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But for real how did homophobia become the term for what is very rarely an actual fear?
According to Wikipedia it was an actual fear that homosexuality is contagious. That belief is probably alive and well amongst idiots.
I always thought it to be more akin to hydrophobia instead of arachnophobia - as in fat reacting to water. Now I think that is to take as fat is neither attacking water nor is it insane.
How does xenophobia fit into the picture?
That’s a good question! Xenophobia has an evolutionary basis and exists in other species as well (e.g. chimpanzees). Encountering another group of humans (or chimps) might be dangerous. Being cautious is beneficial for survival.
However, when you add racism and are actively hostile to another group - is it still a Phobia? And if not or if it is not fear-motivated, what do you call it?
I’d differentiate between xenophobia and racism. Being weary of something different is very different to feeling hate or acting against it.
A lot more people than would like to admit are a little bit xenophobic, but not racists.
When the spiders start laying eggs in your eyeballs that’s when you will start sucking dicks.
The freaking spiders are turning everyone gay!
The word phobia may also refer to conditions other than true phobias.
For example, the term hydrophobia is an old name for rabies, since an aversion to water is one of that disease’s symptoms. A specific phobia to water is called aquaphobia instead. A hydrophobe is a chemical compound that repels water. Similarly, photophobia usually refers to a physical complaint (aversion to light due to inflamed eyes or excessively dilated pupils), rather than an irrational fear of light.
Several terms with the suffix -phobia are used non-clinically to imply irrational fear or hatred, such as Xenophobia and Homophobia
A specific phobia to water is called aquaphobia instead.
Please be lying, the only thing worse than mixing Latin and Greek is using words that mean the exact same for different things
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, etc.
Because phobia isn’t just a fear of something, it’s a fear or aversion to
As an 80s kid, before I learned a few things about how the world works, fear was very much one of the top feelings I got when near guys I knew were gay. Perhaps you youngsters got to skip that phase.
I never translated that to hate, though. I don’t exactly understand how that process even works. I’ve hated a few individual people in my life (100% because of what they did to me), and I feared none of them.
Seems like at some point -phobia got watered down to “extreme dislike”.
Back in my day we used to crush spiders. What is this world coming to?
Typical Boomer.
A web of LIES!
I mean I have no problem with it. Might even help the economy with all the extra wedding services from arachnid customers.
Do you know how many babies those widows have?! Our welfare system will be overwhelmed within a years time!
All those Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobic bigots out there. Leave those words in peace.
