Things that make people afraid?

you guys were married to the same woman.

 

yes. My opinion is that most people do not have irrational fears.

 

None of the above - and no, not even death. We all have to leave this planet some day - part of life. And I'd rather be dead than to be a living veggie....

Height is one of my biggest fears - BUT I love flying. Can't figure it out. One time my hunny & I went to spend the w/e in Seattle and w/o knowing it, he made dinner reservations for us in the Space Ship - others call it the Space Needle.... it looks like a space ship.

When he told me, my heart dropped as I looked at the thing, didn't say anything and told myself I was a big girl and could handle it. We got up there and I found out I wasn't the big girl I tho't I was .... that thing rotates! He got me back down to earth, then demanded to know why I loved flying 35,000 ft in the air, but couldn't handle the Space Ship. I told him 'that's different' but he was a bull-headed x-Marine and didn't understand my 'that's different' answer.... for some reason, it is different....

And snakes terrify me.....

 

Probably the same "kind".

 

My friend is afraid of buttons.

 

that must be a terribly inconvenient phobia. have they ever explained why?

 

Terrorism - over the years, they kept missing me.
Being alone - who isn't? Being alone does not mean being in bad company.
Clowns - Do you mean the GOP?
Old fashioned dolls - I think I dated one once.
Death or dying - You get used to the idea, especially when you have no choice.
Getting an illness - Got several, thanks.
Blood - Nope. I take my blood sugar once/day.
Dogs - I suppose it depends on the dog - an angry pit bull or a happy pug.

A reasonable fear nowadays is an ideology or organized religion (same thing, really) getting political power. Not only do they think they HAVE THE ONLY TRUTH, they think that gives them the right to impose their hallucination on the rest of the world. I'm not talking about a group which is willing to listen and admit that any opponent might actually have a point.

Certain drivers also qualify. You know the type. They do 70 on the highway in bad weather while talking on their cell phone & weaving in and out of traffic. My favorite was an idiot who tried to take a 90 degree turn on a 2-lane road at 50 mph on glare ice. He wasn't hurt but the resale value of his car went down a lot.

 

No mention of spiders in your poll.

 

Something about her sister having hurt herself with one and being scared of them and she caught it from her. She has 7 step-sisters. They seem to be a gaggle, who facilitate each other in silly ways instead of grounding each other.

 

That's a rational fear. Spiders are evil. They can be invisible you know. I lifted my son's drum cases last night to stack them away and a giant transparent spider jumped out of the bass case. I dragged it (huge) into the corner and this thing actually ran after the case, to get back in it. Cunning stunt for an arachnid. I think they know more than they show.

 

Spiders and snakes are both almost instinctual fears in humans. I like to think I'm rational but upon seeing a huge spider or snake, my initial reaction is to recoil. My next reaction is to want to kill it.

 

I wouldn't say fear of sharks is irrational. There have been many documented incidents of sharks killing humans, even if it is out of curiosity. And I am a certified scuba diver.

One attack which killed over three thousand men, women and children and has killed many more since due to lung problems, thousands of families lost loved ones, and over 14 incidents since have been thwarted. I would not call anyone in New York who has a fear of terrorism irrational.

BTW - I don't fear terrorism.

Spiders are the one and only thing that gets me. I grew up with wood spiders, they got big, hairy and could bite like a mother (*)(*)(*)(*)er. I also spend a lot of time in crawlspaces and attics... so my fear of them is tested on a weekly basis.

 

Yeah I realize that and defend myself by saying so, but it's kind of hard to get away with it as an excuse in a fresh water lake or river. Don't get me wrong I go in anyway, but if something does happen to brush against me I 'll admit I have to refrain from bugging out.

One of my girlfriends that I travel with once tried to get me to go diving with sharks at night, I don't think even with a cage and an underwater bazooka she could have gotten me to do it.

 

Don't look now but did you know sharks can be in fresh water?

Like people who become accustomed to life in low oxygen regions, however, sharks in fresh water appear to adapt to what would seem to be formidable conditions.

As far as other things that go 'bump' under the water, there are 'River Monsters' Just ask Jeremy Wade...He fishes for them.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/river-monsters/

 

Brown recluse spiders are very common in my area. I've killed at least 10 - 20 in the past few years. It's a small innocuous looking spider, as far as intimidation goes..but their bite includes a nasty bacteria that can literally eat away at tissue. Bites, left untreated can leave massive tissue damage. They won't kill you, but the bite is very serious. Even the harmless spiders creep me out. I can't stand them. It's a genuine fear.

 

Same here, we have the same nasty little (*)(*)(*)(*)ers. My buddy is from Indiana and almost died by being bitten by a black widow.

 

Yep, the Black Widow is another bad ass spider that is better left alone. They tend to hide out, rather than be out in the open...so just the thought of moving a pile of wood around is enough to instill fear that there could be one around just waiting to bite the unsuspecting person. I wear gloves whenever I'm in my attic or crawl space. I shake out clothes that have been in the closet for a while.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's irrational, because as you've pointed out Irishman, many spider bites can do a lot of damage...even kill you.

 

I think that you'd be surprised. I'm not sure that I've never known anyone who, if the subject ever came up, didn't admit to having some sort of phobia, mild or otherwise. In 1980 Boeing sponsored a study that found that about one third of adults are at least anxious about flying. About 1 in 20 people suffer from an irrational fear of heights. In Western societies it's estimated that as many as half of all women and one fifth of all men are afraid of spiders.

Personally, I have a mild fear of spiders. It certainly isn't debilitating and I have no problem smashing the little buggers around the house when the wife finds them, but I certainly wouldn't complain if the squishing wasn't necessary or if someone else would volunteer for the duty.

 

yup I did, though they do not live their entire life cycle in fresh and none of them are found in isolated fresh water lakes. I am a bit of a aquatic life nerd, so I am fascinated by sharks, but I'll also admit they scare the crap out of me. One of the worst reoccurring nightmares I have is me swimming in shark infested waters (sometimes they are zombie sharks). I blame Jaws.

 

I think a lot of fears are perpetuated by other people's reactions. I.E. children are usually taught bugs are icky instead of arriving at that conclusion on their own.

 

You are absolutely correct. My buddy reached into the motor of a pool and the little prick bit him between the thumb and index finger. He said his bodies reaction was immediate and was rushed to the emergency room.

I agree 100%. It is definitely not an irrational fear to have.

 

Yes.

And the political and media mafias, together with the corporate elites have been responsible for ensuring that is the case.

They don't get to everyone of course, some are intelligent enough to see that they are being played, and are smart.

Others don't, they get sucked into it.

However, I would still argue that death or your own mortality, is probably been more common, through all cultures, through all of time.

What sets humans apart from all other animals? We are aware of our own short time on this earth, we know we are going to die.

As that realisation dawned on our ancestors, I believe that they filled this psychological void with guess work and invention, and elevated the importance of their particular life. In inveting stories in which they lived on etc, it acted as a psychological comfort.

 

Lol.

No way?

 

Too obvious.

Same with snakes.