Fear carbon fiber bikes? Certainly not. For myself, I merely....dismiss them.
I got back into biking more seriously when, on a long, slow drive up the Hwy 120 grade into Yosemite on a hot summer day, I saw an elderly cyclist all burnt brown and sinewy as only an older athlete can be. He was riding a Bob Jackson almost as weathered as he was. Together they were climbing up toward the sun. They were a mixture of old sepia toned cycling photos and some timeless determination where the cyclist matters more than the cycle. I wanted to become part of that. I re-entered cycling the next day and haven't stopped.
One foot mired in sentiment, the other in practicality-- I'll happily ride my steel and others may ride whatever they wish. There is no issue here.