# 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:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Gopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gopher)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/61 "2002-12-11T05:28:13Z")
Spiders. They creep me out so much. Thankfully, I have my electric fly swatter handy so _zap_ and a spark and they start smoking. Then I dump then in the toilet and the crisis is over. Phew. But one time I woke up with a dead spider on my hand. That is something you don’t want to see/feel right after wakeing from a nice slumber. ---
**Author:** ![dono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@dono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dono)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/62 "2002-12-11T14:38:55Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by av8rmike:_ > Odd, no mention of fear of knives or sharp things on the phobia list pages. Yeah, **mike** , I was surprised to see this thing on its second page with no mention of my secret dread: hypodermic needles. The last time I had a blood draw was for my pre-marriage physical, and that was _many_ years ago, and I only did it because the law said I had to. I will break into a cold sweat and nearly pass out during a blood draw. I’m always being guilted-out for not participating in the Red Cross blood drives … but, hey … ::looks at floor, shuffles feet::. (OTOH, I’ll kill all those nasty spiders for you! Got a snake in the yard you need gotten rid of? No prob!) You can imagine what a horror show a trip to the dentist is for me. Think Winston Smith, as the cage of rats nears his face, their yellow teeth glinting… \* And of course, it’s completely irrational. After every blood draw or novocaine shot, I think, “That wasn’t so bad! Piece o’ cake! Next time I won’t be such a big baby!” And the next time, I’ll be shaking like a leaf, with cold drops of sweat pouring off my forehead. Because you can’t logically talk yourself out of a phobia. - I hope I’m remembering this correctly. It’s been a long time since I read _1984_. ---
**Author:** ![Damascene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Damascene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damascene)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/63 "2002-12-11T16:19:17Z")
Deep water. Nothing is more terrifying to me than the thought of swimming along and then looking down to see nothing but a profound and all-engulfing darkness beneath me…nothing but open water that plunges inexorably down, down, down, to end at the bottom of the world where all is freezing black depth and crushing darkness \ The mere thought is enough to chill my blood and shut down all higher brain functions. It’s an overwhelming and primal fear that seems to surface from someplace deep within… Pools are just fine, lakes are pretty bad, but there is no way in hell you’d ever get me over the side of a boat in the open ocean. The best I’ve ever been able to do was to go snorkelling in the Red Sea above some coral. Even though it was only about thirty feet down, I was almost hyperventilating. Funnily enough, I’m fine with heights. I’ll gladly hike up mountains or go bungee-jumping, but _depths_ are a problem. Next worst fear is sharks - not just the fact that they are deadly killing machines that will eat you alive, but the dead, cold look in their eyes - like there’s nothing there. Oh, and Spiders. Spiders suck too, but I don’t usually have too much of a problem unless they’re big. The worst one I ever had the misfortune of encountering was so big I could _hear_ it scuttle across the floor.:eek: ---
**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 11, 2002, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/64 "2002-12-11T17:38:45Z")
I fear flying. The fact that your 30,000 feet up and can’t do anything about it really irritates me. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/65 "2002-12-11T18:10:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dono \* > \*\*You can imagine what a horror show a trip to the dentist is for me. Think Winston Smith, as the cage of rats nears his face, their yellow teeth glinting… \* > > And of course, it’s completely irrational. After every blood draw or novocaine shot, I think, “That wasn’t so bad! Piece o’ cake! Next time I won’t be such a big baby!” And the next time, I’ll be shaking like a leaf, with cold drops of sweat pouring off my forehead. Because you can’t logically talk yourself out of a phobia.\*\* Ever see **Marathon Man** with Laurence Olivier as the Nazi dentist? That’s a logical reason to hate dentists. 😃 “Is it safe?” ---
**Author:** ![dono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@dono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dono)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/66 "2002-12-11T19:19:31Z")
No, I never saw that one, **bean\_shadow**. Don’t think I’ll rush out to rent it, either. ::shudder:: ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/67 "2002-12-11T20:17:10Z")
I peronally am afraid of the dark (Achluophobia)! My husband has to take the dog out at night, because I CAN’T do it! ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/68 "2002-12-11T20:31:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bean\_shadow \* > \*\*Ever see **Marathon Man** with Laurence Olivier as the Nazi dentist? That’s a logical reason to hate dentists. 😃 > > “Is it safe?” \*\* Oh my, had almost forgotten I saw that! I think I blocked it out! Definitely not for anyone who is afraid of the dentist! Wonderful film though, don’t let that stop you from seeing it. (Just have someone tell you when to close your eyes, or watch the edited version on t.v.) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794/69 "2002-12-11T20:54:43Z")
Hello, my name is Shirley Ujest and I have a few odd phobias: \*\* The perfume nazis err… ladies at the mall. Seig Heil! Eye chart tests Driver liscense tests. \*\* Other than that, anything else is handled on a case by case basis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-are-you-afraid-of/141794.md?page=3)