Awww. Are the cartoon spiders scary? I'm sowwy, do you need a grown-up to help you get past the scary part?
No?
Oh, you just want the world to work around your irrational fear of fake bugs so you can feel safe from a non-existent threat?
That makes sense.... Completely rational.
Not really, many "phobias" are actually completely rational. Being afraid of spiders, heights, deep water, darkness, etc, all have very realistic biological roots. They're like genetic memories of things your ancestors have been conditioned to worry about, and for good reason.
That doesn't mean they should be catered to though. It's far better for somebody to deal with their fear in controlled and safe environments, like video games for instance.
Awww. Are the cartoon spiders scary? I'm sowwy, do you need a grown-up to help you get past the scary part?
No?
Oh, you just want the world to work around your irrational fear of fake bugs so you can feel safe from a non-existent threat?
That makes sense.... Completely rational.
Phobias by definition are completely irrational. Trying to cater to the minuscule group who are irrational is much more so.
Not really, many "phobias" are actually completely rational. Being afraid of spiders, heights, deep water, darkness, etc, all have very realistic biological roots. They're like genetic memories of things your ancestors have been conditioned to worry about, and for good reason.
That doesn't mean they should be catered to though. It's far better for somebody to deal with their fear in controlled and safe environments, like video games for instance.