What are you afraid of?

[_testify_]

I am testes-shrinkingly scared of zombies. Like, I lay in bed at night and wonder how better to defend my home from them. I also can't turn down a zombie movie, which doesn't help.

[ZombieNixon]

1. So...I guess I'm not helping matters.

Sorry. :hide:

[billyskank]

2. OMG

Imagine that! A zombie Nixon! :scared:

[ZombieNixon]

4. Terrifying thought, isn't it?

}(

[_testify_]

5. It depends.

Are you a slow shuffling zombie? Or one of the ones that comes at you full tilt?

[ZombieNixon]

7. Full tilt. I let nothing get in my way.

}(

[_testify_]

8. Figures.

Those are the ones that REALLY scare me.

[XemaSab]

3. I used to be really afraid of squirrels

:scared:

[_testify_]

6. Seriously?

I thought I had problems!

:-)

[XemaSab]

11. I used to have nightmares where I was bitten by a squirrel and died

a horrible death.

Unable to scream for help. :scared:

[_testify_]

13. Nightmares can do that to you.

I hate the ones where I die.

[Zookeeper]

21. My daughter is freaked out by squirrels...

especially the tail-less one that's been hanging around for the last couple of years. (I think it's cute.)

[Fleshdancer]

9. I'm afraid of the lounge Masterminds

there are far too many:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5018889&mesg_id=5018889

:scared:

on edit: Seriously, when I was a small kid I was afraid of toilets and masking tape. To this day, airplane toilets creep me the hell out.

on edit 2: balloons. Definitely balloons.

[_testify_]

10. I agree.

We need a Coalition to defend ourselves. They'll surely be making their move soon.

[azmouse]

12. Drowning.

I hate water. Can't swim because I can't stand water in my eyes.

[_testify_]

14. Not a big fan of things in my eyes either.

Like eyedrops. You'd have to hold me down.

[Zookeeper]

24. Good thing you're an AZ mouse...

and not a MN mouse (we have water everywhere!)

[azmouse]

29. I love the desert. No water as far as the eye can see.

[Zookeeper]

41. Interesting...

I can't swim, but I love water (especially "big water" like the Great Lakes and Oceans). I'm happiest on a boat, a cool beach or canoeing a placid lake.

Although I can appreciate the desert aesthetically (especially the canyonlands, like Zion Nat. Park), I find the dryness very uncomfortable and I'm miserable if the temperature is above 78 degrees. Minnesota is too hot for me in the summer, so I try to go north to Canada as much as possible.

However, AZ, I think more folks share your preferences than mine.

:hi:

[azmouse]

49. I think I got the 'warm weather' genes in my family.

My brother is like you. He can't get it cold enough in his house. He opens windows in the winter and he lives in PA.
Not me. I'm looking forward to the first 100 degree temps here and it shouldn't be long now. Temps below 70 feel cold to me.
As far as preferences go, I'll bet its 50/50.... Half like heat, half like cold.

[billyskank]

15. Dying

and incarceration. :scared:

[_testify_]

17. I'm afraid of that last moment before dying,

Do you have reason to fear incarceration?

[billyskank]

25. Good point

I think it is the suffering that immediately precedes death I am most bothered about. As for incarceration, there is no particular event that I recall that makes me fear it. When I was a kid I was terrified of being locked in, anywhere: a restroom stall, an elevator, you name it. Now I've grown up (kind of) the fear has become less.

[MiniMandaRuth]

16. I'm afraid of bigfoot....

I had a dream once where he attacked me in my house and killed me.... :scared:

[Zookeeper]

18. Chinchillas.

If I'm in a pet store and catch a glimpse of a chinchilla, I experience a wave of phobic dread and have to look away. I'm not afraid of much of anything, so this is very strange. I found a body once, so I may be reacting to Chinchillas' weird stillness.

Or I may have been trampled by a chinchilla stampede in a previous life. :)

[_testify_]

22. Wow.

Was finding the body especially traumatic? I witnessed a murder once, and for some reason I don't feel worse for it. (It's not like I feel enhanced by it, don't get me wrong)

[Zookeeper]

34. Well, it didn't seem traumatic at the time...

but, I was asked to take a closer look and identify the body. And when I went to my job at a big chain fabric store I realized that I was watching myself work. A co-worker pointed out that I was in shock and should go home. When we mentioned it to the manager, he said, "No! I'm going home early. You have to stay." Except for the chinchilla thing, I got over it. I still haven't gotten over my dislike of male fabric store managers, though.

So, please, _testify_, "testify" as to witnessing a murder. THAT sounds traumatic!

[_testify_]

37. I was about 8 or 9, living in NYC

I was outside playing with the other kids, and we heard a big commotion down the street, so we ran to see what was going on.

The area I lived in had many immigrants from Bangladesh, and the were many rival families with rival businesses. Apparently, one family opened up a competing shop across the street from another, and in a fit of rage one shopkeeper stabbed the other to death with a tire iron.

I'm sure there was more to the story than rival business, but that's all I was ever told. There were MANY MANY witnesses, including a neighbor that was a cop, so us kids never had to go to court.

I remember that no one cleaned up the blood from the street though, and that weirded me out.

[Zookeeper]

44. That must have been eerie to keep seeing the blood...

on the street. Perhaps the fact that you were part of a large crowd, with adults present, kept you from being traumatized by witnessing the murder.

That's a pretty scary story, though.

[_testify_]

46. Oh I had my share of crazy shit like that.

We had gunshot victim collapse and die in front of our house. I didn't see it, thankfully.

There was also a little kid who got killed by an out-of-control motorcycle right in front of our school. Didn't see that one either, thank god.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

55. I'm afraid I can't afford that

chinchilla coat I saw in the store the other day.

Just kidding - I don't wear real fur (I can't afford it).

[Zookeeper]

64. Well, I don't have an overwhelming urge to turn them all...

into coats, but, I avoid their section of the pet store.

I appreciate your sentiment, though. ;-)

[DS1]

19. My big mouth

:hide:

[LSK]

20. flying and nuclear war

[XemaSab]

28. I'm more afraid of nucular war

:scared: :nuke: :scared:

[LSK]

33. yeah, bush-speak is scary too

:scared:

[Liberalynn]

54. Me too on the nuculear war, and right wing republicans, and religious

fanatics. I am also afraid of my own mistakes. I hate to think of inadvertently harming another person or animal, because of something I did wrong. I also fear being in a car accident, and am afraid of ending up totally alone. Since I am not married, I don't have a child, or even a niece or nephew. All I have is my Mom, my sister, and my cousins, and my pets, and if they pass first, or get mad at me and leave, then I am afraid I will have no one. On a less serious note, I am not too fond of bugs either.

I'm afraid of a lot to be honest. That is one of the reasons, I am still in therapy. LOL

[Floogeldy]

94. Pain.

In the genital areas. :scared:

[calico1]

23. Drowning.

I can't swim. I get very nervous when I am on a boat. I think "Titanic!" I also fear falling down a manhole or one of those sidewalk grates. Or choking to death. Weird, isn't it?

[_testify_]

26. Believe it or not, I fell through one of those sidewalk grates,

I am scared of them now as well.

I was stuck in this fucking hole for half an hour before I was able to climb out.

[calico1]

35. That's horrible!

I would have so freaked out! I hope you din't get hurt. The last time I had to walk over one I was in a group of people from work. I couldn't move out of the path so I had to walk over it. They have always freaked me out.

[_testify_]

40. I got a little scraped up.

The worst part was my mom yelled at me for tearing my school slacks.

[calico1]

42. Oh...My...God....

:wtf:

[_testify_]

43. We didn't have a lot of money.

And I'm not sure she believed me. I was a little lying punk at times....

[calico1]

52. Oh, ok. I understand.

We didn't have much money either and our school shoes had to last the year. I had to have mine replaced once and my mom accused me of walking into puddles on purpose and other things just to ruin them. Now that I am grown I can understand the money concerns they had.

[Zookeeper]

65. How do you fall through a sidewalk grate? n/t

[_testify_]

80. A portion of it was rusted through

and it broke.

[Zookeeper]

83. That IS scary...

Now I'm going to start worrying about sidewalk grates...:crazy:

I'm glad you survived your hazardous childhood. :hi:

[azmouse]

32. Me too. And you know what's funny about this...

I'm planning on taking a cruise next year for my 20th anniversary.
I seriously need my head examined!!

[Shine]

27. Fear, itself.

Have you ever heard how the word FEAR can be remembered as an acronym for the words:

False

Evidence

Appearing

Real


Hmmmm.....something to ponder, eh?

[Left Is Write]

30. The power given to and taken by the idiot on Pennsylvania Ave.

[XemaSab]

31. Oh, I'm also afraid of quicksand

I was stuck in it once. It was really lame.

[EstimatedProphet]

59. Why was it lame?

I mean, I've been there myself, and it wasn't scary for me. What was lame?

[XemaSab]

67. It would have been scary if I had been alone

and if I hadn't remembered to sit down.

It wasn't scary at the time, but in retrospect it's a little freaky how FAST I sank and how DEEP I got.... not to mention how STUCK I was...

and how stinky and gross the stuff was... I swear I was sinking in old, rotten fish carcasses... WAY too many bones to kid myself otherwise...

[EstimatedProphet]

69. Ah

Yeah, rotting fish carcasses might make sinking in quicksand less pleasurable.

[Ava]

36. there are two things that i'm afraid of

the first is normal - heights
I can't stand looking down a flight of stair or looking out a glass elevator. My knees start feeling like jelly and my stomach starts turning into knots.

the second is silly and little embarrassing - roaches
Since i was little i've been scared to death of roaches. When i was little i use to have the same nightmare about roachesalmost atleast once a week. Now i don't have the nightmare, but i can't stand roaches. they creep me out!

[smitty]

38. I'm not afraid the Mets will win the Pennant.

[_testify_]

39. No, I'm not scared of that either.

[no name no slogan]

45. clown pr0n

scares the bejeebus out of me

[_testify_]

47. I've seen my share of adult entertainment

and I haven't seen that. I can imagine, though.

[Ramsey]

48. Stinging insects

I run away screaming totally involuntarily whenever a bee or wasp comes near me. I don't know why, I'm not allergic and I have rarely been stung.

[libnnc]

50. Tornadoes, bats, spiders...

Oh, and nuclear holocaust.

[Alleycat]

51. Being Killed and Eaten by an animal

mainly bears. This is totally irrational since the only times I have ever seen a bear it ran away from me quicker then I did from him. I live on the East Coast and we don't ever have grizzly bears here. I have a dream ever few months about a big ass huge grizzly bear chasing me thru the forest. He is about two feet behind me and we are running thru trees and he has his mouth open growling and I can smell his breath and hear his breathing. It is really scary! He has yet to get me. It has been going on for years. Not every night maybe every 3-6 months I will have this dream. If you have ever seen the movie "The Edge" where the big man-eating bear is chasing Charles thru the small trees-that's my dream! Imagine how freaked out I was when I say this scene in the movie!

[Zookeeper]

53. You and Steven Colbert...

share the same fear. Have you ever seen his "Threat down" segment? He'll list five threatening people, things or events and number one is always, "BEARS!"

[Alleycat]

84. No I didn't know that!

That is too funny!

[TheCentepedeShoes]

56. That Commander Clusterfuck will

screw this country up beyond all belief. Ooppps...forgot I was in the Lounge.

[SOteric]

57. The pain of those I care most about.

Either inflicting it, or standing by helplessly while they suffer it.

[Random_Australian]

58. Insulting people. Fundies. Drugs.

(Mind you, drugs is justified, but I'm not going to go into that in a public forum)

[Guava Jelly]

60. not to be a drama king but Being alone is my biggest fear

Don't get me wrong i love having my own space/time..but Nothing beats knowing someone loves you as a life partner that is.
for the first time in 19 years...I am not sure I am loved that way..

[Redstone]

61. Not a damn thing, which is not good. "Pathological lack of fear," a shrink

once told me. Not healthy at all, as my current physical condition will attest.

Redstone

[Random_Australian]

62. Also: Giant root vegetables that look like Jack Nicholson. n/t

[RetroLounge]

63. Carnies.

Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands.

RL

[AlienGirl]

66. Spiderwebs. Not the spiders, the webs. Bureaucratic encounters.

Those are the most amusing phobias I have. The rest are mostly ordinary things like putting my head under water, going to the doctor or dentist, falling, vomiting, baked beans, and being upside-down.

Also, I'm afraid of being looked at when I'm standing up, because I have a slight tremor (planning to ask the neurologist about that soon) and I'm afraid people will notice it and be grossed out, which makes it more pronounced and thus increases my perception that I'm grossing people out, in a perfect feedback loop. I can usually hide it better when I'm sitting. It started a few years ago when I was on Wellbutrin, and never went away, even when I stopped the drug that caused it.

Tucker

[Zookeeper]

68. Ummm...AlienGirl?

"Ordinary" things like a baked bean phobia? I'd like to hear that story.

Although, I did know someone who had a phobia about eating oranges because she was afraid she would choke.

[AlienGirl]

71. You mean that's not a normal fear?!

Actually it comes from a traumatic episode where a grade-school principal force-fed me pork and beans in the janitor's closet, even though I'd explained that they would make me throw up. When I started retching, she hissed at me not to dare throw up on the janitor's clean floor.

I consider that one an "ordinary" phobia because I got it in an ordinary way, unlike some of the others.

Tucker

[Zookeeper]

75. I'd say you have a very good reason for...

your baked bean phobia! That is one of the worst stories I've ever heard. Why was she force-feeding you in a janitor's closet??? I'm surprised you're not suffering Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

There is nothing "ordinary" about that experience (I hope...). :wow:

[AlienGirl]

87. Well, she really hated me for some reason

I was in first grade, I have no idea what I did that got an adult professional to hate me at age six, but it must've been something! She was always annoyed that I ate slowly and was picky about food; she had a rule that kids had to eat a certain amount of each thing on their plate within a certain time, and the fact that I didn't (often couldn't, due to textures of some foods and whatnot) gave her fits.

I wrote a story, The Kid Who Jumped about my first-grade experiences. Everything in the story is as it happened except that there was no sympathetic teacher's assistant, and it did not end the way it does in the story. I probably made "my" character too sympathetic, too, but that's creative license for ya!

Tucker

[Zookeeper]

90. Thanks for sharing the story...

:hug:

[AlienGirl]

91. It only really "works" if the kid dies in the end.

[_testify_]

82. I took Wellbutrin to quit smoking

It worked, as far as the smoking goes, but it made my ears go numb, even months later. I later found out there a bunch of people who when totally psychotic on it.

[Nikia]

86. And my therapist told me I was worrying about nothing

She was telling me that she thought that I should try some psychoactive drugs for my anxiety that weren't tranquilizers.
I told her that I was afraid that I'd have lasting side effects that would make my life worse. She said that I was worrying about nothing.
Wellbutrin was the medicine that she suggested that I talk to my doctor about.

[AlienGirl]

88. Wellbutrin's the only medicine I ever had bad side effects from

Well, Vicodin dives me insomnia, but it goes away as soon as I stop taking it.

Tucker

[u4ic]

70. Spiders and anything with more than 4 legs,

puking, dentists and that my pant cuffs will eventually rip my baby toes off. :scared:

[wildhorses]

72. I am terrified of motorcycles....

do not want to be anywhere near them
:scared:

[Ava]

73. motorcycles are fun!

one of my best friends drives one. i love to go riding with him. he tried to teach me to drive, but that didn't really work out. :rofl:

[leftofthedial]

74. I spent my whole life with a vague dread of

well, right now.

[Nicole]

76. Being buried alive n/t

[Fleshdancer]

77. that would be horrible

add that to my list. :scared:

[wildhorses]

78. that I might die in a house of mirrors with nobody around to

close my eyes...

[Vektor]

79. Clowns, flying, and John Kerry's man-piece.

Though fear of the latter could be overcome with a few drinks.

:beer:

[ernstbass]

81. Irrational fear of fish

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

93. I used to be afraid of hornpout and freshwater eels

when I was a kid. I caught some of them once when I went fishing with my dad and I thought they were the ugliest creatures I had ever seen.

[Nikia]

85. Just about everything

No wonder I am often experiencing severe anxiety.

[Ariana Celeste]

89. I've got a huge list.

SO here's just a few.

Drowning. Fire. Tornadoes. Rabid animals. Spiders. Being any higher than a foot above ground- unless of course I'm in a plane. Falling. Getting inured. Someone close to me dying. Malicious spirits. Getting really sick and not being able to get health care. Blood. I hatehatehate blood. Snakes. Somebody breaking into my home at night. Angry people. ......etc.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

92. Lightning and dying (possibly from being struck by lightning) n/t