [@](#): > > “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/22 "2015-12-08T03:47:49Z")
Dying before my dog dies. He needs me. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/23 "2015-12-08T03:56:14Z")
Having been shot at on 2 occasions and threatened with guns on several more I would say out of the three gun violence would be the one. That being said I give it almost no thought unless I am in a place I think it is very possible to occur. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/24 "2015-12-08T05:12:17Z")
I put “police brutality” but a more accurate rendition would be “development of an increasingly coercive police state”. Not just the local cops in uniform in other words but the erosion of civil liberties in general. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/25 "2015-12-08T06:45:37Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Aren’t all three of those like dying in a plane crash - commonly feared but highly unlikely? The Times had a column comparing gun homicides (not injury or suicide) to other countries, and show what cause of death in the US was the same as gun homicide in that country. Gun homicides in the US are 31.2 a million, roughly the same as dying in a car accident. Airplane crashes are 1.6 a million, roughly the chance of dying from a gun homicide in China. Gun homicides in Japan are as likely as getting hit by lightning in the US. I said gun violence, but I was just comparing the 3 things. El Salvador and Mexico are worse than us, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/26 "2015-12-08T08:50:43Z")
Considering where I live, I’m going to have to say terrorism. If I were living in America, I would say gun violence. If I were living in America and were non-white, I’d say police brutality. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/27 "2015-12-08T10:49:56Z")
None of them. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/28 "2015-12-08T13:43:05Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > I don’t quite understand the poll. Do you mean of those three things, which are we most worried about? Because I would be surprised to find more that a tiny fraction of the population actually worried, on a day to day basis, about any of those three things. Did you look in the OP’s spoiler box, which contains the results of a national poll asking the same question? We’re a fairly rational bunch here on the Dope; the rest of the USA, less so. ---
**Author:** ![Brodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/29 "2015-12-08T13:59:19Z")
I live in the middle of nowhere so I have like a 1 in some absurdly big number chance of being killed by a terrorist. I do live in an area with gun nuts, but I leave them alone/they’re too busy showing off their crap/hunting that I’m not concerned about them. We don’t seem to have all that much police brutality going on out here. I went with other, which to me is ( I not it’s not the same as above), cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/30 "2015-12-08T14:23:59Z")
I voted gun violence, although I worry about a lot of other things more, it’s a bigger worry for me than terrorism or police brutality. It’s statistically unlikely I or someone close to me will be killed by terrorism, and as a white person I’m unlikely to be directly affected by police brutality. It’s much more possible that I or someone close to me will be shot by a gun. > [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > None of them. Why worry? Fear of any of those accomplishes precisely nothing. A constant fear or worry would be unproductive and maybe cause health problems. But a reasonable fear for all three of those can be good if it prompts people to vote for reasonable laws. Like common sense gun control laws, and ways to decrease police militarization. And my mild fear of gun violence means that I won’t have guns in my house, and I’m going to try to avoid spending a lot of time with gun aficionados, [and so my chance of dying from homicide (or suicide) is somewhat less than if I had a gun in the house.](http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/160/10/929.full) And non-white people shouldn’t have a fear of police brutality, but in America today, it’s not an unreasonable fear, so it’s not crazy for that fear to affect how they behave. If fear of any of these things keeps you from living your life, then that would be unhealthy. But fear prompting action isn’t necessarily a bad thing. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/31 "2015-12-08T14:45:34Z")
Another for none of them. I worry about stupid drivers, major appliances breaking, my kids, my dog, having a stroke, stuff like that. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/32 "2015-12-08T14:52:58Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > There’s such a low risk of any of them here, I’m not really worried at all. They don’t seem inevitable or imminent in my mind. I mean each one would suck when they happen, and we’re not immune, gun violence and Police brutality does happen here in Australia, it’s just rare and isolated enough, they’re not something that preys on my mind. > > Terrorist acts haven’t happened here at all, I don’t think. Maybe we’re due. > > I’m also becoming very pragmatic about my own death. I kind of don’t care all that much. If I was surrounded by the wildlife you guys have, I wouldn’t be worried about humans either. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/33 "2015-12-08T15:06:54Z")
Of the three alternatives, common criminal violence would be by far what I’d find more of a concern about touching me or mine in the regular course of days, both at home and on the road. Police brutality not much when in my home turf (it has been getting better, after a notorious peak in 2006-11), but I do try my best to not have uncomfortable interactions with LE when somewhere I’m not from. Then there’s the possibility of stray rounds from when they’re shooting someone else 29 times, but how the heck do I avoid that, so I keep it off my mind. Terrorism, as in organized attacks, not very apprehensive, even when travelling, I mean it does cross my mind at times “drat, I’d get trampled in the panic if I survive the strike”. I try to scope out shelter/escape in especially crowded places though I’d do that anyawy. I go ahead and enjoy myself. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/34 "2015-12-08T15:20:20Z")
_Of the three_, I picked police brutality. I’ve had more interaction with police than terrorists, so the odds are higher. But it’s still a very low chance. Of likely things, I worry about cancer more. I know a lot more people who’ve had cancer than I wish I did. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/35 "2015-12-08T15:22:53Z")
None particularly worry me. Gun violence is the only thing that could possibly affect me, and even that is a remote possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/36 "2015-12-08T15:34:43Z")
I’m more worried about loneliness and RTAs far more than any of those. To put it in context, when I was at school, the brother of a fellow pupil was blown up by the IRA, and I was at a party in July 2005 and two of the invitees could only stay a few minutes because they were on their way to identify one of the victims of the 7/7 bombings. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/37 "2015-12-08T15:45:54Z")
None really. I get more worried about health things. If I was a minority, no question I’d be most worried about police brutality. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/38 "2015-12-08T15:54:00Z")
I’m a white male who doesn’t fly a lot, doesn’t live near anything symbolic or particularly prominent, and I live in a decent neighborhood. None of the three are realistic threats to me and mine. I’m probably most worried about severe weather- tornadoes and the like. They’re far more likely to cause serious problems for my family- whether they live in Dallas (tornadoes), Houston (hurricanes), or Austin (drought). ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/39 "2015-12-08T16:01:04Z")
I picked other. If I worry about anything, it’s dying before my wife does. We’d both be a mess without the other. But she’s painfully shy, and would probably be lonelier than I would. Worrying doesn’t help that, either, but it’s what pops into my mind. The method of my doom doesn’t really phase me. It’s virtually a lock that it will be cancer if something doesn’t get me before it hits, so it’s a pretty nasty death that awaits me if I avoid all the other pitfalls. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755/40 "2015-12-08T16:03:47Z")
Considering that firearm deaths a[re edging up on vehicle traffic deaths](http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm), making them vastly more likely than I (a middle-aged white woman) am likely to encounter, I’m going with that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-biggest-worry-terrorism-gun-violence-or-police-brutality/739755.md?page=3)