I don't suffer from it; I'm not afraid, I just don't like people. People in general, that is; not individuals, with whom I get on reasonably well.
For example, I become homicidal exactly five seconds after entering the local supermarket, annoyed beyond endurance by the prats who leave their trolleys unattended while they wander off (I sometimes move them to another aisle); by the mamby-pamby parents who let their children run amok and then utter empty threats (if you don't stop that I'll smack you. OK then, smack the spoilt brat. I'll do it for you if you can't be bothered); by the ignorant bastards who unload a wheelbarrow at the 8 items only checkout (they are probably the same people who must overtake one more car as the lane ends at roadworks); by the gorilla-like retards who shamble along at one foot per minute with their forearms resting on the handle on the trolley, neither looking not caring where they go; by the groups of empty-headed idiots who block a complete aisle while they have a chat; by just about anyone!
The following paragraph is a diatribe against dog owners. Don't get me wrong - I like dogs, dogs like me, and some of my best friends own dogs. I wrote it after an incident involving an old lady, an incontinent Corgi, and my front lawn. After some consideration, I decided that I maybe didn't mean everything I wrote, so I've hidden it. Click here to read it if you really want to.
Dog owners annoy me; I like dogs, but not their owners. OK, some some are responsible (like Bill and Jerry; sorry chaps, don't read this bit!), but it seems that the majority think nothing of letting their pets foul pavements, lawns and children's play areas. How would you like it if I had a crap in your garden? They also seem to think the most pleasant sound in the world is the frenzied barking of their uncontrolled pets. A dog's bark isn't meant to be pleasant; it's a warning, and definitely not the sort of thing I want to hear at six o'clock in the morning. As for the term 'pet', a dog isn't a pet. It needs to know it's place; it needs to be useful; and most of all it needs the company of its master. A dog which is left on its own all day is unhappy; it becomes confused, not knowing its proper place in the family; and it quickly becomes misbehaved. I refuse to have a dog because it would mean it being alone all day, which I consider to be cruel.
People who talk loudly in public places annoy me. Why should I be forced to listen to their inane conversations? They are probably the same people whom you can hear for miles away on the hills, and who resolutely camp on the summit cairn, not allowing anybody else access to it.Bill, Mark and Jerry share similar views (except for dog owners!), which is probably why we have stuck together all these years. We often talk about buying a pub between us, but then realise that we wouldn't allow anybody into it - not even ourselves!
There now; I feel better for having got that off my chest. And now that I've offended all my readers, I'd better start designing a new Web Site.