The biggest spider I’ve ever seen is somewhere in my laundry basket

[Pinkitydrinkity]

Omg help. What do I do!

I feel like I have to choice but to empty everything into the washing machine and accept the consequences of ruining my light pants.

Hmmm. I think you’re just doubling down now with the whole “it’s not what you’re saying but the silly way you’re saying it that is pathetic.”

Why can’t women be light-hearted about this? It’s a real fear, but we’re aware it’s irrational and it has the whiff of the absurd about it (ie the very genuine lengths some people will go to avoid a spider).

I’m sorry you don’t approve of the light-hearted tone. 🙄

I did qualify that arachnophobia is a separate issue. OP doesn’t say she has arachnophobia.

Ridiculous to say people are ganging up, shall I say the same about you and your little gang?

It’s AIBU, if you post about killing spiders expect to get some annoyed responses back. You don’t get your own personal echo chamber here.

But arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. People don’t all suffer to the same debilitating degree. I thought that was obvious.

No one has said feminists can’t be scared of spiders, stop creating a straw man argument.

I like threads like this and the lighthearted burn the house down comments. The OP knows its an irrational fear, why can't we have a laugh?

@DuplicateUserName
I think you’re the only one who has repeatedly used the word ‘giggles’ or ‘giggly’ about OP’s approach. A less gendered word might be ‘joking’ or ‘light-hearted’. It almost seems as if you’re the one making women look trivial and pathetic 🤷‍♀️

It's more about the embarrassing threads than the actual fear I think.

For me, people gleefully talking about stomping on spiders and hoovering them up isn’t lighthearted, it’s upsetting.

Would you like this one to keep it company

Well, that’s fair enough - it’s not nice to stomp on spiders.

I think you know the ‘burn down the house’ comments are not serious though.

As I’ve said, I don’t want to hurt spiders. I just want them far, far away from me. Some of us find the joking approach easier.

You can buy spider catching devices on amazon. Saves all the faux hysteria.

I hate them as well but it’s just a spider.

This is the sort of response I was initially objecting to - the idea that, just because you personally don’t fear spiders, no one can and they are just being silly or indulging in ‘hysteria’ (another nice gendered word there!).

Some people genuinely find spiders traumatic. They know all about the various devices 🙄Some people are too affected to get near enough to use the devices. Is that so hard to understand?

Do you mock people who fear injections too?

A hilarious and original typically MN response. 🙄

Congrats, would you like a medal? For dealing with a spider on your very own?

Yes please since you’re offering - I’ll DM you my address. How kind!

Have a gold star instead OP

Is the thing that cannot ever be mentioned on mumsnet been removed outside or is the bag galloping around inside?

Be careful what you wish for!

@LaPerduta I was briefly trapped by the glass, had to pull myself together to step over it after being a brave girl!

DH managed to do the card trick to turn the glass over but then panicked and left it in the bathroom. I have since managed to release it outside.

One of us really needs to get over the arachnophobia!