I just find commercial aviation to be such an amazing achievement, and the odds of accident so small that it doesn't produce fear in me.

Yes, but when your car crashes, you don't subsequently fall screaming for 30,000 feet.

Actually, I justify my flying fear with the fact that there are perfectly cromulent cognitive reasons for it that overwhelm the rational accounting. Like: most people know how to drive, so even being a passenger in a car is more of a familiar, in-control situation than being a passenger in a plane. Car deaths are usually one or two at a time, and constant, which makes if much easier for them to fall into the background of one's attention, whereas 300 at a pop, major news coverage, makes plane crashes have much more attentional impact. And most of all, I know people who have had car crashes and survived. Although people do survive plane crashes, more often what you hear about is the whole plane, creamed into tiny bits at the bottom of Long Island Sound.

Mythbusters did a whole bunch of airplane/skydiving myths last night, including dumping Buster out of a plane at 3000 feet. It did not go well for him.

I expect you wouldn't do much screaming if you fell out as 40,000 feet as the lack of oxygen would probably render you unconscious immediately. But I'm not volunteering to try.

Golden Globe noms:

Rose Byrne was a supporting player in Damages? Yay, Pushing Daisies and Lee Pace! Also, yay for Minnie Driver!

Actually, I justify my flying fear with the fact that there are perfectly cromulent cognitive reasons for it that overwhelm the rational accounting.

Yeah, everything you mentioned makes sense as to why flying scares most people more than driving. I started out explaining why I don't fear flying, and then it sorta' turned into a lecture.

Yes, but when your car crashes, you don't subsequently fall screaming for 30,000 feet.

Yeah. Well, most accidents happen during takeoff and landing so....

Actually, I have a morbid fascination with things like that. Like, when everyone knows they're gonna die but they have some time yet. Luckily. that's pretty rare.... talking out of my ass, I'd say that most plane crashes people "know" for less than a minute. Which I suppose is still too long....

But I'm not volunteering to try.

But it's science!

I have little plane fear since I figure I will die if things go wrong, and I can't save myself.

It's also possible my self preservation instinct is broken.

The idea of a car crash that injures me and is my fault appalls me more.

The idea of a car crash that injures me and is my fault appalls me more.

Yeah, me too. Or a crash that's my fault and injures or kills other people....

Huh. When was the last time that the "Comedy or Musical" category had more musicals than comedies?

So, does it sound legit? The person has a YT account full of c-infringing material and several subscribers, and yet I still feel leery even about pm'ing them back, let alone emailing them.

I don't know, Juliebird. I am a bitter old fandom queen, and therefore cranky and suspicious. I'd need to know the name of the person asking and the site address to give you an informed opinion.

They're probably harmless, but I don't like their language one bit.

As I was waiting in line at Wal-mart last night, the clerk wished the person in front of me "Happy Holidays," and she responded with "Merry Christmas. I know you're not allowed to say that here." She followed up with something about how it might make sense in, say, California, but my godness, who would be offended here?

My eyes just about rolled out of my head. Of all the MSCM crazinesses, the War On Christmas may just be the one that makes me go "Whuh?" the most.

Susan's Alaska Airlines fear is mine. That crash really creeped me out even though I'm not generally afraid of flying.

I forget what finally happened with that plane. I know they were trying to fix it and that it crashed into the ocean into little bitty pieces, but that's it.