JDKJ said:
Treblaine said:
Hmm, as scary as sharks are, especially the great white, you then find pictures like this:
[HEADING=2]"oooooooh no, I'm ticklish don't![/HEADING]
I'm not impressed. You'd be surprised at how little risk a shark presents to a human once the shark has figured out that the human isn't among the items on its regularly occurring menu. Most all shark attacks are the result of sharks mistaking humans for their usual prey (which is why it is thought that surfers are frequent victims because they resemble the profile of seals and seal lions while sitting on their boards waiting for the next set to roll in).
I like the pic because the position makes it seem like a more anthropomorphic creature throwing its head back with it's mouth open roaring with laughter... rather than the "torpedo with teeth" that Great White sharks look like in most depictions like Jaws. There, I explained the joke, it's not so funny any more.
I'm not logically afraid of sharks, but you have to admit Great White sharks can appear marvellously intimidating.
I think the appeal of "shark horror" movies/books etc is playing more on our human fear of the water; it is not our ideal element, most humans if not trained to swim will drown in water, it is a claustrophobic, disorienting yet at the same time enchanting environment where we can move in three dimensions, escape gravity by way of buoyancy for one breath at a time.
I've swum in the open ocean, with the deep blue sea open below me I get the same feeling as looking over a chasm, a fear of oblivion and the unknown and the dangers within. It't exhilarating, certainly not enough to make me paranoid of swimming in the sea, part of the fun is a little fear.
Sharks fit in perfectly with that human fear instinct of open water. We are afraid of unknown threats and in the water we are most vulnerable; we cannot fight back, we cannot escape, we can barely see what is approaching.
Jaws was Spielberg's breakout film and an eternal classic for absolutely nailing the monster-horror genre while grounding it (somewhat) in reality. This was not just another day of shark attacks, this was one very special shark that for some unknown reason was targeting humans. Why? Who knows, that's what makes it so scary.
I get what you say by "sharks get a bad press" I get it. Look, when I watch a horror movie where the crazy killer is a cop that doesn't give me an irrational fear of police officers, however I do appreciate that if one did go crazy and come after me how terrifying that would be.