What scares you?

the dark (which is combined with my own overactive imagination). heights, I am not sure why. both of these I have well under control. large overly loud/aggressive dogs.. this is mostly under control. formerly of cats (for reasons I don't wish to discuss). and probably some other things I can't recall at the moment.

"I'm afraid of Americans."
--David Bowie

It's a quote, but it's true. I am afraid of Americans.

jjg: wouldn't that be people of a specific type?

reality: Given your examples I didn't think it fit that option. I will go back and check off "something else that is not on this short short list", which I did not do.

How about fungi? :) Huge giant fungi might scare somebody. In general I don't get scared by people or cars or situations. A "specific danger" situation, like a insane fiend holding a knife to my son's throat might scare me. The one exception is supernatural-dark combinations. I don't mind the dark at all. I don't mind the thought of ghosts and mental powers and speaking to dead people. And yet, when I remember the "red room in the basement" (I forget which horror movie) that I saw when very young, I get terrified. I'm getting scared now :) The thought of a purely malevolent entity lurking to randomly kill people can get me quite scared despite rational knowledge that (hopefully) it doesn't exist. I can't "think it through", I have to get my mind off the subject.

My imagination is way too active if I start down that path. There have been nights I haven't slept at all because I've heard noises and convinced myself evil killers had gotten into the house and were right now creeping ... up ... the ... stairs ...

stinging insects. excessively large insects. earwigs. tapeworms.

swarming insects, closed spaces shared with lots of people, mysterious noises at night when I'm alone in the house...in general, things that make me feel vulnerable, I guess. I have a sort of background level fear of falling in the shower, but that's mostly subsided these days.

I am phobic of dogs. I can get use to certain dogs in time. However, if I am walking down the street, I will go to great lengths to avoid walking by a dog. The smaller the dog the more scared I am.

Crossing bridges and earthquakes

I have not yet run into anything that caused a phobic reaction.
Here's the names for the ones not listed:
Animals: zoophobia
Dark: nyctophobia
Death: thanatophobia
People: anthrophobia
The number 13: triskaidekaphobia
Traffic: hodophobia (more specifically, road travel)
Take a look at this huge list of phobias if you want some more. N.B. There are errors in that list, but it is substantially correct.

Some kinds of insects and dogs, heights, suffocation (i.e. being trapped under dirt, sand, water, etc.), and death.

Do insects count as animals? I have arachnophobia; I hate spiders. Spiders just set off a terrible fear reaction, but I don't like any type of insects.

I also said I have a fear of dirt, but it's more of germs. Clean dirt is one thing like the dirt that seems to get in your food on a camping/hiking trip, but I am very bothered by people who do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom, changing diapers, etc. or people who sneeze or cough all over everything.

I forgot to say that I am very afraid of fire.

I was generous with my answers, I clicked all that scare me even a little. None of them scare me consistently.

The state of humanity

Pomeranian - what wonderful irony! ...or, did you choose your name as a way to confront your fears?

Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, ...

bugs.

I fear heights, and closed spaces. The closed spaces thing is more a fear that, if I need to get out quickly for some reason, that I won't be able to unless I'm right next to the door, or at the end of an aisle. This feeds a fear of travel. I also fear insects (having them get into my hair is a particular fear).

I think the thought of the death of other members of my family scares me more than the thought of my own death.

I get scared when really big trucks whiz by my car and seem to be startlingly close to hitting me. Millipedes and centipedes give me the creeps.

"sock puppets" - Homer Simpson

daver: I didn't go searching for a site.. thanks for the link. I couldn't remember how to spell triskaidekaphobia and for some reason dictionary.com didn't like anthrophobia..
I should have put bridges on the list.. that seems fairly common (or maybe just to me since that is one of my mom's fears)

I suffer anxiety when in tight spaces or immobilized, around insects, and to a lesser degree around dirty kitchen counters. I wouldn't call it fear, but it is often described that way.
I suffer from mild vertigo in heights and also at high speeds, but not acrophobia.
I feel fear in the dark, when landing in airplanes, and around certain animals (dangerous/violent-seeming ones) people (mostly young people in packs and surly-, crazy-, or angry-looking people).
I'm afraid of dying but I don't often think about it.
None of these are debilitating or even particularly severe.

Oh yeah, also people with sharp knives in my general area. It's actually more of an abject distrust of the person with the knife that manifests itself as fear.

heh.. the link says that fear of people is anthropophobia and fear of flowers is anthrophobia.. neat.. I think I will be reading this list for the next 30 or so minutes..

Driving. I can't understand how people can be *not* afraid of doing so many things at once with so many variables at such high velocity with such severe potential consequences. *shudder* Plus, I'm afraid I'd get lost all the time.

okay.. I have read the whole list.. I can add Angrophobia (fear of anger or getting angry), Algophobia (fear of pain), Cynophobia (dogs, already listed), possibly cremnophobia (fear of precipices).
fear of bridges is Gephyrophobia
fear of being locked in an enclosed space is Cleithrophobia
fear of enclosed spaces is Clithrophobia.
zemmiphobia is fear of the great mole rat
and Gary Larson defines luposlipophobia as a fear of being chased around a kitchen table by wolves while wearing socks...
there wasn't a listing for fear of Americans, but there was for most european nations as well as Japan and China

I'm not scared of heights, I'm scared of falling. I guess it's more a fear of physical injury. I don't mind being in a plane, but I don't like being on a roof without plenty to hold on to.

gilly: With practice all of the things you have to do at the same time become second nature, and so the only thing you have to think about is pointing the car in the right place, and chosing a speed. I was pretty scared of driving when I first started, but practice made it a lot easier.

Stinging bugs. wasps, bees, hornets, yellow jackets... shudder... ick. I don't mind spiders or snakes or tapeworms, but even honey bees give me the willies.

milktree: I think you have just summed up my problems with the other drivers on the road.... they 'point the car in the right direction, and choose a speed'.. even though it is second nature, there should be some thought. it should be done deliberately.. when I let my reflexes take over or do it in automatic, that is when I come closest to getting in an accident. I have a healthy dose of paranoia, and that helps when I drive. and when I drive like a jerk, I am doing it on purpose... I will agree with gilly and think that her fear is reasonable, but easily overcome. (heck, I nearly failed my driver's test for being too careful)
[insert smileys above as you feel appropriate]

Those gross bugs that lay their eggs under your skin and then they hatch and you have to get the grubs to come out with raw bacon. EWWW!

slasher movies.

I checked 'animals' because I'm afraid of many insects. I've hurt myself trying to get away from bugs ... I have scars to prove it. Very sad.

I'm certainly not afraid of the # 13, since I was born on Fri. the 13th! But I am really terrified of drinking spoiled milk. And I get nervous when meeting new people.

bill: gosh, I did not make the connection until you pointed it out...I am afraid of myself! :)

**Pomeranian: Is there a story behind your username that you're willing to share?

I'm afraid that people will rate a survey I make *bad*

ok, ok - I'll throw it out!

It's not that I'm really afraid of these things, but if you were alone in pitch black dark, you don't know where you are or who's out there, you'd be scared too. And if you were in a coffin sized box, yeah, you'd bet I'll be screaming. And if I were outside on something unstable very high off the ground, I would be bawling from fear!

I truly am scared of nothing but my own reactions and thoughts. I tend to think way too much. Then again I also tend to act without thinking.

daver: Sure! When I first heard about SC, my roomate and I were constructing a long series of jokes based on the fact that character of Scully on the X-Files had a Pomeranian as a pet. So, when I logged on, I used this handle as a nod to my roomate(who was an SC user at the time). They really are cute dogs, and if I ever were to own a dog, it will be a Pomeranian.

From the Useless Trivia file, I believe its name was Queequeg. And it made a great alligator snack, I believe? Hopefully yours wouldn't of course ;).

People with good intentions.

Big dogs to be exact. I'm petrified by them. Also walking down the street at night by myself. Even in my area of town, which is pretty safe from things I could be scared of.

death, crowds of people, and i'm sorta claustrophobic...i also suffer from anxiety problems...and certain situations aggravate this condition...

People with too much power and ignorant people with or without weapons and prejudice people, you never know what they will do.

spiders. Need I say more.

I selected Certain people Types. What type? REPUBLICANS! ARGGGH!

Wouldn't fear of Americans be "Vespucciphobia?"

You didn't include drowning, which is easily my greatest fear!

aging

Heights, bugs and spiders are not my favorites.

Stupid people

Snake, I'm terrified of them

Stupid people scare the crap out of me.....

nothing!