I get the same response when I post this stuff, and a lot of it comes from my own mother/ex mother-in-law. My mom has an excuse as she nearly died from a bite from a baby western diamondback when I was 6 (many units of anitivenin later she survived, but at one point a Dr. walked into her room and was surprised that she was still in there, as in still alive!). It is unfortunate that so many people have such an irrational fear. I blame the snake in the bible fable about Adam and Eve as well as something that we have evolved with to help stay alive. Most primate species will flip if they see snakes and attempt to kill them.