So many people chiming in that they find me rude or insensitive for saying this.

I think I was pretty clear about what being an “asshat” entails.

There’s a difference between “I have arachnophobia, I am afraid of spiders.” and “I have arachnophobia so EW GROSS I HATE ALL SPIDERS KILL THEM ALL THEY’RE UGLY EVIL ABOMINATIONS NOBODY SHOULD EVER LOVE.”

The latter behavior is what makes one an “asshat.” 

Even a genuine clinical “phobia” (which is significantly less common than the number of people who say they have one) is not a free pass to needlessly hate what you’re afraid of. Plenty of people with phobias have the maturity to separate fear from loathing. Most people with irrational fears know that their fears are irrational and are not proud of them. If you’re reblogging an animal just to say how much you despise it and want it to die, you are being an asshat, for no reason. Nothing whatsoever excuses that.