# What are you paranoid about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 5, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885 "2008-06-05T15:10:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/21 "2008-06-07T15:48:38Z")
Those black helicopters that pass over the house waaay too low. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/22 "2008-06-07T15:57:59Z")
Bees and Wasps. I **have** to kill them if they come in my house or shop. Outside is their turf so I leave them alone. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/23 "2008-06-07T15:59:49Z")
Another vote for fire. Before I leave my house in the morning, I have to make sure my iron is unplugged. That explains why I have over 100 candles in a three room apartment. I buy them to smell them, but can only burn them when I’m near water. I keep a bowl of water handy wherever a candle is burning. I work with two people who are paranoid about people not getting their voice mail/phone messages/faxes/emails. Any communication except talking directly to the person involved is “not good enough.” ---
**Author:** ![JayRx1981](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@JayRx1981](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayRx1981)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/24 "2008-06-07T16:03:53Z")
That I’ll fail my board exams, get laughed out of pharmacy, and have to take a $8/hr job that comes nowhere near being able to pay off my student loans. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/25 "2008-06-07T16:04:38Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] I have a neighbor that will not leave the sprinkler on a timer and water when she is at home wait for it. _because she knows the well will catch on fire_. [/QUOTE] Actually, I’ve seen a well fire. Actually, an electrical fire in the pump at the head of the well, but it was a fire, at the well. I’m paranoid about people. All of 'em. I’m also paranoid about smoke - if I smell smoke, I have to know what the source of it may be, and whether it’s a fire hazard or not. I’m not actually paranoid about fire, or flame, though I am careful about it. But a year or two ago, I was going nuts after an ant walked under a shard of broken glass outside my window - and I tried to find the source of the gawdawful smell and smoke… ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/26 "2008-06-07T21:55:42Z")
I’m paranoid about pretty much everything. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/27 "2008-06-07T22:03:02Z")
Sometimes I think people purposefully avoid the OPs I make. Is it paranoia if it’s justified? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/28 "2008-06-07T22:58:07Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] Are you mocking me by saying that? I saw you laughing earlier and I know it was at my expense [/QUOTE] You could be my drama queen student. She’s positive the snickering is about her. Just because, who else would people be talking about? I’ve triple checked my alarms before, because I’ve set them to pm before, or put them on the wrong day. I think that’s justified caution, though. ---
**Author:** ![susan\_foster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@susan\_foster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan_foster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/29 "2008-06-07T23:04:11Z")
I get really paranoid right before I travel. One trip, I had a taxi waiting for me, while I cleaned out the lint trap in my dryer. Because I had run a load of laundry the day before, I hadn’t cleaned the trap, I was going away for 2 weeks, and I thought the lint trap could somehow catch on fire. Susan ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/30 "2008-06-07T23:07:01Z")
I’m kind of paranoid that people are judging me harshly and not telling me. I blame my former supervisor who never said a word about her opinions and then had me fired, because hers was the only opinion in the school, because I was a recent arrival (and for some reason the opinion of the department head doesn’t count because he’s “only a teacher” or something). ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/31 "2008-06-07T23:08:45Z")
That I’m Different. Not just different in the meaning of the word (which I am, in some ways), but Different in some subconscious playground mark-of-Cain way that just naturally puts people off, and which will force me to choose one of two options in life: a) go without basic needs like self-support and a social network or b) wrap myself in an elaborate tissue of lies before interacting with the world. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/32 "2008-06-08T00:51:16Z")
I try to make sure that any academic requirements I have are confirmed in writing, so that there are no last-minute crises due to changes, real or perceived. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/33 "2008-06-08T00:57:07Z")
I’m paranoid about dryer fires. I won’t let the spouse dry any clothes if we aren’t going to be home at the time. I don’t like it when he does it while we’re sleeping, but at least that way we might be able to deal with any fire that might ensue (“deal” as in “get ourselves and the cats out safely.”). ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/34 "2008-06-08T02:38:20Z")
Communists. Seriously, _communists_. The Soviet kind. I don’t know if it was because I saw _Red Dawn_ one too many times as a kid, or because my mother told me not to do . . . whatever . . . because that’s how “the Russians do it”, but I swear to God, the Reds do scare me. Yes, I know it’s illogical. But growing up in the '80s must have made me a little weird, but that’s it. I know they’re still out there–hardline Russian communists who want to turn back the clock to the Sovietski Republiska. Seriously, Soviet communists. :eek: Tripler McCarthy wasn’t paranoid. He was right. ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/35 "2008-06-08T14:09:09Z")
Skin cancer and getting hit by radiation in general. In magazines or whatever they always say that any sign of a tan is visible skin damage and there is no such thing as a “healthy tan”. That phrase always stuck out with me. I was at an all day flea market last weekend and I came home with my face a little sun freckled and it’s like I can hear the cells mutating under there. I’ll buy anything with SPF in it. I just don’t like sun exposure. I go outside during the day I’m not that paranoid but I’m always covered in serious sunscreen. I burn easy but not like Irish easy. I’m a smoker, too. You’d think there’d be a more obvious cancer to be scared about. I’m pretty uneasy about anything that might be a source of radiation. I work across the hall from an OR with all sorts of radiation safety issues going on in there. I DON’T LIKE IT! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/36 "2008-06-09T00:27:37Z")
[QUOTE=Cardinal] You could be my drama queen student. She’s positive the snickering is about her. Just because, who else would people be talking about? I’ve triple checked my alarms before, because I’ve set them to pm before, or put them on the wrong day. I think that’s justified caution, though. [/QUOTE] It’s not histrionicism or narcissism, if that’s what you’re suggesting. Pretty much the exact opposite, in fact. [QUOTE=winterhawk11] I’m paranoid about dryer fires. I won’t let the spouse dry any clothes if we aren’t going to be home at the time. I don’t like it when he does it while we’re sleeping, but at least that way we might be able to deal with any fire that might ensue (“deal” as in “get ourselves and the cats out safely.”). [/QUOTE] Mine started smoking in the middle of a cycle recently. The paranoia may not be 100% illogical. I hope your dryer is a bit newer than mine, though. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/37 "2008-06-09T12:55:28Z")
Linda Cobb, the Queen of Clean, says to never do laundry unless you are staying home. She had a home cleaning service for years, and saw the sorry aftermath of washing machine and dryer disasters. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/38 "2008-06-09T13:01:49Z")
For some reason, when I’m driving at night, I repeatedly check and re-check over the course of my drive that my headlights are on. With all of the streetlights on the tollways and stuff like that, it’s kind of hard to tell sometimes. I also always look when I’m behind someone at an intersection to see if both headlights are reflecting off the back of their car. It’s not something I consciously worry about, but I’ll try to turn the little “lights on” knob on my car while I’m driving at least twice when I’ve been driving at night for more than a couple of minutes. If you were in the car while I was driving, you wouldn’t even notice. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/39 "2008-06-09T13:02:26Z")
I’m not arguing with the dryer idea - but for people who refuse to wash the laundry unless they plan to stay home for it shouldn’t they also then remain where they can at least _hear_ how the washer is working? I mean - what’s the benefit to staying home, to be able to deal with a washing machine malfunction (which usually is assumed to mean water all over the floor) if they put the wash in, start the washer, and then go upstairs for two or three hours? I just don’t see any qualitative difference there. At least with the dryer - if there’s a fire, the smoke alarms will go off. (Possibly not in time to let you put the fire out yourself, but still some benefit in a timely manner.) ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885/40 "2008-06-09T13:44:16Z")
I’m paranoid about missing plane flights and especially missing a flight because it will transpire that I haven’t packed my passport. I check and double check this before leaving the house and again in the car on the way to the airport. I even have dreams about missing flights because the passport is at home. So far (touch wood) it hasn’t happened. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-paranoid-about/451885.md?page=3)