I have been a small part of a discussion online in the last day or two that deals with the subject of phobias, and the idea that those with phobias should ‘man up’ and move past whatever the problem is, or simply ignore it. This is often backed up by people saying ‘I hate this, but ignore it as much as I can.’
That’s the difficulty with phobias, true phobias. There is no way to ignore a phobia. Dislike of something, even fervent dislike of something, is not a phobia.
Phobia: ‘An extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.’ (Oxford English Dictionary.)
