I’m not afraid of much; but in recent months I’ve been labeled by politicians, celebrities, media commentators, and supposed journalists with every popular, politically correct, phobia I had ever heard of, and some I had not.
Let’s get some easy one’s dispelled first:
Homophobic; I’m not now, nor ever since early post adolescence, had any fear of homosexuals of any definition. Genetic abnormalities have always fascinated me. I took, like many undergraduate students, Human Genetics and Abnormal Psychology with enthusiastic interest in the huge numbers of human behavior and physiognomy variations.
Xenophobic; I had to look it up. No one in my rather large family, and no one in my work or social circles had used the word in my 65 years of paying attention. It is defined as fear of foreigners or the unfamiliar. I grew up in the tourists industry and worked there a third of my life. I have travelled to, worked and studied in 34 foreign countries. I have always sought the unfamiliar with curiosity, and for comparative analysis of things I felt, witnessed, or believed. Never once was I afraid to learn something contrary to what I had thought, or to consider thoughtfully someone else’s values or views.
Bigotry; as a student of life-long learning obsessively since childhood, it is very doubtful to me that I have not considered carefully every thought, belief or value I have encountered differing from and often modifying my own beliefs. A fear of learning something new or contrary to held beliefs is something I can’t imagine.
Misogynist; had to look it up too. My fascination with and consideration of women’s values, behaviors, feelings and beliefs is boundless and still intrigues me after 65 years of observations and 52 years of marriage to the same woman. I have always enjoyed working with and being with the women in my life, and I have always tried to be thoughtful and considerate of their amazing skills, talents and intellect. I’ve always encouraged female contributions, achievements and confident independence. Hatred, envy, control of women, not in my list of behaviors.
Now on to a harder one and excessively used one in recent years:
Islamophobic; as a student at a famous Christian University I was required to take a class in World Religions. It was the most interesting “required class” I’ve ever taken. I read all the major religious writings in English, studied their leaders, prophets, deities and histories. I chose as my term project to read the Koran, accounts of Muhammad's life, and his attributed writings, and report what I learned. It was an A+ paper.
What I learned did not instill one moment of fear of Islam or Islamists. I have no irrational fear of any terrorists regardless where they come from, or why.
Those who have attempted to malign me and others by insinuating subhuman behavior or motives by name calling me are way off base.
Implying mental deficiencies because I and many others that voted for President Donald Trump are uneducated is ludicrous. In my case, with 4 college degrees, 2 science and 2 business 1 an MBA; and many other “deplorables” I know, voted for President Trump having multiple graduate and postgraduate degrees. It is utterly ridiculous to assert that only the non-college educated voted for Trump.
Another elitist miss-perception of those they disagree with politically.
It seems like an attempt to ease their own anxious misunderstandings, by ascribing motives to others that they don’t have using neuro-linguistic programming language to demonize and disparage those they think they disagree with, rather than earnestly considering why they themselves may have chosen poorly.
They may be the ones with an irrational fear of knowledge, not one of the listed phobias here, but one I think creates many social and class bigots.
Here might be my only phobias, in order of the scariest first:
Elected politicians, deadly poisonous snakes; but I repeat myself, and poor vehicle drivers, and very large unruly crowds. I know why I fear elected politicians, poisonous snakes and poor drivers, so I guess those don’t count as irrational fears.
So, fear of large crowds (Agoraphobia) may be my only inexplicable fear, in that I have never been hurt or seen anyone harmed by a large crowd. It has always occurred to me when in crowds, that crowd behavior could easily result in unintended injuries or deaths, sort of like poorly written and unnecessary enacted regulations and laws by a crowd of elected and un-elected government officials.
I think the evidence of history shows that “Unintended Consequences” have often harmed the innocent and unaware.
I guess, I have no irrational fears!
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