Creepy

I hated eyes, close up examination of eyes, representations of eyes, empty eye sockets of skulls. Creeped me out all through my childhood. Until I studied biology in high school, learned all the structures and what they did, and the creep became fascination. Not a liking, but comprehension erased my irrational fear.

On NPR, one interview of a guy who determined to find three good things about mosquitos. Only the females bite, the males do not. The females only need the blood as a protein meal for their young. And they are, for insects, good parents to their young. I wish I'd thought of it this way as a kid, when I so wanted the whole species exterminated. Add that they are food for birds, and I can live with the irritating bugges.

Discussion at work today about spiders. I detest the stereotype of women who are afraid of bugs. It was the boys in biology class who studiously avoided Mr. Shirkey's tarantula, not the girls. I was wary of bees as a kid, but only the idea of being stung panicked me. I didn't hate them. But these women conformed to prejudice, which bothered me. Like those who are bothered deeply by snakes, because they slither without legs or some such. I don't really understand why some people want them as pets, but they are interesting creatures, taken at a distance. Fire ants are fine, down in Texas far away from me and my hands. They do give a nasty bite that later pusses up itchily, but only if I am in their territory. Even roaches gotta eat. Not beings I want in close proximity, but they were here first.

We all have our areas of discomfort, creatures or images, gruesome triggers for our disgust. Most of them would tumble if we willingly studied them, tried to understand. Not diminish to the point of liking usually, but enough to graciously grant them existence in our universe. As though we were not revolting enough in ourselves.

All a matter of looking differently, trying to see why, or at least how.

Really, just an excuse to repeat the Monty Python song,

All things dull and Ugly
All creatures short and squat,
All things rude and nasty,
The Lord God made the lot.
Each little snake that poisons,
Each little wasp that stings,
He made their brutish venom,
He made their horrid wings.
All things sick and cancerous,
All evil great and small,
All things foul and dangerous,
The Lord God made them all.
Each nasty little hornet,
Each beastly little squid,
Who made the spikey urchin,
Who made the sharks, He did.
All things scabbed and ulcerous,
All pox both great and small,
Putrid, foul and gangrenous,
The Lord God made them all.