The Newtown Pentacle

Fearful and frightful, be afraid… be very, very afraid.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Sometimes you scare yourself, I know that I do, but then again I’m a fairly scary person- or so I’ve been told by those who seek my destruction. Looking out from behind my eyes, I believe that I set the standard of sanity for the rest of the world, a situation which terrifies me, as there has to be someone better upon which to draw the line between madness and sanity. Anxious, phobic, given to fits of melancholia and nostalgic ennui- your humble narrator is all ‘effed up.

from wikipedia

Most phobias are classified into three categories and, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), such phobias are considered to be sub-types of anxiety disorder. The three categories are:

1. Social phobia: fear of other people or social situations such as performance anxiety or fears of embarrassment by scrutiny of others. Overcoming social phobia is often very difficult without the help of therapy or support groups. Social phobia may be further subdivided into

• generalized social phobia (also known as social anxiety disorder or simply social anxiety).
• specific social phobia, in which anxiety is triggered only in specific situations. The symptoms may extend to psychosomatic manifestation of physical problems. For example, sufferers of paruresis find it difficult or impossible to urinate in reduced levels of privacy. This goes far beyond mere preference: when the condition triggers, the person physically cannot empty their bladder.

2. Specific phobias: fear of a single specific panic trigger such as spiders, snakes, dogs, water, heights, flying, catching a specific illness, etc. Many people have these fears but to a lesser degree than those who suffer from specific phobias. People with the phobias specifically avoid the entity they fear.

3. Agoraphobia: a generalized fear of leaving home or a small familiar ‘safe’ area, and of possible panic attacks that might follow. It may also be caused by various specific phobias such as fear of open spaces, social embarrassment (social agoraphobia), fear of contamination (fear of germs, possibly complicated by obsessive-compulsive disorder) or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) related to a trauma that occurred out of doors.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Ignoble, embarrassing and meaningless- the dire consequence or ironic fate one fears most is to be taken down by some unturned screw or careless inattention to detail. Such an end would be more embarrassing than I can bear. A loosened brick, cast off tool, or some other loose bit of debris falling from on high worries me as much or moreso than being struck by an out of control vehicle or being torn asunder by wild dogs. Danger comes at you from 360 degrees here in the megalopolis and it is best to maintain a state of mild panic whenever you leave the house (which is a statistically dangerous place as well, but at least you die comfortably and with some private dignity at home). Fear everything, I always say, New York would like to see you die luridly just so she can tell the story when hanging out at the bar with Chicago and New Orleans.

from wikipedia

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (derived from Ancient Greek roots ἑξακόσιοι [hexakósioi, “six hundred”], ἑξήκοντα [hexékonta, “sixty”], and ἕξ [héx, “six”]; literally meaning “fear of [the number] six hundred sixty-six”) is the fear that originated from the Biblical verse Revelation 13:18, which indicates that the number 666 is the Number of the Beast, linked to Satan or the Anti-Christ.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Having embraced the philosophies of the Terror War, wherein every neighbor is a potential person of interest to inform the Cops about and the innocent actions of children are viewed through a filter of threat assessment. That guy BBQing down the block just might be cooking up trouble on that grill- how do you know that propane tank he’s using doesn’t have some secondary and quite sinister purpose? One has decided to just allow paranoia to rule my days and let fear be my watchword. Be afraid, be very, very afraid. Trust no one. If you see something, say something. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, by the way, he’s with the government.

from wikipedia

Panphobia (from Greek πᾶν – pan, neuter of “πᾶς” – pas, “all” and φόβος – phobos, “fear”) also called omniphobia, pantophobia, or panophobia, is a phobia known as a “non-specific fear” or “the fear of everything” and is described as “a vague and persistent dread of some unknown evil”.

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Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-

Kill Van Kull– Saturday, August 10, 2013
Staten Island walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Working Harbor Committee, tickets now on sale.

13 Steps around Dutch Kills– Saturday, August 17, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.