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Random discussion about sharks
11 years ago
Just felt like rambling a bit. Sharks are definitely among the specimens in nature that people commonly fear, unaware that sharks are actually not too fond of the taste of humans, and I guess you can blame the media too, which portrays them as these aggressive predators that will sink their teeth into just about anything. I won't lie though, when I was little, I definitely shared that mindset.
But I mostly blame Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage back when it was a thing. Those of you who may remember having played this game might remember the sharks (didn't notice they were robots until I replayed the game YEARS later) in Aquaria Towers; go anywhere near the blasted things, and they would instakill you by eating you. I'm not gonna lie, that kinda scared the crap out of me (when I was little), but over time, I did away with that fear of sharks by learning a bit more about them, and then years later, shark porn found its way to me and look where I am now.
Oh, the irony that time brings about. But enough of my chatter, time for me to head to work. Happy Shark Week, people!
But I mostly blame Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage back when it was a thing. Those of you who may remember having played this game might remember the sharks (didn't notice they were robots until I replayed the game YEARS later) in Aquaria Towers; go anywhere near the blasted things, and they would instakill you by eating you. I'm not gonna lie, that kinda scared the crap out of me (when I was little), but over time, I did away with that fear of sharks by learning a bit more about them, and then years later, shark porn found its way to me and look where I am now.
Oh, the irony that time brings about. But enough of my chatter, time for me to head to work. Happy Shark Week, people!
But besides human thinking, you just need to look at them to see why they are perceived as terrifying to a lot of people:
1: Their eyes. Kinda beady and not something a human being can associate with very well and it puts a sense of unease in people since it's less friendly and less predictable.
2: Rows of jagged teeth. It's easy to see that something that efficient at slicing is not something you want to be against, so it makes sense that to 'avoid pricking your finger' you avoid the needle in the first place.
3: Erratic swimming. In the same unpredictable way that spiders can suddenly move in their sporadic way, sharks can somewhat in the water. Who knows if that slow moving and innocent torpedo is going to suddenly change directions and charge at you with its maw open and ready to rip you to shreds in an instant.
4: Knowledge that sharks are THE predator of the ocean. There may be more dangerous things that can kill a human in the ocean, but sharks are something we can see and we can fear.
5: Sharks are BIG. Size can make things terrifying, huge or tiny.
TL;DR
Unpredictable behavior and many physical features lead to us being as scared of them as someone may be of spiders. It's irrational, but unpreventable and the media doesn't help show off these features and gives them the role of 'villain' in the ocean.