Phobias

[Eulaliaaa!]

Funny how some people hate things they've never experienced and some people love things they have experienced. I grew up around cats and have plenty of scars on my arms from being scratched by them. One time my cat almost scratched my eye out. But I love cats! I've been bitten, scratched, chased, and attacked by cats, but I still love them 

[The Skarzs]

Babies terrify me. The way they just sit there and stare, their laugh is disturbing too...

Babies are, for the most part, scary little creatures. They all look the same, and they practice the most nauseating behavior. And they make a lot of noise, usually for no good reason. They're almost as annoying as our squawking bird and moaning dog team.

I'm not scared of babies, per say, but I hate them. They do absolutely nothing and are just annoying.

You are all monsters. Do you realize that you, too, were once a baby? They make noises, yes, but it is only them learning to speak. They cannot do much other than observe until they have grown, and it is the actions of those around them that they learn by. If people laugh, they learn to laugh. If they are around yelling that is what they too will do. So what if most infants look similar? They grow and change dramatically in the course of a few months.

I know you are all entitled to your views, but that one in particular really grinds my gears.

[SoranMBane]

Well, I used to be very afraid of certain bugs; namely, spiders and centipedes. But after learning some stuff, finally realizing how silly I was being, and a gradual process of desensitizing myself by either looking at pictures of them or interacting (peacefully) with these creatures in real life, I was actually able to kick my fear more or less on my own. They're really not scary at all. Spiders are some of my favourite animals now, in fact; they're just wonderful.

Now, my fear of making phone calls on the other hand... Whooh boy. Just the thought of picking up a phone and typing in a number fills me with dread and anxiety. It's almost impossible for me to make a phone call unless I'm pretty much forced to. And the worst part is that, unlike my old animal-based fears, I'm not entirely sure what sparked this. The source of my fear of spiders was pretty obvious; it's because I was wrongly taught to fear them by the culture I grew up in. The phone call thing just seems to come from nothing; it's weird.

[Jukka the Sling]

@Skarzs: Good for you! I think it's unnatural and selfish not to like babies. They're innocent little things who wouldn't hurt anybody.

@Soran: I'm also scared of calling someone I don't know. Like, if I have to call a store to find out their hours. Terrifying.

[James Gryphon]

Do you realize that you, too, were once a baby?

I like children (so long as they're not impudent little brats ). I'm not even opposed to babies per se -- just my having to interact with them. I'm afraid of them and they clash with my OCD. If you could get me a perfectly sterile baby that was 1) going to stay that way, and 2) wasn't going to start screaming in my face, then I might like it. Even then, though, I'd prefer it be with somebody who knows what they're doing with it.

I wanted to comment on the telephone thing too -- they make me very anxious. Even calling people I know scares me. I'm okay with talking to my immediate relatives, and a select few friends, but even so I don't normally dial people up for fun. I've only ever done that a couple of times that I can recall, to see what it was like, and it didn't stick with me. I've gotten better at it from necessity, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to.

A lot of it is that I'm worried I'll interrupt something. Text messaging is much easier, because they can answer you at their convenience. There's still people I would be scared to death to text without having business to discuss, though (like girls).

Figured I'd add this: I'm not exactly afraid of horses, but I'm not at ease with them either. One of them gummed me or something when I was nine or so. It doesn't help that two of my relatives have suffered major injuries from horses (one of my grand-aunts had a few broken bones from one, and in another incident a second or third cousin nearly died).

[Starla1431]

I'm not scared of babies. Just not a big fan of them. I don't really like children that much.

[LT Sandpaw]

A lot of people put fear in place of dislike, I would dislike to have a spider crawling on me that doesn't mean I fear them, on the contrary in fact.

So when you think your scared of something, consider the fact that you simply dislike it and you'll be much better off.

[SilentSam]

I don't like air travel, water travel, and uneasy in the front seat of ground travel. ()

[LT Sandpaw]

I think you dislike traveling

[SilentSam]

no, I love going to places, I just don't want to crash

[Banya]

Do you like teleportation, Sam?

[Rusvul]

I dislike most things that have more than four legs. I'm especially paranoid about ticks, that one might cross over into fear. I don't think I have any abnormal, irrational fears, though.

[Izeroth]

 I'm not really afraid of ticks; I just consider them to be a nuisance. As for spiders, though....

[Eulaliaaa!]

Ticks, leeches, and any blood sucking parasite terrify me. I shudder just thinking about them.

[Rusvul]

Having a tick infestation is the worst.