What are you afraid of?

[shrekfan246]

The little ones aren't the problem.

Spoiler: It's the big ones you gotta watch out for.

I mean, personally I'm fortunate that I don't live anywhere where the spiders grow larger than an average of about three or four inches, but even that's enough to kick my freeze reaction. Had one of the biggest spiders I've seen in person before just hanging out in the hall a few months back, it took two good whacks from a stiff magazine to actually kill the thing, the first hit just stunned it.

Oh, I understand being scared of the ones that can hurt you via bites and/or venom, you won't see me gushing how cute a Black Widow is, but what does bother me is the people who are scared to death of totally harmless spiders who are completely incapable of harming you in any shape or form. Crushing a spider instead of letting them out does generally annoy me, its not like they are going to skin you alive if they touch you, if you are really squeamish, using a cup and piece of paper works fine.

I don't like being that close to them.

Unless they're the big, fat, hairy ones that move deceptively quickly, I generally leave spiders alone until they're intruding on my personal space; If you dangle down beside me while I'm showering, you're going down the drain, I don't care how harmless you are.

Sure, it doesn't make sense, but that's pretty much the definition of "irrational". Surely you have at least one thing you do that you can't explain rationally but would annoy or irritate other people.

 

[shootthebandit]

The little ones aren't the problem.

Spoiler: It's the big ones you gotta watch out for.

I mean, personally I'm fortunate that I don't live anywhere where the spiders grow larger than an average of about three or four inches, but even that's enough to kick my freeze reaction. Had one of the biggest spiders I've seen in person before just hanging out in the hall a few months back, it took two good whacks from a stiff magazine to actually kill the thing, the first hit just stunned it.

Oh, I understand being scared of the ones that can hurt you via bites and/or venom, you won't see me gushing how cute a Black Widow is, but what does bother me is the people who are scared to death of totally harmless spiders who are completely incapable of harming you in any shape or form. Crushing a spider instead of letting them out does generally annoy me, its not like they are going to skin you alive if they touch you, if you are really squeamish, using a cup and piece of paper works fine.

I agree. Big ones actually tend to be harmless even a tarantula is relatively safe. It might bite you but it aint vemonous, its the little black widows (female only, the males are completely harmless) they can kill you or if your really unlucky hospitalise you for a long time. From what ive heard (from people i know who live in australia) if you are a fully grown male you will probably survive but children and the elderly dont have a chance

 

[shrekfan246]

I don't like being that close to them.

Unless they're the big, fat, hairy ones that move deceptively quickly, I generally leave spiders alone until they're intruding on my personal space; If you dangle down beside me while I'm showering, you're going down the drain, I don't care how harmless you are.

Sure, it doesn't make sense, but that's pretty much the definition of "irrational". Surely you have at least one thing you do that you can't explain rationally but would annoy or irritate other people.

Would Fire Ants count? When I was a kid, I pulled a stone from a wall and a cluster of them fell onto my feet and they all bit me multiple times. Ever since, I wanted all Fire Ants to burn...although I think my fear of them is rational after the pain I felt (those fuckers bite hard)

To be perfectly frank, even non-'dangerous' spiders can often cause a decent amount of pain if they bite. They may be far less likely to do it than fire ants or wasps or even more aggressive species of spider, but that doesn't change the fact that they're creepy, crawly, and frequently look like they'd be perfectly happy to eat your soul right out of your body while you're still watching.

Can't think of any irrational fears at the moment,most of my fears (buried alive, burning alive) are totally rational.

Doesn't necessarily have to be a fear. I don't mind spiders up to a certain size, but I'm still going to take care of them if they're getting too close to me as more just a visceral reaction than anything else. Unless you count paranoia of always feeling like a spider is near me... waiting... watching...

 

[The Hero Killer]

Heights, flying insects, and the inevitability of death.

 

[Something Amyss]

To quote Adriand Monk, "everything."

Mostly heights.

I'm not wildly fond of dogs, either, but I was chewed on by a couple when I was a kid.

Unholy? Doesn't look that bad...

Spoiler: This unholy monster stops me sleeping at night...

"Fear me puny mortals"

That cat is piiiiiiiiiiiiissed.

 

[xmbts]

Being buried alive, after seeing that CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode where Nick gets buried alive, I have had a crazy fear ever since, thinking about it freaks me out.

Porcelain Dolls, slept in a room full of em as a child once...scarred me for life...

Also, what is with everyone being scared of spiders? What did those little guys ever do to you

"Why do you hate me? What did I do to you? Please don't hurt me..."​

I don't hate spiders, I'll even say that one is cute in a spidery way, however once they come within my personal space I get extremely jumpy and if they contact me that limb will convulse and flail, totally outside of my control. I can't explain this.

 

[Yopaz]

People. Which is ironic as I work in customer service.

Actually not really. Working with people and being close to people works differently. I am uncomfortable in crowds and I speak less the more people are participating in a conversation because it makes me feel uncomfortable, but I have no problem standing in front of a group of people and teaching.

OT: Relationships and intimacy. Sure, I want it, but the thought of it leaves me sweating and hyperventilating in terror.

 

[shootthebandit]

I agree. Big ones actually tend to be harmless even a tarantula is relatively safe. It might bite you but it aint vemonous, its the little black widows (female only, the males are completely harmless) they can kill you or if your really unlucky hospitalise you for a long time. From what ive heard (from people i know who live in australia) if you are a fully grown male you will probably survive but children and the elderly dont have a chance

I've held my friends tarantula, they are pretty chill. The spiders that can hurt you, oh yeah, feel free to run far away.

http://www.camelspiders.net/

the camel spider is not VERY dangerous but theres a lot of myths and facts going about. Apparantly their venom is a mild anesthetic (but that is a myth). They can still run very fast and are very tempermental. i know a few guys that work in the middle east that will tell you these fuckers are terrifying (and these guys are or where in the military) even if the myths aren't true

 

[kasperbbs]

Heights probably, but oddly enough i have no problem with it as long as i have something to hold onto, i just hate standing on the edge.

 

[ultrachicken]

People. Which is ironic as I work in customer service.

I suspect there might be a causal relationship there.

 

[conmag9]

I go into utter paranoid mode at the slightest implication that there might be a bee, hornet or wasp nearby. I've only been stung once (maybe twice?), but I had that fear even before then. I'm also not terribly comfortable around small dogs. Big dogs (minus an obvious mean streak), I get along with just fine, but little dogs seem to realize I loathe them and they return the favor. There's exactly one exception to that rule.

I used to have a similar level of terror with regard to needles, but that's gradually been crushed by societal preasure.

The other one would be free fall. Not heights as such. If I feel secure from a high spot, no worries. It's explicitly the fear of falling with nothing to grab onto. If there is such a thing (a building, a cliff, what have you), the fear is almost gone.

 

[Gauntlets28]

I am terrified that I'm not as smart as I think I am, and that I'm going to leave school and end up a washed up loser, who probably might as well die. However, that's my other greatest fear: death. I can't comprehend death in any way, and it terrifies me that there can be at one minute a consciousness, and then the next minute the mind ceases to be, and the body slowly is destroyed, if it hasn't been already. I just feel like there would be only oblivion, and I also feel like I honestly shouldn't be able to die, because I've always considered things to exist only when I have experience of it, hence if I cease to be, the universe also does. In a way, this Berkeleyan idealism means that a small event can cause the instant non-existence of the thing containing it, which is so much larger. Hence, incomprehensibility.

 

[Kevlar Eater]

I've plenty of things to be afraid of. For starters:

1. Not being strong enough to fight off an attacker in case the situation comes up (and it will)
2. Homelessness and the difficulties (or in my case, impossibilities) of recovering from that state
3. Dating (this one's a phobia, and I fear wasps far less than this)
4. Wasps (there's a hive right next to my window, and it's quite active. But I can open my window as long as there's an intact screen with no holes in it)
5. Driving on highways/freeways/really busy roads (too easy to screw up and cause a massive pileup, then I'd be uninsurable after that, assuming I live through it)
6. Dog attacks while I'm jogging/running
7. My computer no longer working and I can't find a solution

To some extent, I'm panophobic.

 

[MrBaskerville]

Snakes, and that´s not even a bad Indiana Jones reference, i´ve only been close to a snake once, but i freezed completely for 5 minutes and was in a complete state of panic. It´s not as bad as it used to be though, back in the day i couldn´t look at pictures of snakes and i couldn´t go to the terrarium in the zoo. I remember that, when i was a kid, i used to check under the bed to see if there were any snakes hiding.Luckily it isn´t as bad anymore, though i probably wouldn´t want to be near any real snakes, i think it´s the poision that frightens me because for a short time in my childhood i was terrified by pest rats...

 

[TrulyBritish]

Fire, I'm terrified of fire.
Other than that, anything with more than 4 legs, and generally people. Although with people it tends to be more dislike than fear.

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

To be perfectly frank, even non-'dangerous' spiders can often cause a decent amount of pain if they bite. They may be far less likely to do it than fire ants or wasps or even more aggressive species of spider, but that doesn't change the fact that they're creepy, crawly, and frequently look like they'd be perfectly happy to eat your soul right out of your body while you're still watching.

What a load of poppycock! Spiders don't want to eat your soul, all they want is hugs!

Also to be fair, you don't really find huge spiders commonly around most places.

Spoiler: Except Australia, that place is scary...

Doesn't necessarily have to be a fear. I don't mind spiders up to a certain size, but I'm still going to take care of them if they're getting too close to me as more just a visceral reaction than anything else. Unless you count paranoia of always feeling like a spider is near me... waiting... watching...

Yes, spiders never forget...

Spoiler: Watching...waiting...

That picture made me freeze, scream and cry a little bit in that order. Please tell me thats fake.

OT: Spiders. I'm absolutely terrified of all spiders no matter their size, shape, coloring, actual deadliness or anything else. My reaction to small spiders is freeze, scream and smash. My reaction to big ones is freeze, scream and run away very quickly to get someone else to smash.
Biggest fear. Spiders.

Others include death and degenerative brain diseases.

 

[MrMixelPixel]

Honestly, the biggest fear I can think of is intimacy. I've had a lot of relationships ruined by it, although, it didn't hurt that much when they ended because we never really got that close xP.

(yikes. That's woefully serious. I don't like being serious. Uhhh... This thread needs more pictures of spiders)