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Fear of Snakes
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by MeToo on December 24, 2006
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I fear them because some of them are venomous and if they were to bite me, they could kill me.
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RE: Fear of Snakes
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by GTPythonLover on December 27, 2006
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I own a piercing shop. In my shop, I have several contained snakes (and lizards). The snakes are housed in the back of a shop where customers are not permitted unless they ask to see the snakes. Some of them ask because they see pictures of them in the front of the shop.Others have asked because they heard about them through other customers.
On occasion we will allow some of the snakes to adorn our high up hanging plants in the front of the shop. People usually don't notice them when they walk in. I usually dont tell them unless they ask.
Sometimes I have sat out on the curb in front in warmer temps and people driving by or appraoching the shop will be excited and stop to ask about the snake. Many people have exhibited an excited - yet grossed out - curiosity upon spotting my critters. Cars have stopped to ask about them. People ask to allow their kids to see them while passing by. Customers specifically ask to have us bring one up to the front - while grimacing... but they all leave with a newfound respect for snakes - a bit of brief education - and shock at how docile they can be.
The "creepy" factor for people I have encountered has ranged from "Eve-led-astray" theories - to believing snakes are slippery and slimey. Fear about being bitten to snakes appearing leglessly freaky have been quickly dispelled once they assign a user friendly name and a one on one experience with mine.
Some have confided that their locomotion is enough to cause chest hair on women to stand on end. Once these giggly revulsed people stop behaving like freaks of nature themselves, they calm. Then they get more personal, I give them the name of the critter. That helps form a loose bond of at least INTEREST to open the mind to education...which hopefully, leads to familiarty. If they are familiar in a positive manner, it replaces the ignorance, fear and failure to accept something different.
It doesn't matter if this is a learned or inate reaction. People have the intelligence to be able to learn - decode a situation - and render it as dangerous or not. Ignorance and panic fuel the conditioned response many people may still have.
Oftentimes I look at my snakes and wonder if they find these epithelially covered two legged marvels as frightening. Most of my snakes respond to humans with a toungue flick and basic indifference once they have assessed the person.
I took one of my red tails to a harley party and noticed more interest and welcoming than any other single experience in snake curiosity. Bikers and pierced/tatted people have been looked upon strangely a time or two by their own peers...which may be the reason we have had such luck with welcoming interest in these seemingly different folks. They know what its like to feel apart from the rest via their appearance.
People still spit out the same nasty adages: the only good snake is a dead one.... that snake would make a nice belt/shoes....give me a shovel...I cant tell if its "poisonous" (I think they meant to say "venomous"), so kill it....
Men seem less afraid whereas women tend to do a lot of exhibitionistic tap dancing and screaming - even through the snake is looking at them with blatant, bored disinterest. Black women (IN MY EXPERIENCE AT MY PIERCING SHOP,) tend to be the MOST accepting over men, women and white individuals...and have snakes of their own or had them in the past.
No matter the reason, there is no good reason I can think of to actually FEAR snakes.... unless someone takes a hot one and slaps you in the face with it. And even then.
:OP
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RE: fear of snakes
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by biff on February 17, 2007
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the Bible contains the correct answer, the last poster hit it exactly, nothing else makes as much sense.
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RE: fear of snakes
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by hollywoodfh on June 23, 2007
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The bible has no answer about snakes. The bible says that Lucifer was cursed to crawl on his belly as a snake. This does not state that snakes are cursed. It only suggests that one such as Lucifer, who walked so tall and proud with his head in the clouds (quite literally) is now forced to crawl on his stomach. This does not mean that snakes are cursed. It is a punishment aimed at Lucifer's ego and arrogance. Biff if you are going to use the bible in an argument, you should at least know what you are talking about.
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Fear of Snakes
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by DeanEvolved on August 1, 2007
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Great article. There is a fear of snakes that runs deep in people, and unfortunately the lack of education on them leads people to kill them when they find one. I've been guilty of this in the past.
Part of the reason I read this site is to eduate myself on the husbandry of hot snakes and how to protect them, as many of the rattlers in AL are threatened. I have a boa, but I've never captured a hot snake. I'd like to start finding ways to capture them and release them in a safe refuge since the Diamondback is severely threatened here, and the Timber is on it's way out too. Education on snakes from sources such as National Geographic and Animal Planet really turned my fear around into understanding, and now I find them fascinating.
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RE: Fear of Snakes
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by snakefanfromNJ on October 28, 2007
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I think that fear of snakes has a lot to do with just who teaches us about them. My mother had a fear of ALL snakes including non-venomous ones. And Hollywood is not too bright when it comes to snakes(or any other SUPPOSEDLY 'bad' creatures). Lucky for me, I took a course in high school called 'Applied Biology' where the teacher kept live, non-venomous snakes. I learned that snakes are NOT always the fearsome creatures I heard about during my childhood. I took a liking to two particular snakes, "Starsky", who was a black rat snake, and "Larry Boa" who was the first boa constrictor I ever got to hold. I'm sure had it not been for taking that class, I would never have developed an interest in, and deep respect for, all snakes...and those people who care for them.
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