Lighten up, folks. The OP was, pretty clearly, saying that many people are irrational in their fear of traveling (to Mexico in particular, to other places in general). Recognizing that crime happens everywhere, that people in other countries are warned by their state departments to "beware" in the U.S. --which causes most of us to smile or be indignant--is totally different from planning a family trip to "beautiful Yemen" to investigate other cultures. To potential visitors where the murder rate is much lower than it is in the U.S., we look pretty scary, even though we locals know we're o.k. Some of us, in the U.S., are just as irrational about traveling to Mexico--where the cartels are, indeed, quite active, but people aren't being "mowed down"--or a host of other spots. In Mexico, it is still true that if you have absolutely nothing to do with drugs, you'll be fine--to allay tourist fears, extra police have been stationed in tourist areas, but those in the U.S. who are already fearful, instead of being reassured, decide "they have lots of police so it must be dangerous." Those who are fearful simply aren't going to be dissuaded: they need to continue avoiding what makes them anxious because anxiety does not make for a great vacation. The rest of us are, fortunately, free to continue going to Mexico because it does the opposite of produce stress and anxiety.