Very, very scary

Yes, the Austrian story about the kidnapping and escape of Natascha Kampusch is both fascinating and to some extent scary.
Now there are even rumors that her mother sold her to the guy!
But come on ... Girls becoming scared to go out after dark? It seems like all of a sudden it has become so much more dangerous to move around?
It could be wise some times to stop and reflect for a couple of minutes before running wild with a "media emotion". Like the simple fact that this tragic incident happened years ago.
What is "very, very scary" is the way that people let media influence their thoughts and behaviors, and how we so easily stop being rational about real and perceived dangers.

Story:
The dramatic escape of an 18-year-old Austrian girl after being held in an underground cell for eight years has had a profound impact in this otherwise safe city with many of its citizens, including Indians, scared to go out after dark.

Indians, particularly young girls, say the shocking tale that hogged international headlines earlier this month has scared them so much that many dare not go out of the house after dusk.

"After watching television reports on the Kampusch story, I am really scared to get out of the house. It is very, very scary," said Jasmin Perumadan, a business administration student at Vienna University.

Source