F Words for warning reactions
The fight-or-flight syndrome has been an animalistic trope in response to threats. In continuing stereotypes, freeze was added. This trio is connotatively negative. A realisation emerged that, in dealing with threats, some people (even risking their own lives) are willing to assist and to work together. That is, to friend.
Many other F words are witnessed among people experiencing difficulties, challenges, threats, perils, and dangers. Here, we compile and summarise them for reacting to warnings:
| F word | Action | Example |
Fable
Fake Falsify | Lie or misrepresent what is being done or what should be done. | Electricity companies stating that they are entirely ready for a solar storm. |
| Fail | Do not prepare adequately to deal with warnings. | Not planning in advance for safe and secure evacuation shelters. |
| Fate(d) | Deliberately do not act differently, instead accepting whatever happens as predetermined. | Staying at home beside an erupting volcano and not worrying. |
| Fight | Tackle the threat directly. | Hosing down a house’s roof as a wildfire approaches. |
Filibuster
Frustrate | Obstruct progress. | Spreading misinformation and disinformation about human-caused climate change. |
| Film | Video what is happening, even to the point of death. | Recording a fire in the room rather than walking toward a fire exit. |
| Finesse | Skilfully circumvent the threat in order to keep safe. | Hiding and keeping quiet as an active shooter walks past. |
| Flee (flight) | Evacuate away from the danger, preferably calmly and safely. | Carefully driving or cycling away from an encroaching flood. |
| Flout | Deliberately and openly ignore apt advice, often doing the opposite. | Going to the beach to watch, film, and surf tsunami waves. |
| Follow | Obey what you are told to do. | Going into or not going into a tornado shelter, because someone ordered you to. |
| Forget | Do nothing to react. | Contemplating deeply and lengthily what to do when a fire alarm sounds. |
| Freak out | Panic, although it is unusual in disasters, occurring occasionally. | Stampeding toward an exit during a fire alarm. |
| Freeze | Do not react out of fear and so being incapacitated for any other action. | Watching an avalanche approach without doing anything else. |
| Friend | Help out others who are around, ensuring that everyone is safe. | ⇙ |
The last one in the table (and alphabetically) is perhaps core to a successful warning system. It means taking the initiative to act appropriately and constructively, for oneself and for others. Not just walking toward a fire exit when a fire or smoke is spotted, but also encouraging others to do the same—telling them to flee and follow constructively. Friend could and should embrace and include other positive F words including finesse, noting that fight, film, flee, and follow can be appropriate and useful in many circumstances.
Friend should generally avoid fable/fake/falsify, filibuster/frustrate, flout, forget, and freeze, although situations arise in which they are useful. An example is being trapped or captured by a terrorist and faking sympathy to them. Hostages understandably fable/fake/falsify confessions or support for the terrorists’ purported cause. Filibuster/frustrate and flout can be against misinformation and disinformation, rather than anti constructive information. Not following poor warnings, such as the incorrect advice to stand in a doorway during an earthquake, can save lives, because the correct action is to drop, cover, and hold.
On 16 April 2014, the ferry MV Sewol sunk in South Korea. To a large extent, people who followed the authoritative instructions to wait ended up dying, while those who flouted, by leaving the boat, survived. On 28 September 1994, the ferry MS Estonia sunk in the Baltic Sea. To some degree, those who did not stop to friend (to help others), but instead fled the ship as fast as possible, survived. Some people struggle with leaving others behind. After the MS Herald of Free Enterprise sunk near Zeebrugge, Belgium on 6 March 1987, one passenger heroically rescued many others at huge risk to themselves (friend). They later completed suicide, because they remembered only those not rescued, despite having had no scope for helping further.
Society failed them after they friended. Fail should never happen, as with forget, freak out, and freeze. Some people are content with fate, even if means injury or death.
Knowing which combination of F words to apply for warning reactions, and especially when to avoid the generally positive ones in favour of the generally negative ones, are key skills in understanding and implementing successful warning systems.