Dagnabbit, I voted for "Snakes" before I saw the "Public Speaking" option.

My grandparents home was in the woods. The stair risers on the bottom 6 steps to the basement had ventilation holes in them.

I was told that these were snake holes. I was 6. I ALWAYS jumped past the last 6 steps.

I have a pet snake! It's really awesome!

Clowns are just some dork in a costume. Get over it people.

Public speaking can be pretty scary, but I've done it enough to where it's not gut-wretchingly terrible anymore.

I hate snakes. But 99% of the time they're going to run away from you. The remainder of the time, you could just back away from them. Add in the fact that a majority of snakes are non-poisonous and there's no way they're taking the top scary spot.

I've also done enough diving to know that your lonely simple reef shark is going to swim away from you as well. But if you get several large sharks together, look out. They'll come after you in a heartbeat. They're 100X faster than us in the water and one bite causes serious, often fatal, injury. Go chum up some shark infested waters and you tell me if you'll even stick your big toe in without a cage.

firebirdude wrote:Clowns are just some dork in a costume. Get over it people.

That may be, but only a wacko would do it and crazy people scare me more than animals or any of the other choices, so I'm with clowns!

I've held a boa constrictor, that was cool! And like people have said, snakes and sharks are more likely to go the other way. Most shark attacks are attributed to them mistaking the victim for their normal food source.

Public speaking... I understand the fear, but the worst you can do is embarrass yourself, and people will eventually forget that.

Clowns... definitely clowns!!!

Ahem... spiders. Arachnids in general. In fact, anything with more than six legs is not to be trusted under any circumstances. Crustaceans are only acceptable when properly cooked.

I have no idea how you missed spiders. [shudder]

RWoodward wrote:Ahem... spiders. Arachnids in general. In fact, anything with more than six legs is not to be trusted under any circumstances. Crustaceans are only acceptable when properly cooked.

I have no idea how you missed spiders. [shudder]

THIS!

RWoodward wrote:Ahem... spiders. Arachnids in general. In fact, anything with more than six legs is not to be trusted under any circumstances. Crustaceans are only acceptable when properly cooked.

I have no idea how you missed spiders. [shudder]

+1...million

I can't believe this wasn't on the list. You dropped the ball Woot!

Riding in my boat from Oxnard, CA, to Anacapa Island to do some fishing, I saw hundreds of dorsal fin (sharks). The waters off Southern California are thick with sharks, but the Great Whites hang out nearer to San Francisco (Monterey Bay). They will wreck your afternoon.
However fast and toothy they are, they are not nearly as frightening as snakes.
Here in the desert there are lots of snakes, none of them are cute or awesome. The fear is way to primal.
If I never saw another snake it would be too soon.

Mice.

why aren't mice a choice? or rats? *shudder*

I'm happy with snakes. Probably because they eat mice.

Public speaking is definitely the worst thing in the world for an introvert like me.

In the woods I would not fear a snake. I don't fear clowns at all, and public speaking doesn't bother me the slightest...

But if I was in the water and I saw a shark... OH HELL NO! I would be running on water. If I wasn't in the water, then nothing to fear.

But not ALL spiders...

Only brown recluse spiders worry me.

O.O

*sigh* this whole generation was destroyed on circus acts by the movie 'It', weren't we?

Sharks are awesome.

SO are snakes.

phoenixgirrl wrote:Mice.

why aren't mice a choice? or rats? *shudder*

I'm happy with snakes. Probably because they eat mice.

Hey, Indiana Jones's badass father was even scared of rats--mice/rats are pretty darned gross.

Oh, yeah, what about bears?
Bears will knock you around, eat you and then take a nap.

And I like clowns. I am hung up on a clown from the 60s, man.

Ever read It by Steven King. Clowns are scary!!

Spiders, and all things spidery. Crab, jellyfish, those robots that tried to kill Tom Selleck in that movie, etc.

Animals are just doing their thing - but clowns are unnatural. Wasn't geoffrey Darma a Kiddie clown in his spare time?. Clowns are aliens in disguise - a really crappy disguise. Probably really crappy B Movie aliens too!

as for snake sharks and spiders .... I live in Australia .... Ours are pretty deadly - but hey WE ARE PROUD of that fact! Rock 'n Roll on Funnel Webs

tygerlili wrote:Animals are just doing their thing - but clowns are unnatural. Wasn't geoffrey Darma a Kiddie clown in his spare time?. Clowns are aliens in disguise - a really crappy disguise. Probably really crappy B Movie aliens too!

as for snake sharks and spiders .... I live in Australia .... Ours are pretty deadly - but hey WE ARE PROUD of that fact! Rock 'n Roll on Funnel Webs

This is why we loved watching Steve Irwin on the TV: because 7 of the world's 10 deadliest snakes are in Australia. Not to mention a Barrier Reef full of Great Whites and sea snakes, spiders that hunt birds, etc. He never had to leave home.

Sorry about Steve, mate. Sorely missed.