Let me get this straight. A bunch of college kids learned their professor’s phobia, and they thought they could … try exposure therapy on him, I’m guessing?

Without his consent?

Or the guidance of a licensed professional?

Or are they making fun of him, for some reason?

… and that is “wholesome”?

They are lucky their professor was a good sport about it. For some people, this could be dangerous, no matter how cute the costumes are. And now these students are going to walk away from this thinking it was a good idea.

How many might reference this moment in the future while downplaying somebody else’s fear?

How many will think that because this went over well with this professor, that they can pull a similar stunt with someone else who has a phobia?

I’m glad everything worked out well here, but I fail to see what’s supposed to be wholesome about this. Not everyone is capable of tolerating something related to their phobia, and doing this at his workplace without any prior warning is cruel. But mostly, I worry about the message this sends to the students.

There are enough “armchair psychologists” out there with no training, who think they know how to cure random strangers. People with mental health issues, including phobias, already have to deal with people who downplay their experiences all the time. This stunt carries the same energy as “Everyone makes up allergies just to feel special, so I’m adding peanuts anyway.” Like this guy’s phobia can’t be serious, so it’s okay to casually force him to face it.

And I know I might get downvoted for it, but I just can’t agree with that idea.