Today’s Lady News: The Reason You’re Afraid Of Spiders Is…
Posted by: Jessica Wakeman
Filed in:
news
5:30PM, Thursday August 27th 2009
Scared of spiders? Me, too. A study by David Rakison, a developmental psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University, suggests us females might actually be genetically predisposed to fear creepy-crawlies and dangerous animals. He showed 10 baby girls and boys pictures of spiders and found that the girls associated fear with spiders more quickly than boys did. Rakison said this suggests a possible genetic disposition by women (thanks to humans’ hunter-gatherer ancestry) to avoid danger. [New Scientist]—Or could it could be because we’re prissy.
Last night almost 100 silent protesters at North Carolina State University stood outside the screening of Tucker Max‘s d-baggy film, “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell,” which, among other things, jokes about killing a fat girl because “fat girls aren’t people” in it. In the Q&A following his film, Max said “Rape is not a joke…(the protesters) are devaluing the seriousness of an actual crime.” [Fox News]—Stupid protesters and their carelessness towards women! How dare they?!?
A court in Florida is currently hearing arguments for a challenge to the state’s ban on gay and lesbian adoptions. The ACLU took the challenge to Florida’s Third District Court Of Appeals. Currently, individual judges can grant gay couples an adoption if the couples file a petition. [ACLU]
Two transgendered women were both stabbed in the abdomen in Washington, D.C., yesterday afternoon. Joshua Mack, also known as Na Na Boo, died upon arriving at the hospital. Police are offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer. [The Sexist]
A fan of ABC Family’s “10 Things I Hate About You” show (based on the movie) says an episode about Kat’s makeover sends mixed messages to viewers. The blogger said it reinforces the stereotype that feminists are “ugly” or unconcerned with their appearance. Plus, Kat clearly wears makeup in every episode, but when she’s getting a makeover by her sister Bianca, she complains about prevailing standards of beauty. [Adventures Of A Young Feminist]—Seriously. The “smart girl”-to-“hot girl” makeover in any movie always makes me gag.
CNN checked in with Nujood Ali, a 10-year-old child bride from Yemen, who gained international attention when she fought her husband for a divorce. Nujood’s parents had taken her out of school and married her to an older man who beat and raped her. When her parents refused to remove Nujood from her husband’s home, Nujood hailed a taxi to a court house, told a judge about the abuse, and was granted a divorce but also order to pay her husband $200 for leaving. CNN found Nujood is still dealing with the trauma, despite returning to her parents’ home. [CNN]—Sad. This is about as awful as yesterday’s child bride story.
Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority banned an advertisement for Nivea DNAge Cell Renewal Day Cream, calling it misleading. The Authority said the tagline (‘An innovation in skincare, which boosts surface skin cell renewal leaving you with noticeably firmer looking skin’) implied the cream caused permanent results. [Daily Mail]
Italian women are sick of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi‘s sex scandal crap and they’re not going to take it anymore!, says an op-ed columnist. [New York Times]
Tags: weird news, todays lady news, study, spiders
TheFrisky.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network
lea322
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 04:38 pm: [report]
Spiders have too many legs! It’s unnerving!
impoddity
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 04:59 pm: [report]
The way spiders move is what gets me. It’s unnatural!! Try watching Lord of the Rings 3# in a movie theater with arachnophobia! :shudders: Huge spider attacking 3-foot tall people. give me roaches, rats, snakes, even children, before you give me spiders!
ChoJinn
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 04:59 pm: [report]
I hear people who go to Carnegie Mellon are brilliant and make spectacular lovers.
joyy
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 05:07 pm: [report]
@ChoJinn - one of the most awkward hook-ups I’ve ever had was with a guy who is now at CMU. I hope he now falls in the category you describe, but I would be very surprised if he has changed much since then
ChoJinn
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 05:14 pm: [report]
@joyy: I would be very surprised as well. I think being awkward was a box you could check on the admission application. Great place, but wow - some characters.
ThatWeirdGamerChick
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 05:24 pm: [report]
I’m not afraid of spiders! *pats self on back*
Roosters on the other hand… *shivers*
RosaC
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 05:36 pm: [report]
“In the Q&A following his film, Max said ‘Rape is not a joke…(the protesters) are devaluing the seriousness of an actual crime.’”
The only people being devalued are women in our society, by this jerk’s terrible movie. Comparing the protest of misogynist messages and attitudes with being unserious about RAPE is incredibly offensive, but given who’s saying it I’m not surprised.
Sami
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 06:21 pm: [report]
I am not afraid of spiders, snakes, heights, water, speed, the dark or anything like that; I am afraid of crickets especially the black ones YUK. I squish them with my shoe when I see them, that is how I react to fear…
Doting
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 07:01 pm: [report]
@RosaC: Maybe they are. I’m not his biggest fan, but it seems like these girls think EVERYTHING is rape (consensual drunk sex = sexual assault?). And if everything is rape, nothing is, so it diminishes the power of their intended message.
Just my opinion.
Sami
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 08:27 pm: [report]
@steven-t
I grew up in Texas and got bit by a male brown recluse when I was 5(it just puffed up and hurt for a few days, I was lucky it wasn’t a female) so according to your logic I should be scared of spiders but I am not; I just can’t seem to be afraid of spiders for some reason and I grew up in the poisonus spider capitol of the south. I would let a tarantula walk on my arm when I was 4 so I guess I am not afraid of spiders at all, look before you reach and you’ll be okay….
Ginger
wrote on August 27 2009 @ 11:53 pm: [report]
Dear Frisky,
I didn’t read the reasons why I’m afraid of spiders because the picture made me scream, cover my eyes, and pull my feet up off of the floor.
I’m not exaggerating. My fear is that bad and now I’m going to try not to think about the creepy bastards because doing so usually makes me go into a panic attack.
Please, for the love of fraidy cats like me, never put that picture on the site again.
writergirl
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 05:31 am: [report]
If I were afraid of spiders, my house would be over-run with them. I’m the only female…and the only one who can effectively deal with them without having a panick attack and screaming like a three year old girl.
However, if you were to put a snake in my house—I’d be dead. I’d take one look, and have a heart attack. I am PETRIFIED of snakes, to an unreasonable, irrational degree.
bogart4017
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 09:48 am: [report]
Then please explain to me the 5 or so men that i know who run and screech like Janis Joplin when they see a spider.
jackofhearts
wrote on August 28 2009 @ 10:38 am: [report]
I call BS on that explanation.
Surely if it were true, then women would also be afraid of snakes, the dark, strong men and water as these are also examples of things would have been a threat to women in hunter-gatherer times.
Also, not all women are scared of spiders and quite a few men are.
Personally, I have spider issues, for sure. It’s because they’re completely silent. Sure, a wasp in my bedroom is more likely to hurt me, but at least I know it’s there. Not like the spider, that I don’t see until it’s doing it’s horrible long-leggedy run across my floor/wall/bed.
UGGGGHHHH. I’m shivering at the thought.