A Creepy Question
So I have a question about bugs.
Why are people (me included) so instinctually afraid of or repulsed by bugs?
I mean besides bugs that bight, sting or carry disease, bugs really can't hurt you. They don't do more than exist, and we are much bigger than them. I mean even in terms of big bugs, we are still quite larger than them. So why are we so repulsed by them?
This was all brought on by a visit to the basement. We now have camel-back crickets ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhaphidophoridae ) living in our basement and I HATE THEM. :( These bugs do not bite, sting, or carry disease (that I know of), and they are quite dumb. But they do something UTTERLY terrifying...they jump at you. 9 times out of 10 they jump DIRECTLY towards you, and they are fast too. This completely eliminates my normal response to bugs. Generally I alert a bug to my presence by stomping or making a lot of noise, and the little creature scurries away. This saves me from freaking out and killing them, and them from a painful meaningless death. But as soon as I move and I am near a camel-back cricket it's like the little thing screams "OH MY GOD IT'S A BIG MOVING THING SALVATION MUST BE BEHIND IT, JUMP FOR YOUR LIFEEEEEEE!!!" and then determinately jumps towards me. This of course activates my bug response, which involves a lot of stomping, screaming, some of my own jumping and quite a bit of cursing. After this jumping/screaming battle a few times I started to wonder, "Why am I so scared of these stupid bugs?!?!?!"
Honestly? I can't come up with a good answer, and it is frustrating me. I mean something that "just looks creepy/nasty" shouldn't make me go into such a strong fit. But it does. So I ask you lj, why are YOU afraid of bugs? Or do you have any stupid fears you feel like sharing?
Why are people (me included) so instinctually afraid of or repulsed by bugs?
I mean besides bugs that bight, sting or carry disease, bugs really can't hurt you. They don't do more than exist, and we are much bigger than them. I mean even in terms of big bugs, we are still quite larger than them. So why are we so repulsed by them?
This was all brought on by a visit to the basement. We now have camel-back crickets ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhaphidophoridae ) living in our basement and I HATE THEM. :( These bugs do not bite, sting, or carry disease (that I know of), and they are quite dumb. But they do something UTTERLY terrifying...they jump at you. 9 times out of 10 they jump DIRECTLY towards you, and they are fast too. This completely eliminates my normal response to bugs. Generally I alert a bug to my presence by stomping or making a lot of noise, and the little creature scurries away. This saves me from freaking out and killing them, and them from a painful meaningless death. But as soon as I move and I am near a camel-back cricket it's like the little thing screams "OH MY GOD IT'S A BIG MOVING THING SALVATION MUST BE BEHIND IT, JUMP FOR YOUR LIFEEEEEEE!!!" and then determinately jumps towards me. This of course activates my bug response, which involves a lot of stomping, screaming, some of my own jumping and quite a bit of cursing. After this jumping/screaming battle a few times I started to wonder, "Why am I so scared of these stupid bugs?!?!?!"
Honestly? I can't come up with a good answer, and it is frustrating me. I mean something that "just looks creepy/nasty" shouldn't make me go into such a strong fit. But it does. So I ask you lj, why are YOU afraid of bugs? Or do you have any stupid fears you feel like sharing?