Thought this was funny...

I'll try that, but somehow I think he won't believe me.

I'm sure you know him best. I have a co-worker who recently touched a snake for the first time, and now he's thinking of getting a ball python. You should have seen this 6' muscle man tentatively stroking the bp at first. :)

Most of my coworkers think I'm insane because of the snakes we keep. Only two are genuinely interested. Smulkin and I have had several coversations contemplating people's irrational fear of snakes - especially ones as sweet and docile as ball pythons. We've narrowed it down to two main possible reasons:

1. Usually when you see or hear about snakes on TV or in the news, it's not positive information. You hear about people being bitten (either by a wild snake or a pet) and rushed to the hospital, almost dying, etc. Even educational programs on the Discovery channel or TLC love to show snakes hunting, striking and feeding, which is interesting, but really doesn't educate people about the relative, and preferred, reclusiveness of the animals, not to mention their beneficial impact on environments/ecosystems - controlling rodent populations and such.

2. The bible gave snakes a bad rap.

Any other ideas?

LOL...Smynx, your brother sounds like a character!

I think maybe one reason people have such an aversion to snakes is the "creep factor." There's WAY too many movies and tv shows and such that show a "deadly" snake slithering up over an unsuspecting, sleeping body...or waiting in a tree to drop down on an innocent hiker...etc. And they slither around on the ground or climb up trees and walls without any visible means of locomotion...it's downright unnatural! :wink:

Another good point, Judy. And yes, my brother is quite a character. He is the youngest and definitely the "BABY" of the family - with all that that entails.

Smynx, not only do educational programs show snakes hunting, lurking in commodes and latrines, waiting in trees for human-sized prey to come by, etc., but they also are misleadingly sensationalistic about them. I've actually seen shows that would say things along the line of, "Humans are not the natural or preferred prey of anacondas BUT THEY WILL STALK YOU AND KILL YOU LIKE THEY DID THIS POOR VILLAGER. After a drought of three years that killed much of the local livestock and caused widespread starvation of many species THIS VICIOUS KILLER ATTACKED A WOMAN WHO HAD WALKED OVER 3 MILES TO THE RIVER TO GET WATER FOR HER FAMILY." I hate how misleading it is.

I agree totally, Marla. Maybe we should start emailing the Discovery channel, TLC, and similar networks when we see those sorts of sensationalistic programs. We could lobby for our poor misunderstood herps.

It's worth a shot, anyway, at least with TLC, Discovery, and National Geographic. The regular networks I think are probably a waste of time -- they'd rather terrorize people on "Fear Factor" with a bunch of harmless reptiles that shouldn't be all thrown in together.

I agree. I've given up hope on the regular networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX). The only things I watch on any of those 4 networks are ER and Will & Grace. I just can't stand programming that caters to the lowest common denominator.

I hear ya. When you have multiple shows about "who wants to marry a millionaire/little person/fat guy/nerd/herper" where they have to weed out the married/gay/poor/planted guys, you know the programming is aimed at the lowest common denominator.