# So what are \*you\* afraid of? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 10, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794 "2002-12-10T17:30:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lovelyluka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f475e1/32.png) [@lovelyluka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelyluka)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/21 "2002-12-10T19:07:56Z")
I’m afraid of spiders…as many people are. But if I see one crawling on my wall I am brave enough to get a tissue and squish it. What I am REALLY afraid of is worms. Not necessarily the parasitic kind, although those aren’t wonderful either. I’m afraid of the kind that wriggle around on the sidewalk on rainy days like today, especially when they’re everywhere and you can’t help but step on one and then it’s stuck to your SHOE…oh God…_curls into a ball_ ---
**Author:** ![Carcosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Carcosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carcosa)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/22 "2002-12-10T19:10:08Z")
Lilapsophobia: Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes. Hurricanes don’t bother me. However, the sudden awareness at 2:00 AM that your house is in the immediate vicinity of a tornado is a bit unnerving. ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/23 "2002-12-10T19:10:16Z")
“worms roxanne, I was afriad of worms”… sorry lovelyluka, your post made me think of the movie quote… ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/24 "2002-12-10T19:33:19Z")
My biggest fear of all is the fear of bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, etc., none of which are specifically listed in the OP’s link, just entomophobia, which is the fear of insects in general. On the first day of school in the fourth grade I and several other classmates were caught in a swarm of yellow jackets and most of us were stung (I was stung twice, but the sound of their angry buzzing and the sight of streaks of yellow in front of me as they flew all around me was horrifying!) Over the preceding summer a yellow jacket nest had been built in a group of trees on the playground. I never went near those trees again after this incident. The most difficult thing about my phobia is that when I am threatened by any of these stinging insects they are difficult to subdue or escape, plus they can attack en masse. I also have fears of snakes and spiders, but they usually don’t attack in large numbers and are easier to escape if not subdue. I can’t think of any benefits to this particular fear, other than that it gives me another reason to stay indoors even in the summer since I can’t tolerate being out in the sun for very long. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/25 "2002-12-10T19:45:46Z")
[Aibohphobia](http://www.gluemeat.com/comics/20021004.html). Fear of palindromes. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/26 "2002-12-10T19:51:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bup \* > \*\*[Aibohphobia](http://www.gluemeat.com/comics/20021004.html). > > Fear of palindromes. \*\* My favorite palindrome: Tulsa nightlife: filth, gin, a slut ---
**Author:** ![chm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@chm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chm)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/27 "2002-12-10T19:57:11Z")
Telephonophobia - I’m irrationally afraid of calling people. I have to give myself “pep talks” before I pick up the phone, and reherse what I’m going to say. I convince others to make calls for me, even to call friends (there are very few people close enough to me that I will call them voluntarily) I made a pretty good subject for a psychology study once, because of this. I’m slightly afraid of flying, but that’s a more “normal” fear, and I do not alter my plans to avoid flying. I just take a few deep breaths during takeoff. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tabithina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@Tabithina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabithina)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/28 "2002-12-10T20:49:13Z")
**chm** , I’m also loathe to call people for the same reason. We wouldn’t make very good telemarketers, eh? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/29 "2002-12-10T20:52:05Z")
No, not flying, though that would be ironic, like my medical student friend afraid of knives[sup]\*[/sup] and blood. Mine is hydrophobia, though only so far as it applies to swimming pools and the ocean. I have this weird thing about my head underwater; I don’t mind showers but I don’t like all that water running onto my face. I must also mention athazagoraphobia, since I always feel like I’m being ignored or excluded, and arachibutyrophobia, since no one likes peanut butter stuck to the roof of their mouth. [sup]\*- Odd, no mention of fear of knives or sharp things on the phobia list pages.[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/30 "2002-12-10T21:14:09Z")
When I was younger, I was completely convinced that pretty women didn’t want to be around me or talk to me. Confronting one would turn me into a mumbling idiot, guaranteed to say the wrong thing. I have mostly conquered that problem, but it crops up now and then. When I tell a woman she looks “terrific,” I mean it in the original sense, “scary.” ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/31 "2002-12-10T21:19:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tabithina \* > \*\ ***chm** , I’m also loathe to call people for the same reason. We wouldn’t make very good telemarketers, eh? 🙂 \*\* I’m much the same way, and I actually _was_ a telemarketer. I lasted a day. (I was supposed to be marketing to doctors’ offices, so at least the receptionists weren’t too rude; I shudder to think what it would be like to have to call people at home.) I’m also afraid of driving and centipedes. I suppose the driving one might have _some_ side benefits, in that I’m less likely than the average person to die in a car accident, but I’d still much rather be without it. ---
**Author:** ![Adridne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@Adridne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adridne)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/32 "2002-12-10T21:34:55Z")
That terrifying little girl from The Ring. This goes way beyond normal movie fear. I saw it six weeks ago and I still make my boyfriend shut the door between his bedroom and the room with the TV before we go to sleep. For some reason I’m especially scared in the bathroom. When I’m sleeping alone I _know_ that she’s standing over my bed or in a corner of the room watching me. I have to stop seeing horror movies. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/33 "2002-12-10T21:50:18Z")
eeewwww-a-phobia fear of being a taster on Iron Chef on eel night. Coordinate-a-phobia Fear of having to dress my self and match my socks to my tie to the rest of my clothes. and **Eve** I thought Angoraphobia was the fear of being smothered by Mamie VanDorne? Which I have. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/34 "2002-12-10T22:25:29Z")
No phobias myself, but a friend who is otherwise fairly macho sort of person screams whenever he sees even a tiny spider. Makes me wish homophobes were really homophobic, love to take one down to the Castro reigion of San Francisco. “Is that a man wearing lipstick, screeeeaaaammmmmmm!” Cheers, Keithy ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/35 "2002-12-10T22:27:59Z")
Spiders. Even a little spider makes me scream like a girl and run away, or attempt to kill/trap it under something. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/36 "2002-12-10T22:47:54Z")
Why would someone be afraid of Beautiful women? ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/37 "2002-12-10T23:13:54Z")
Obviously, you’ve never been chased be a screaming, out-of-control pack of beautiful women, Ryan. ---
**Author:** ![YellowTail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5ac83/32.png) [@YellowTail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YellowTail)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/38 "2002-12-10T23:34:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by XJETGIRLX \* > \*\*My favorite palindrome: > > Tulsa nightlife: filth, gin, a slut \*\* That’s an anagram, not a palindrome. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/39 "2002-12-10T23:48:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by YellowTail \* > \*\*That’s an anagram, not a palindrome. \*\* Well, aside from the punctuation it reads the same forwards or backwards. A palindrome, n’est-ce pas? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/40 "2002-12-10T23:50:01Z")
Me too! Ergo-gymno-necro-andro-cyno-phobia has been my biggest problem since wetting the bed! I’ve conquerd it since my program with Bud Light. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794.md?page=3)