Wednesday, January 24, 2001
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Wednesday, January 24, 2001 |
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The only thing we have to fear is phobias By
MICHAEL BOYLAN Ask anybody on the street what motivates their behavior and they'll probably tell you to back off and get out of their way. What they're not telling you is that fear motivates their behavior. Why are they not telling you this? Possibly because they are afraid of telling you, but it is more likely that they do not know that their fears make them behave the way they do. These people are called phobics, or in layman's terms, nut cases. They are called phobics because of the word phobia, which means a persistent or irrational fear of a specific object, activity or situation. The word phobia is of Greek origin, which makes sense because the Greeks have a persistent and irrational fear of specfic objects. I had a neighbor who was from Greece and his house had no furniture or appliances. There are many phobias out there, including the commonly known claustrophobia, which is fear of enclosed spaces, and agoraphobia, which is the fear of open spaces. People who have arachnophobia are of afraid of spiders and those who suffer from alektorophobia are afraid of chickens. There are also many people out there, including someone at this publication, who are coulrophobic, which means they are afraid of clowns. You may not know it but chances are you know someone who is arachibutyrophobic, which is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. In fact your children may be didaskaleinophobic, which is the fear of school. Hopefully, they are not sophobic, which would mean they are afraid of learning. I am neither of those things, now that I have graduated from school, but for a while I was metrophobic, which means I had an irrational fear of poetry. Sometimes just the thought of Emily Dickinson caused me to break out in cold sweats. Though this column is often known for taking what would be considered a not-so-serious tone, phobias can harm people. Logizomechanophobia may sound funny, but that fear of computers might have been what caused the Unabomber to go on his deadly mailing spree. Ablutophobics are afraid of washing or bathing. Sure, they may not fall down the drain while taking a shower, but they won't wash off that salmonella after a hard day at the chicken plant either. Those who suffer from chaetophobia, a fear of hair, may appear harmless until they attempt to shave your head while you're sleeping. So, while many of these phobias may cause you to chuckle, it is important to treat these poor human beings with compassion. If you run into an eremophobic, a person who is afraid of him or herself, steer them away from mirrors. If you know someone who suffers from Francophobia, which is the fear of all things French, do not take them to France or to any fast food restaurants that serve those fried potato sticks. I have faced my phobias, including my plutophobia, which is fear of wealth, although you'd never know it, and my scoptophobia, which is the fear of being seen, and you'd never know that either, from what I'm told.
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