Irrational Fear?

This reminds me of that new cell phone commercial.

The one where the guy calls up a Tarantula pic on his phone that is supposedly so life-like it makes the chick next to him have screaming hysterics and the guy across the table yanks off his shoe and beats the cellphone with it.

That commercial is funny, but it isn't. It's funny because people react so strongly to a picture of an animal, not even the animal itself.

It is also not funny because a phobia is no laughing matter. I myself am phobic about heights. Not just afraid of heights, but phobic. It take an effort of will just to climb a stepladder. Something on the roof of the house ? It takes me a hour to get up, and three more to get down. I can't ride escalators without someone on either side of me and in front of me. I can't walk up to the stair railing in the mall looking down on the lower level.
A ride in a ferris wheel brings on a panic attack. You couldn't get me on a glass sided elevator with a 3 ton wench.

On a school field trip I managed to make the horrifying ride to the top of the St. Louis Arch. My teachers insisted I HAD to go, and thought my claims of fear were exaggerated.
Once I got off the little lift thing and felt the floor swaying, I laid down in the middle of the floor and just moaned and cried. It took three teachers and three custodians to get me up off the floor, and almost 45 minutes to get me back on the lift. I threw up twice on the way down. My teachers never made the mistake of insisting I go anywhere high again.

So yeah, people overreacting to certain things they are afraid of is funny, but don't look down on a true phobia, cause they aren't funny.

Gale

I must admit, I had a fear more irrational than all these. I really did not like to touch animal limbs or feet (lizard toe sucker pads and little paws of cats dogs mice) and pretty much freaked out. Which led me to my favourite ball python. HAHAH imagine that.

But of course I did get over it, kind of, at least. And in any case I have decided to enjoy having my instinctive fears, since they give me a kick in my boring life. I became an adrenaline junkie as a grew up, I love getting into precarious situations and heights (totally into extreme sports) and doing stupid things like in Neg's Urban Sports just for a dare. Yeah I'm pretty immature but I have my right to be for a while more. Still in my teenage years and schooling. So now facing such fears is just another 'kick' I get.

my father-in-law and his wife will not ever come to my house they said because of my snakes.

One of my exs (from way back when I was in college and before I started keeping snakes) was, and still is, extremely terrified of snakes. He was a big guy too, football player and everything, but you couldn't even say the word snake or he would start to squirm and cover his ears. One of his friends had a king snake and tried to bring it over once, and he was reduced to tears, cowering behind the sofa in a corner. It does seem ridiculous and irrational, but I can understand how someone could be afraid of them. There have been so many negative stories and associations over the years that it is very deeply ingrained. Also, in the wild, there are a lot of snakes that could potentially be venomous, so I'm sure our instinct plays a role. Plus, they just look so different from us with no limbs, no eyelids, etc that they seem very alien and threatening... it's difficult for people to associate with them like they can with a dog or a cat or even a bird. I admit I was a little uncomfortable around snakes before I finally got one, so I can at least somewhat understand how someone could have a phobia. It is a serious thing.

But no, most people just think I'm weird when they find out I have snakes :P There are a few that don't like to walk by their enclosures or shiver when they see one of them, but none of them freak out too much. I always make sure to ask friends and guests before I take any of my snakes out if they're comfortable with that, because I've seen how intense ophidiophobia can be.

My brothers wife broke down crying from looking at photos of my balls (heh snickers**) on my phone. She will not even come in my house even though they are locked in a seperate room and cannot escape :confuzd:

I work at a pet supply store, so we don't have any actual animals, but my manager is deathly afraid of snakes. She even went to therapy for it and couldn't bring herself to put her hand on a picture of a snake printed in a magazine. There was a time when she wouldn't come into my house (we knew each other before I worked for her) because of the snakes (well, at that time it was just one snake). She's getting a little better with it though, because her boyfriend is dying to get a snake and because we're getting more reptile stuff in at the store and are therefore doing a little reptile show thing to raise awareness about the fact that our store is no longer just for dogs and cats.

At first she didn't even want to go to the show herself, because I would be bringing my snakes and someone else was bringing his reptiles, including snakes, but now she's decided that she's going to go, and just steer clear of the snake tables :P

my mother is terrified of snakes in general.shes screams and even cusses at me(she never cusses). shes really religious and i think she has some satanic implications towards snakes.i tried to introduce her to show her my bps sweet,shy,and docile.i mean Marley even lets me pet the top of her head and bottom of her mouth without avoidance.ive only had her for a couple of months.nice snakie
my big brother,army vet 37 years old wont come near me or in a room when "the snakes out".hes not scared he says and claims it just makes his skin crawl.im not buying it sissy.

off topic kinda he told me this story of when he was going through basic training his platoon was walking through some forest and they seen a massive snake in the trees that appeared to be longer than three of his tallest "brothers" in the squad.

people fear what they dont know.
now im going to go make my scorpion sting me.:O

wouldnt even put her hand on a picture of a snake???:rofl:

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Originally Posted by ogdentrece

I must admit, I had a fear more irrational than all these. I really did not like to touch animal limbs or feet (lizard toe sucker pads and little paws of cats dogs mice) and pretty much freaked out. Which led me to my favourite ball python. HAHAH imagine that.

But of course I did get over it, kind of, at least. And in any case I have decided to enjoy having my instinctive fears, since they give me a kick in my boring life. I became an adrenaline junkie as a grew up, I love getting into precarious situations and heights (totally into extreme sports) and doing stupid things like in Neg's Urban Sports just for a dare. Yeah I'm pretty immature but I have my right to be for a while more. Still in my teenage years and schooling. So now facing such fears is just another 'kick' I get.

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hahahahahahahahahahahaha animal feets???ahahahahahahahahahahaha
mature is boring buddy keep your young heart.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mark and marley

wouldnt even put her hand on a picture of a snake???:rofl:

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It's true! I said it was bad :P the worst part is she couldn't even carry the book into the psychologists office. She had her mom (who was there for moral support) carry it in her purse, as far away from her as possible. :rofl: