Fears of Your Life
March 15, 2003 11:55 AM   Subscribe

Fear is a warning thing,” Loggins says, “a warning system. It lets you know you’re going to be in danger, like something jeopardizes your life. I guess everybody has fears in common. In fact, I’m quite sure they do. Things like bees, monsters, and probably pit bulls.”
posted by Hildago (29 comments total)
 
Yeah, I stole this from This American Life, but it's good.
posted by Hildago at 11:57 AM on March 15, 2003


What about those of us with a fear of Kenny Loggins? (music on front page some may consider annoying... someday I will resist the temptation to do this dumbshit, but not today)
posted by wendell at 12:23 PM on March 15, 2003


I once had the dubious pleasure of having my chest sat upon by a wolf spider.

The fucker was so big, it had weight. That I could feel. On. My. Chest.

The only thing scarier to me is an onion that's started to sprout in the cupboard. Don't ask.
posted by WolfDaddy at 1:07 PM on March 15, 2003


I get these severe anxiety attacks around casserole dishes. (brought about by terribly traumatic childhood incident)

Anyone else? I've never met anyone that shared my particular fear.
posted by bradth27 at 1:10 PM on March 15, 2003


John McKenzie is also another great artist who, I believe, works from the same center.
posted by fishfucker at 1:10 PM on March 15, 2003


WolfDaddy-

I love wolf spiders. I have one in my kitchen right now that just stares at me from the windowsill every time I wash dishes. My wife keeps telling me that we need to get rid of it, but I think it's kind of cute.
posted by bradth27 at 1:14 PM on March 15, 2003


Homer: "Or what? You'll release the dogs, or the bees, or the dogs with bees in their mouths and when they bark they shoot bees at you?"

That should combine all three of those things nicely.
posted by shepd at 1:14 PM on March 15, 2003


Windowsill, fine, fine. Is there a pane of glass between you and it?? If not, pick it up, then go lie down and put it on your chest about three inches from your mouth and see how cute it is. Stare into its eyes. Try to get it to clack its mandibles at you for added fun.

I'll be over here with my casserole dish collection (mmm, Corningware), cackling madly. :-)
posted by WolfDaddy at 1:22 PM on March 15, 2003


WolfDaddy, you and bradth27 sound a lot like Marge and Homer with Pinchy.

See! All fears relate to the simpsons! It's simpsonseriffic!
posted by shepd at 1:27 PM on March 15, 2003


Oh,no ...no pane of glass. It's in the house. It's been hanging out in the kitchen for a while now. I've picked it up, but it just keeps jumping off of my hand and going right back up to the windowsill.
posted by bradth27 at 1:28 PM on March 15, 2003


*wolfdaddy faints*
posted by maudlin at 1:31 PM on March 15, 2003


God I hate geocities.

Here's Marge's and Homer's view of Pinchy.
posted by shepd at 1:32 PM on March 15, 2003


Oh, that's it. I give up. Really. Why bother? The internet just sucks. Can't even link to a free account from metafilter. Maybe I'll just put the pics up on *my* webserver, because unlike crappyhosting, I have more than 1 kbits of bandwidth!
posted by shepd at 1:34 PM on March 15, 2003


shepd: we all have fear of low bandwidth.
posted by WolfDaddy at 1:37 PM on March 15, 2003


The only thing scarier to me is an onion that's started to sprout in the cupboard. Don't ask.

Mind if I do?
posted by ginz at 1:43 PM on March 15, 2003


I have to admit I share the onion sprouting fear. It's freakish, and it kicks in on potatoes that have sprouted little tubers also. It's like they're still alive, yet buried in the cupboard, so there's a combination fear of eating a living thing, or even that if you wait long enough, they'll grow legs and come after you, or something. I dunno, it's too primal for me to understand, but it creeps the hell out of me.
posted by jonson at 1:54 PM on March 15, 2003


I farm composting earthworms in my cupboards. Red Wigglers. Them and my shredded wheat is all I keeps in 'em.

And BTW, I ain't afraid of nuthin'.
posted by Opus Dark at 2:02 PM on March 15, 2003


Fishfucker -- Thanks for the link, that was a good story
posted by Hildago at 2:04 PM on March 15, 2003


thx. i actually wrote a short and admittedly disconnected piece on it, if you are interested. i am really fascinated by the work produced by mentally disabled artists.
posted by fishfucker at 2:31 PM on March 15, 2003


ginz...what jonson said.

Also, when my parents discovered this I had this baseless fear, they'd chase me round the house with one. I assume they thought the ordeal would rid me of my fear. Instead, I was convinced my parents were actually animate, and murderous, vegetables.

Which really wasn't far off the mark, come to think of it.
posted by WolfDaddy at 2:33 PM on March 15, 2003


i'm not unusually afraid of anything but the ocean. mostly because when i was 13 i accidently caught a shark whilst fishing in vancouver. that thing torpedoed right onto land and i was utterly frozen in fear and mesmerized by it's teeth - it seemed like i was able to stand there forever taking in all the details of it's mouth. really grateful my 2 little step brothers (11 and 12 at the time) grabbed me and ran. since then i only fish in lakes and swim in pools.
posted by t r a c y at 3:34 PM on March 15, 2003


jonson, that was a great description of a weird fear - I don't share it but after reading that breakdown, I can understand it.

bradth, I imagined the wolf spider fatter and furrier than the pic makes it look - when you said cute, I was thinking more roundness or something. I can definitely imagine a cute spider though.

I lost my fear of rats living on the LES in new york - got so used to them that they were just the local wildlife, not something to be freaked out by - which is what my chinese neighbors told me when I first moved in. (I remember this local kid laughing that I was bothered by rats in the downstairs hallway).
posted by mdn at 4:02 PM on March 15, 2003


it kicks in on potatoes that have sprouted little tubers also. It's like they're still alive, .... or even that if you wait long enough, they'll grow legs and come after you

Only one thing to do in a situation like this, ...mash the bastards.
posted by jonmc at 5:01 PM on March 15, 2003


Count me unafraid of pit bulls, if they've been raised by halfway sensible, responsible humans.
posted by alumshubby at 5:20 PM on March 15, 2003


No kidding alumshubby. I know a guy with a pitbull, and it's possibly the most loveable bastard in the whole world.

I used to be afraid of dogs, though. Especially German Shepherds, for some reason. I remember once when I was probably 10 years old, I went walking in the neighborhood and I saw a group of teenagers with their German Shepherd on a leash coming around the corner. I was so afraid that I jumped into a bush to hide from it. Then the group stopped right in front of the bush (I do not know why) and shot the shit for a few minutes. I was scared out of my mind, quivering there the whole time, hoping I wouldn't get my face ripped off.

P.S. -- I did not get my face ripped off.

P.P.S. -- I can't think of anything that really scares me, but I am totally creeped out whenever I am swimming in a river, lake, ocean, et cetera and I feel a plant or a fish brush against my legs. Just the thought of it... ggghhh...
posted by Hildago at 5:33 PM on March 15, 2003


how long have i been lost at fishfuckers site? quite a while it seems. funny fucken shit.
posted by folktrash at 6:28 PM on March 15, 2003


Michael Loggins says the exact same thing that is described in "The Gift of Fear", by Gavin De Becker, who states that the biggest mistake made by most people who are in danger of injury from others is to disregard their instincts.

Here and There are some reviews and more background.


fishfucker, This may interest you...
In Toronto, Creative Spirit would love the same kind of profile that the one in sf has. The site has photos, they need to be color corrected, but the originals sparkle, like the artists themselves, original.


ah, fears, I think these artists are truly fearless. From the blank piece of paper to other people's preconceived notions, they aren't concerned. Oh sure they would prefer to be loved and their artwork to be apprectiated, but it's their true form of communication they are comfortable with, wearing their hearts on their sleeves for all to see and reflect upon.

They have an annual fundraiser called "Straight from the Heart", which a friend of mine [Kristine Erglis], who is a member, painted the poster.

Currently they had to relocate and are in the process of finding a building/workshop space/ gallery.


I recently met an educated woman who still has a fear of sleeping in a dark room. I bought her a photoelectric glowing night light! I never asked why, it just was one of her fears.


I too shared Hildago's fear of weeds in a lake brusing up against me! Creeps me out and have to watch I don't panic and drown, even though I'm a strong swimmer. As a scuba diver, it doesn't bother me, but the unseen and the imagination are truly a powerful thing.
posted by alicesshoe at 10:35 PM on March 15, 2003


there is some nice work there, alices. I like most the sort of compulsive behavior that often manifests itself in nicely minimal pieces.

I really like the jan swinburne works at the site you linked.
posted by fishfucker at 2:32 PM on March 16, 2003


Has anyone ever actively worked to rid themselves of a fear? One summer, after a major relationship died, I took up water skiing, parachuting and bungee jumping. I no longer have a fear of deep water or heights.

Now I'm afraid of dying.
posted by ?! at 7:59 PM on March 16, 2003


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