I think irrational fear would be saying that a child should never be around a dog. I don’t think the belief that a child should be taught to not stand on a dog because not all dogs are the same is an example of irrational fear.
If a small child goes on a boat or a long pier, it’s not irrational fear to think the child should have had some swimming lessons or at least to have a life jacket on.
I think that is being proactive and responsible.
I think that having the belief that voicing anything that isn’t 100% supportive of Sarah Palin means that the person is evil, attacking and hates Sarah Palin— that is irrational.