Absolutely petrified

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I can't live in fear much longer having these terrorists in the world. Now the news is saying that they're in the UK and will attack at any time.

And all these refugees heading towards Europe, including the UK, is frightening, because I've already read that a Syrian refugee has been suspected a terrorist. This is scary. It's basically world war 3.

We're all going to die. I'm terrified. I f*****g hate ISIS. Can't the world just bomb all the c***s dead? It will do the world a favour, including the f*****g terrorists. They will go to their paradise, and we can all live in peace.

How much power do you have over being involved in an attack?
IMO, to be blunt, if you die then you die, and if not, that's great.
Let's not go crazy about this.

Well, you're giving them exactly what they want - you're terrified. Just don't give them that.

England is famous for not being afraid. Would it help if you read of WWII, when they got bombed every night, and everybody just did what they had to do.

You might say it's fine for me in Canada to say that, but Canada has taken a few hits too.

Or even the IRA. It seems to me that there have been terrorists afflicting England all along but now they made a spectacular event, in the knowledge that it will frighten us. Remedy: do not be frightened.

You need a role model - get hold of some stuff (preferably video, maybe try YouTube) and see what I'm trying to tell you. Please look at the ordinary people in London during WWII - each one was a hero, continuing with whatever needed doing - and you're made of the same stuff.

Please give it a try?

The cliche "if you die you die" never makes me feel better. Besides, it's not just about me and dying. It's about fear of losing loved ones in a terrorist attack, experiencing explosions and guns locally (not being physically affected but I know I will be traumatized), and being badly hurt in a terrorist attack and suffering miserably in hospital. It's all scary.

Yes I know you could give the usual cliche "you or your loved ones could die anywhere, example a car accident", but that doesn't make me feel better anyway, because being alerted that there are terrorists planning more attacks is worse because it plays on your mind, like hearing it everywhere on the news and reading all these WARNING! things on the internet and all over the newspapers.

And lastly, terrorists want to attack where there are lots of people, so if nobody got frightened and just carried on their lives as normal then the terrorists will have it easy targeting the busiest areas just like before.

And, one last thing, the arseface that is running the UK is cutting lots of police services. So that'd make the UK citizens feel even more safe (not!)

I agree with Joe when I say that this doesn't really help at all. I have to go to a mall in North Olmsted on Wednesday to get my ring inspected. That same mall had to be closed twice due to terrorist threats. My husband claims it's because someone had a meltdown; I do not believe this. I am scared to go to this mall, because these a**holes from ISIS may show up and kill me dead, but I have to go, because this was where I got my ring. Tell me again why this isn't a rational fear, I f***ing dare you!! !

It's not just dying I'm worried about. I'm a woman, so there's stuff that IMO is worse than being dead, like being treated like a lower life form, having my body parts sewn shut, not being able to go anywhere without a male escort, being forced into a bigamist marriage, or being forbidden to expose any more skin than what's on my eyelids, even during a summer heat wave.

Of course, things are still "safe" where I live for the time being. One good thing about living in a city no one else in even your own country gives a rat's tail about.

Turn off the news, you are now informed about the recent events.

This will help you to look at it rationally. Yes anything is possible, but being bombarded by the media might make the probability of an attack more likely in your mind.

In my last post I was referring to this specifically.
If we really all are going to die, well, then that's what's gonna happen, nothing we can do about it. Would suck, but oh well.
Does seem unlikely to me though.

I agree with Amity. The news can fuel our fears like crazy, which doesn't really help us, since we can't do a whole lot to prevent getting involved other than maybe staying away from crowded public places (which still doesn't guarantee absolute safety).
So yeah, maybe skipping that news bit might help ease some fears.


What do you mean? I didn't tell you anything. You hadn't even posted anything before me so I couldn't know about your specific situation.

Okay, first of all, I was NOT talking to you directly! I was talking to anyone in this thread in general. I only quoted you because I disagreed with what you said about dying and getting killed.

Secondly, did you not recall Al-Shabaab threatening to blow up the Mall of America in Minnesota. If not, google it up!

Thirdly, I have a severe anxiety disorder, and am prone to panic attacks when I hear about these things, for f***'s sake! The Zoloft I am taking is barely helping (it has been three. F***ing. Days.) and should have f***ing kicked in a LOT sooner!

Seriously, how would you feel if a terrorist comes up behind you and puts a machete on your neck?!

That looks like you're really screaming at me. That's not very nice.
Ah ok. Since there was no line break there I thought the entire text was for me. Would you mind editing that? It's still kinda bothering me.


Is this directed at me?

You might want to start exercising and learning self-defense now if you haven't already.

Also, look at them: they stick together. Autistics are in the absoute worst position because we are naturally solitaire creatures. You need to create a network, even if it's difficult for you. Get a group together so you can escort each other to do errands together. It sounds extreme, but I'm serious. You need to get your group organized now rather than later. The invaders will be hunting in packs, so the worst situation for you is to be a lone prey animal to them.

That's what happens when someone is assualted: they are alone and vulnerable. These people are cowards, they never attack unless they outnumber the target(s).

Xenophobia is justified. Marxism is for evolutionary failures. Don't be one. These are not times for idealism. I hate to say it, because I consider myself a philanthropist. I had hoped to never hold these attitudes. But I will survive, and if extreme xenophobia is what it takes, then that will be my attitude.

Keep your head up.

I was only giving a hypothetical situation for the last sentence. I was not threatening you. Just saying. Also I can't edit anything because the time ran out for me to do so.

Hmm... yeah well I can understand that this is a scary situation with anxiety. Especially after having heard all the stories in the media.
To be fair, I'm from Europe as well and there are refugees everywhere, a small portion of which might turn out to be terrorists which is reason for concern.
But just like Amity implied, watching the news can really amplify the perceived danger, so I'd prefer not to check up on stuff like that.

WitchsCat's husband here. I had a very long conversation with my wife about this thread last night, and decided to mediate before things esclated even further. Reading the posts now, I may have misjudged things (sorry sweetie), but do want to make a few points:

1) ISIS is a bad thing, we can all agree on that part. No one here that I am aware of supports what they're doing. And if they do, guaranteed they're on the government watch list for it, or doesn't fully understand the implications of their position.

2) There is some truth to the "severe anxiety disorder" bit my wife mentioned. While not necessarily a disorder per se, I do believe one of her long-standing medications (that she is weening off now thankfully) is the root cause of her anxiety and inability to communicate effectively. That being said, as of Wednesday, she has started taking Zoloft now that the doctors cleared her for it, and is still weaning onto it. Last night was the first full dose she took (before was half-doses to help her onto it). I personally have already noticed a vast improvement over the past few days with regards to anxiety, but we still have a ways to go before she reaches my level of (I don't know the word for this) non-anxiety.

3) I do want to apologize for her behavior and the way it made you feel, and so does she. Truth is, she latched onto one statement you made and ran with it. Was it overboard? I'd personally say so, but not as much as I told her last night when I only got brief glimpses of this thread's content. Please accept my sincerest apologies for everything that happened in this thread.

4) As for the "why" this thread took this turn, well, it looks to me like a perfect storm of circumstances. My wife has, since they became a thing, had a fear of ISIS. Particularly with regards to local attacks. She also has a fear of premature death. Honestly, I used to, but deep faith changed that because I believe I'm in good hands and it'll all work out (not to start a religious discussion here however). Not that Iive my life as if I'm invincible or anything, but I don't worry about the possibility of that kind of stuff because in the end, I want to (safely) live my life to the fullest. Anyways, these two fears, plus a bit of jealousy over those that seem to lack them, was factor A. Factor B is that her two worst fears combined overseas.

In short: worst fears realized + people not having those fears + misunderstanding the intent of what was posted online (typical spectrum stuff ) = this thread.

I will say that I saw your post Earthling, I understood what you were getting at, and honestly, it's how I feel too. If I not mistaken, what you were essentially saying is that you shouldn't live your life in fear of what will happen tomorrow. What happens is going to happen and nothing we do can change that. Totally get it, and that's my stance on things too. That being said, my wife hasn't reached that stage yet, and still does, to an extent, live her life avoiding places that give her anxiety. Not as much as, say, a month ago, but she's improving. I love her to pieces, but I do want her and everyone else here to be friends on good terms, and for everyone to have a good time here. Well, besides the occasional trolls that pop up, but I don't see any in this thread.

So, all in all, while things started to get out of hand and seem to be resolved now, I just wanted to clarify a few things so they don't flare up again, and also so all parties involved feel better about what happened. We're all in this together!

Firstly, take a step back and look objectively at the situation. You're more likely to die in a car crash then to die in a terrorist attack. Does that mean that you should avoid cars? Not necessarily. Your fear is amplifying what you perceive to be dangerous, and that's what terrorism aims for. That's what terrorists are trying to do to you and everyone else. Don't let them.

Do you go to a therapist? Maybe talk to them about how to emotionally process these events...don't end up with PTSD or another anxiety disorder over this.

Are you familiar with Mean World Syndrome?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_world_syndrome

There are so many fallacies in that post I don't even know where to begin.

You can not statistically determine ones chances of dying in a terrorist attack because you don't know the scale and casualties of a potential attack. There could be one person being stabbed, ten people shot, a hundred blown up with a bomb or even more.

There is also now way of knowing when and where an attack will happen. You'll never know if terrorists will strike just after one attack or space them out over time, or if they will attack in proximity to the previous area or somewhere else altogether. Terrorism itself uses fear and therefore it has to be unpredictable by nature.

Avoiding crowded areas is generally a good idea. Why spend more time there than you have to, especially if you can get your errands done elsewhere? Very few people have to spend much time at all in very crowded areas. There is no harm in harboring suspicion and being careful.