# Poll: What Most Frightens You ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 27, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159 "2003-09-27T14:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/21 "2003-09-27T21:27:32Z")
Women. ---
**Author:** ![dinoboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dinoboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinoboy)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/22 "2003-09-27T22:20:56Z")
extremists (either end) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/23 "2003-09-27T23:06:52Z")
mass stupidity ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/24 "2003-09-27T23:27:59Z")
Something you cannot see that is trying to kill you… ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/25 "2003-09-27T23:40:30Z")
Not getting a second chance. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/26 "2003-09-27T23:41:29Z")
nuclear weapons ---
**Author:** ![Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gut)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/27 "2003-09-28T00:12:56Z")
Becoming old, frail, and infirm. ---
**Author:** ![Nekosoft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c2a13f/32.png) [@Nekosoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nekosoft)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/28 "2003-09-28T00:18:44Z")
Poisons ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/29 "2003-09-28T00:19:23Z")
It’s a tossup between public speaking and dentists. Just the thought of either makes me sick to my stomach. Er, excuse me… ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/30 "2003-09-28T01:37:08Z")
Whales and spiders. And people. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/31 "2003-09-28T01:41:17Z")
Deathly afraid of skunks. A more long-term fear is slowly going mushbrained as a result of Alzheimer’s or strokes or whatever, and having juuuust enough consciousness left to realize that I’m not QUITE a vegetable. Someone kindly shoot me if this happens… ---
**Author:** ![MmmDonut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@MmmDonut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MmmDonut)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/32 "2003-09-28T02:08:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Optihut \* > \*\*George W. Bush \*\* i’ve read sociopaths tend to gravitate towards government. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/33 "2003-09-28T02:15:37Z")
Something happening to my Father. Something happening to my Mother. Men who never have doubts in their cause. The things that were done in the totalitarian states. Or are still being done. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/34 "2003-09-28T03:00:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carlotta \* > \*\*Torture. The prospect of myself or anyone else being tortured. By a state or a lone nutjob or any entity in between. \*\* HELL yea. I don’t want to sound like I’m a bad person, but if they threaten me with torture, I’m letting everything out the bag. And spiders, and getting bitten by spiders. And rats, having a rat lay on top of me. And snakes, getting bitten by snakes. ---
**Author:** ![emacularius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@emacularius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacularius)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/35 "2003-09-28T05:39:14Z")
The thought of anything really bad happening to my little girl. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/36 "2003-09-28T06:01:31Z")
Insects. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/37 "2003-09-28T06:30:53Z")
Being trapped underwater and not being able to come up for air, like if I fell through ice or fell into a pool and got entangled in the plastic sheet pool cover. That’s probably my biggest irrational fear, and I can hardly watch scenes in movies like that (such as Lethal Weapon 1 or Alien: Resurrection). My big irrational childhood fear was taking out the garbage at night, and having a big tarantula leap out of the trash can and cling onto my face, Alien “face hugger” style. Needless to say, all the Alien movies really screw with me. And I do live in Miami, where there conceivably could be tarantulas. Torture and mutilation (especially while I’m still alive) are high up there. Being sent to jail or prison is a frightening thought as well. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/38 "2003-09-28T06:37:54Z")
Don’t watch _Lethal Weapon 4_, then, either. For me, interestingly enough, it’s people who don’t fear death. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/39 "2003-09-28T07:06:52Z")
Ticks! ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159/40 "2003-09-28T07:18:31Z")
I fear yellow gum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-most-frightens-you/204159.md?page=3)