Iridophobia is the fear of rainbows. It’s a genuine phobia which may stem from the unpredictability of weather and cause anxiety in sufferers. They may experience shortness of breath, lightheadedness, or full-blown panic attacks upon seeing a rainbow.
The phenomenon of rainbows causes a band of multiple colors in the sky, usually following a rainstorm. The colors appear in a natural order and can be remembered by the acronym ROYGBIV, standing for red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet as they appear from the outer arc to the inner arc of the rainbow.
Now, look at this logo for the Farmville (NC) Library*. It’s a representation of pages in a book in blue, pink, yellow, green, purple and orange, fanned out from an open teal cover.
The library abandoned this logo because some residents complained that it represented the Pride colors of the LGBTQ+ community.
It honestly does not.
And the number of complaints? Three people. Three.
The library didn’t even bring the matter up before the leadership, the town hall meeting or the public in any way. The three talked to a town commissioner and, in fact, the mayor is angry that a decision was made without bringing it to a public vote.
This is what happens when one fear takes root and becomes a tree of fear.
On this Halloween, it’s important to note that some fears are beyond ridiculous, and there are greater things to be afraid of.
We should pay attention to the ones that matter, not the ones such as a library logo. Didn’t these people ever hear of the public television program “Reading Rainbow?” Is that only for LGBTQ+ persons to watch?
Persons of faith are aware that the rainbow represents a promise from God that no great flood will ever come to Earth again.
Perhaps those three people have forgotten about loving your neighbor. Especially those who read books.
And by the way, a fear of books is called bibliophobia.
*(I grabbed this screenshot from the media and do not own it.)
