Automatonophobic mother fears daughter might buy a Muppet toy

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Drtooth

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Come on. Kermit couldn't hurt a fly....


...oh wait....

D'Snowth said:
But I digress... in some small way, I can KIND of understand the fear this kid has... now granted, puppets don't scare me, obviously, HOWEVER, as a kid, there was something about generic, store-bought, stock pupppets (like those usually used for youth ministries, or school assemblies and such) that kind of unnerved me.

I mean, just LOOK at these things:
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Those basement budget Christian puppet shows are creepy all over. They're hamfisted and completely misguided in their message. A Far cry from Veggietales and 321 Penguins. There's also that terrible ventriloquist who's talking to his dummy about "dirty pictures" that... well.. let's just say he was looking at filthy pictures in real life that makes the sketch even more unnerving (as much of a Senor Cardgage vibe he already has). Then there's that Peppermint Park nonsense. That's frightening on to many levels (especially since some of the "kids" are puppets of ugly old men). THAT stuff I get. Even the original season 1 Sesame Street AM's with their dead eyes and unrefined eye placements are kinda unnerving. Heck, Skeksis are creepy (much as I freakin' love those guys).
 
cjd874

cjd874

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Drtooth said:
Is it alright to be offended by this?

Fears are often irrational and if they aren't, it's some big deep seated trauma. I'm afraid of weird things. But this really gets under my skin. No, this isn't some creepy looking ventriloquist doll, it's not Chuckie, it's not some weird overly European looking Punch and Judy crap... it's the freaking Muppets. The Muppets! Where even the crazy, bomb and explosion obsessed creepy looking guy is outright adorable and hilarious. If they came to life, the furthest thing from their mind would be to kill you. Entertain you and force you to have a good time, yes. Jim and co created these guys to spread happiness and love. To be afraid of that is offensive to me. it's worse than the "I grew out of them before I was born" stuff. If the daughter wants to buy a freaking Kermit, get the heck over it. It's not a rubber spider, it's not a Skeletor figure (classic of 4 Horseman edition)... it's not even one of those nihilistic MacFarline statues from a decade ago. It's a smiling puppet frog.
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But look: technically, she associated the Muppets with that horribly ill old woman in the shop who was probably taking her last breaths right before the subject's eyes. Once you associate something with a traumatic experience, those two will always be tied together in some way, shape, or form. It's hard to get over something as unnerving as that, especially when the subject was only five years old. So as much as I respect your thoughts, I'm not exactly agreeing with you on this point. It's something she can't control, and didn't know how to control at that age.

Again, in my opinion, the method of flooding is a pretty good idea. Force her to watch Muppet Treasure Island or something like that. Or Seasons 1-3 of the Muppet Show. ALL 12 DVDs. There is no known cure, but that just might work.
 
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Sgt Floyd

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What I'm more baffled at is the selfishness of the mother's part. If your fear is that crippling, why not seek help? To fear that her daughter will pick a kermit doll and her not being able to live in the house....I don't understand this logic. Yes, phobias can be serious, but they are curable with help. And this lady needs help curing it.
 
CensoredAlso

CensoredAlso

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Sgt Floyd said:
What I'm more baffled at is the selfishness of the mother's part. If your fear is that crippling, why not seek help? To fear that her daughter will pick a kermit doll and her not being able to live in the house....I don't understand this logic. Yes, phobias can be serious, but they are curable with help. And this lady needs help curing it.
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She definitely should get counseling, but she's not selfish. As you said these mental blocks can be pretty crippling and often sabotage your good intentions..
 
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D'Snowth

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Whoops, I misread the whole thing; I thought it was the daughter who had automatonophobia and her mother was concerned about it, not the mother herself who has it.
 
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