I think it is a bit unfair to scoff at pax reactions beacuse a rough ride really does frighten many people. However crews have almost always been through a fair amount of turbulence and once you realise the plane isnt going to fall to pieces then its not as bad as being in a storm tossed ship.
I also think that in any similar situation the flight crew-who after all are in command of the situation and can see out and part of the fear factor is not being able to get any sensible visiual references are more relaxed because they are in conrol. Is the samecontrast between driving a car and being a passenger in an emergency or sudden stop.As driver you know your foot is moving to the brake pedal and that you are reacting but the pax has no sense of reaction until the brakes bite.
Often crew do not get much prior notice but its always wise to recognise that when the flight deck says 'it might get a bit bumpy in the descent' that in the cabin it will feel very bumpy. Different experiences different perceptions.
When it comes to categorising turbulence past experience probably also applies to crew perceptions A North Europe short haul crew for who CAT3 landings and 10meters rvr in gog /snow etc are no bigtrhing might be more concerned by the same level of turbulence that a pilot whose flying takes him daily to say Atlanta Dallas 0r Denver might shrug off as normal or light
After a great many flights as pax all over the world I have, like many crew grown more relaxed about it - mostly because Ive had the expereince of been through some fairly nasty stuff (and I certainlty wasnt blase about some of those at the time). I would be disconcerted by screaming cabin crew however unless they were obviously very young and thus perhaps not been conditioned by expereicne.
Picking up on another thread about known turbulence areas I used to fly NY to Bermuda lot and this trip involves crossing the region of the Atlantic Gulf stream which usually resulted in some roughness -occasionally very unpleasant-( 2 AA flight attnedent dumped on their bums ) . So I too wonder if crossing areas of known surface temperature change or instability can impact the atmosphere or whether, as could well be the case , the Jet Stream often follows a similar track to the Gulfstream and being forced to cross that virtually at right angles made for some or a lot of chop. Either way mid winter gales in bermuda often produced some relatively 'wild rides' on approach to Bermudas runway which for reasons of geography has large 60-70 degree offset from the really strong winds. If you travelled the route often it was uncomfortable but thats all-if it was your first time being tosse d around ina a yawing rocking 727 descending over a dark ocean with nothing but blackness out the window it was frightening enough for some screaming and praying
As an earlier poster said -look around the cabin and you get a different set of reactions - the calm ones have often flown the mos. Who has typically the most hours airborne on a plane? Usually the FD crew and perhaps occasionally a few more words of reassurance would help ( assuming they have the time while preventing 'death plunges into Orphanages. hospitals infants schools, the bermuda triangle etc , delete where applicable)
PB