I'm sure this is not what you meant, but I have noticed recently that many less-technically-inclined people seem to think that "the attachment" is the dangerous thing, almost as if the "technology of attachments" is somehow flawed and risky.
i think it is flawed - mime does not make things compatible, but rater codifies incompatibility. the sender things that, because they can send it, the receiver can understand it. risky - as it allows encapsulation of executables, and the masses do not understand the concept, it opens up a channel to deeper in some recipients' systems than these naive users may be aware. but like other tools, the misuse is not in the tool, but the mis-user. otoh, the user could be better warned, and the toolmaker could make the default installation safer for the recipient. randy