Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia & Fruit Stickers

3 - 5 - 2018

Montreal, Quebec

Berri-Uqam Train station

My black artist’s portfolio was stacked and bulging with 100 random pictures and words printed on white card stock 11” by 17”. My friend Rich and I descended into the train station scoping out the best location to set up.   I zipped open my portfolio and started lifting up the signs.  SPIDER, CLOCK, PREGNANCY, SCORPION, WORMS, COMMITMENT, HEIGHTS, WORMS again.  I rotated them in and out like old-school cue cards.  People walked by puzzled but, after 6 card changes, heads began to nod in understanding. 

Rich dumped the rest of the pile of pictures on a circular seat located centrally in the subway.  People started to rifle through the images to find their fear and pose with it.  One professional woman of Indian heritage, dressed with black length casual dress coat, a slightly frayed, gray, burberry patterned scarf, dark red nail polish, daughter of an immigrant, 1st generation Canadian, picked up the clock.  I asked:  “May I take your picture?”  Before she could answer I quickly inserted:  “You don’t have to show your face.” 

She agreed.  I stooped down to get the angle and asked:  “Are you afraid of clocks?  Is it the face?”

She laughed: “No, I’m afraid of time…losing it.”

Couples discussed and laughed as they both picked out the same fear…Heights.  Good thing I had two signs.  A college Quebecker girl, about 23 years old - I noticed her from in the corner of my eye rifling through the pile as I stood posing with fears.  She came up to me and asked:  Are these your cards?”  I said, “Yes.”   She answered in frustration:  “You don’t have it!  You don’t have it!”
“Have what?” I questioned.

She said: “I can’t explain it in English. Do you speak French?  Oh!  I’m late! I’m late!”

“Un petit peu.”  (English translation - a little bit) I replied.

She spoke slowly: “You know when you go to the supermarket, the fruit section, and the o-raange. There is…the little...”, she gestured with her forefinger nail scratching the little…

“Collant.” She said as the word came to her tongue.

Rich and I looked at each other: “You mean the label, the sticker?”

We almost snickered.

“Ouais!” She exclaimed. (Yes in colloquial French)

“The sticker?” I asked again.

“Auggghhh!!!” she shivered and sucked the air with her teeth.

“Really?”  We doubled-checked almost in shock but with careful respect and polite curiosity.  “You are afraid of that?”
“Oh my God!” she said. “I can’t even talk about it!”

My curiosity ramped up even more:  “Is it the sticker itself?”

“No.” she said.  She changed rapidly and frustratedly fired back:  “I don’t know.”

We pried further:  “Is it the putting on of something man-made on something natural and claiming it?  The fruit is from nature and now it’s claimed as company product and property?”

She stopped: “Ooof!  I’ve never thought of that.”  She shivered and covered her ears.  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I can’t talk about it anymore and I’m late.”  She ran away toward the exit stairs, up and out.

Rich and I looked at each other.  We shook our heads: “Unbelievable.”

From that day I re-learned that fears are as random and irrational to the next person as it is rational and real to the claimant of the fear.  I admire Ms. Quebecker for her courage to approach and start to talk…

By the way:

·       Step 1 – Try to recognize symptoms:  The word on the street suggests that the fear of long words can trigger embarrassment or feelings of being mocked when pronouncing or reading long words.   Listen to your body -  Trembling, sweating, dizziness, fainting, dry mouth, trouble breathing, slight to mild to intense headaches, difficulty breathing, avoiding reading because of your fear, feeling distressed over academics or work involving long words, feeling powerless, inability to function normally because of the fear, are all indicators of Hippo…

·       Step 2 – Try to define the word.  Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia:  fear of long words, also known as sesquipedalophobia.

·       Step 3 – Is there anything recognizable?  Can it be broken down into smaller, bite size pieces?  I see the word Hippopotamus.   Hippo in Greek is “horse”, Potamos is “river”.  I see Monstr – We know what that is.  Something huge and terrifying.   You can do the rest on your own.

·       Step 4 - Break down each smaller piece and pronounce it on your own.  Master it.  Place it all together.  Practice it until you are comfortable.  Enlist a friend for support.

*The House of Mistofer Christopher is excited to tell you that we will release the children’s interactive app: “Talk About The Monster” mid spring.  Click here to receive notification of when the app is live.