Hmm, If We Went Back In Time, Would Scary Stuff Scare Us?

[Dog--]

2 Questions

1) If we went back to.. say.. the 1700-1800's, would the things that those people considered scary, scare us?

2) If we brought those people up to our time, would they shit themselves if they saw some of our scary movies/games (minus the load in their pants for seeing electricity for the first time )

For example, the only entertainment back then was story-telling, would their scary stories scare you? Or if they saw one of our best horror flicks, would they crap themselves in fear?

 

[Geogaddi]

Yes


EDIT: Although the above statement is my honest first reaction to the question presented, I think it needs a little more content to avoid being what is commonly known as "spam". I have yet to make such a change. Stay tuned for details.

 

[Dog--]

...To what question?

 

[Geogaddi]

...To what question?

The scary one

EDIT: Shit I'm sleep deprived. Yes to the second one.

First one, probably not the stories, as I'm not generally scared by today's horror entertainment.

I'd probably be scared of the lack of hygeine though D:

 

[Darkside55]

If you brought people from the past to our time, they'd be scared shitless without even having to see any horror movies. Just take them out onto the streets and holy crap, heart-attack city.

As to question one, not likely unless it's something that you could read/hear now and be afraid of. Much of the horror of the past is stuff that wouldn't affect us at all. Say, if you're talking about the 1700/1800s, witches for example. People terrified of getting hexed and whatnot, well, that's not even remotely frightening to us (or at least it shouldn't be).

 

[15357]

1700s.... people were afraid of

#1. Pirates: Yes.
#2. Witches: No.
#3. Cholera: Yes.
#4. Plague: Yes.
#5. Smallpox: Yes.
#6. Brigands: Revolver + Head = No.
#7. Tigers: Same as above/Yes

So, for the most part, yes.

 

[kirovman]

I think your average uneducated people would be scared, but if you brought a scientist, he'd be very inquisitive.

Going back in time, well you'd have some idea what to expect. Someone mentioned the hygeine would scare them.

Yes, poo would be flowing the streets, depending on how far back you went.

#1. Pirates: Yes.

Pirates thesedays are pretty scary... they fire RPGs at ships.

 

[Sulkdodds]

What would a phobia of pirates be called?

 

[Danimal]

Piraphobia?

PiraphobiARRRR!

 

[Sulkdodds]

I like that.

PS: Why do I have an email from you saying 'danimal wants to talk to you' when I have you on my MSN contacts list already?

 

[Danimal]

:| wtf?

Scalar Waves of the unholy MSN?

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

 

[Remus]

The things that would scare me if I went back in time: The complete lack of hygiene, the mentality that people had back then, the primitive medical "techniques", the extreme punishments they had back then( guillotine etc.)

 

[Mr-Fusion]

I'd be scared of the same things, that is people with ignorance spewing from their brains! All the right wing people of that day would be exponentially more retarded than their modern day decendants. Pro-slavery, nationalistic to the core, despise the very concept of worker rights, insanely religious who hammer the wrath of god garbage into your ears all day.

But twas a time of great discovery!! Humanity is finally crawling out of the quagmire of previous centuries, imagine hearing Mozart for the first time and all the great composers of that era? I suppose it'd be pointless for us...but for people of that time....wow.

If we brought people of that time to this one i think they'd cope ok. Arthur C Clarke proposed a similar question in 3001 btw. Bring a man from the stoneages to this day and they will view us as magicians, the technology leap would be incomprehensible to them. Bring a man from this day 1000 years into the future and he will be able cope. Well that was Clarkes position. In 1000 years everyone may be incorporeal, floating around as masses of energy observing time and space. I could dig that!

 

[bbson john]

I think we are likely to be considered as heretic and beheaded, before we find anything scary.

 

[kirovman]

I think we are likely to be considered as heretic and beheaded, before we find anything scary.

Now that's scary.

 

[Dan]

It's funny how the past is always uncivilized and ignorant but the present is enlightened, even in the 1800s

 

[kirovman]

It's funny how the past is always uncivilized and ignorant but the present is enlightened, even in the 1800s

I'm sure someone will be looking on the internet archives in 2300 and see this post and agree.