Have an English seminar tomorrow and we have to end with a discussion question.?

[rydude189]

My seminar is on the topic of fear and basically how it can cause you to react without thinking about the potential consequences...Some others have used a situation like question such as:If you had to kill someone to save your own life, would you?Would you chose to die young from a gunshot wound to the head or die old from cancer (yes pretty messed up lol)It has to spark a discussion which can last around 10 minutes.Plz help!!

[KYGrace2699]

Many people are afraid of clowns...can you explain why something as innocent as a clown could spark great fear in some people?

[bizime6706]

Here are a few possibilities:When does fear move from being helpful to being a problem such as a phobia?How do people overcome unnecessary fears?What causes phobias?How do you recognize a panic attack?Can a person die from fear?

[BH2987]

Fear is a REACTION, as you say. We are hard wired to react, just as animals are. It benefits their survival (fight or flight), just as it did ours. Unfortunately, when living in a more complex social environment, fearful, fight or flight reactions don't always fit the context of the situation. The most basic types of MISPLACED fearful reactions, I believe, are PREJUDGEMENTS toward other groups of people. We are always making assumptions about other races, cultures, and lifestyles. Have you ever been afraid of a person just because of how the person looks? Bigotry, homophobia, stereotyping, even misogyny (believing that men should "command" or "control" women) are often based on fear. What are some false assumptions we develop about other groups of people that are based on fear? What are some situations where... --one race does not trust another--one culture does not trust another--one sex does not trust the other--someone does not trust another person who seems differentThe suggestion is that there are many instances where a person reacts to others based on fear that something will go terribly wrong if too much trust or freedom is extended. Is this always the best route to go when dealing with others? (No, not always, of course.) How do we get around this fear and give a person the trust or freedoms we normally extend to others? In addition, another part of discussion might be this:Are there instances where we are justified in our fearful reactions to others? (Yes, of course.) SO, how do we know when fear towards others is needed and when it is not? Print this out, hi-light some of the questions, and you may be able to run a good discussion lasting ten minutes or more. BUT, make this discussion yours. Have a plan on how to run it, and anticipate with your own examples and follow-up questions.