Why are people utterly terrified of anyone or anything a bit different?

Exactly.

How we respond to that primal discomfort will depend on many things, particularly our upbringing. But it's in us all to some extent, along with all the more beneficial instinctive responses.

The OP is right. Terror might be overstating it but it definitely stems from deep insecurity.

Is this the guy who's going to present the newest iteration of the grand tour? He already has a ch4 show, he's living his best life best thing to do is not read the comments

It's thought to come from a more primitive part of the brain that makes us wary of things that aren't familiar, sort of a protective instinct from a more primitive time.

If you lived in a tribe and came across a strange animal or a person who was clearly not from your tribe, or even someone you vaguely know but they are acting strangely, it would probably be sensible to be wary of them. They could be a predator, they could be suffering from some kind of disease like rabies or leprosy, they could be escaping some other danger. That's the instinct that's getting activated when you encounter someone with behaviour or looks outside the social norm.

If you're familiar with trainspotting culture yourself it will be much less automatically threatening. And of course we can learn intellectually that someone looking or acting different doesn't mean they are a threat. But the tendency to mock or jeer is also a tribal behaviour -it signals to others "we're the same and that person is different and wrong". It makes people feel safe, especially when they both feel wary of the "strange" person. Nasty bullying behaviour but that's where it comes from.

I know who you mean and I love his videos!

I was sitting in a train once in Euston station , bound for Dublin. Suddenly the carriage filled up with a group of trainspotters, chatting excitedly about signal failures , delays and whatnot. There was a young Chinese guy across the aisle from me , reading the Guardian. One of the trainspotters sat opposite him and enquired his destination. He was going to Kerry.

' Oh then you need to change at Limerick Junction, which is actually in Tipperary despite the name! ' he said delightedly. On and on HR chuntered about his career with BR and his global travels , courtesy of his employee rail pass. My Chinese neighbour was losing the will to live but he could hardly claim incomprehension ...caught reading an English paper.

Then suddenly - ' I was in Tiananmen Square during the protests.'
' You were? What were people saying ?'
They had a very serious conversation after that. We underestimate these geeks at our peril.

And where are you from deusexmacintosh?

Didn’t know who this guy is, watched 1 minute of one of his videos and that’s plenty for me. 😂

I love trainspotters. And radio hams. And bird watchers. We need more!!

It’s not fear of difference in this case, but I think it’s definitely driven by insecurity and poor self esteem. All bullying relies on sniffing out perceived weakness and then making your verbal or physical attack in front of an audience of similar IQ in order to feel superior and validated.

There have always been utter cunts of every stripe in every walk of life, but internet anonymity brings them out in droves.

Francis seems pretty unaffected by it, though, and he’s widely appreciated by a massive audience and appears to be living his best life.

It's not, it's just a pseudonym he was encouraged to use by a professor at university so that his hobby didn't cause issues with him finding a job.

His name is fake for a start!

You can be into modelling and trains.

I've read a lot about him but nothing has convinced me he's fake. Does he play up to a stereotype for views? Sure, but so do all social media influencers.

Well!!! My gaster is flabbered.

He’s not real!

He has been a male model in real life.

Yanbu

I love this guy, he’s great.

I think a lot of it with him is people men who are insanely jealous at the amount of positive attention this geeky, nerdy, probably ND, not especially attractive man gets.

I'm pretty average normal woman but don't do cliques, women's drinks etc

I'm not in. Doing my own life

Just read in here at times. Only females

Many people are threatened by someone doing their own thing. I think they're jealous deep down that someone has the confidence to be themselves. It irritates them, and they will only pick on an easy target...someone who doesn't fit the norm.

yes, you Often lash out at or criticise someone doing something that you daren't do yourself or have been told is wrong. So in case that could be "showing off" Now most people with an iota of emotional intelligence realise it's a them thing and have a word with themselves in their head. But very thick people can't do that, and they are via social media being exposed to people and concepts they would never have been if SM didn't exist.

Such wariness/suspicion is kind of understandable. Humans are dangerous creatures and capable of almost limitless evil. You only have to look at the number of posts on MN about childhood sexual abuse. Or think back to school. I can remember some horrific bullying when I was a kid. But what sticks in my memory most is the joy on the faces of other kids as they watched it happening. I might be a cynic, but I distrust the majority of people, and I am very careful who I allow into my life.

Today, everyone is falling over themselves to prove how liberal and tolerant they are. The more tolerant and open you are, the cooler you are. But you soon see what an act/pose that is when it comes to people's children. They might say "oh, don't be so small-minded and bigotted...X is such an interesting and exotic character." But they would never leave their 12-year-old daughter alone in a room with X.

I have no interest in trains. I suppose never understood why people would be into standing there watching them. That guy's utter joy though has made me realise I don't need to understand. Just watching how happy he gets actually changes my mood.

I have to say I am really disappointed to hear he is rude and unpleasant. I am actually gutted to hear that.

I have always railed against the use of the word "sad" to describe certain activities and the people who enjoy them.

If person A enjoys something but person B hates it, it logically follows that person B is the sadder, or at least the less happy, of the two.

Edited to correct bad grammar!