|
1-9 of 9 messages
|
Page 1 of 1
|
|
Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by piscivorus1234 on September 8, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
On the home page there is the spotlight on Grace Olive Wiley and in the picture she is holding a "hand tame King Cobra" and someone is even petting it because "she won't hurt anyone".
Now, if someone tried this nowadays they'd be publicly crucified.
This reminds me of drag racing. Most of the big names got their start street racing because that is where the scene is at. A lot of famous drag racers from the 80's and 90's financed their teams/race cars this way and that's how they basically made it to the professional level. Nowadays, some people would have you believe that every time a street race happens, 2 innocent people die.
My thought is this, concerning both things (early venomous snake hobby and drag racing, among other things), the same risks have always been there. The same possibility of a "pointless death" has always been there. What happened?
People most certainly weren't just dumb "back then".
People weren't less afraid of death or unaware of the dangers either.
Cars are built so that control is easier to obtain and medical care for snakebite is better than ever (still not perfect as far as protocol, but better than it was 50-100 years ago for sure).
Are people just that sheltered and faux-concerned? Do people get more joy out of ruining the passion of others than they do out of experiencing potentially dangerous things themselves, even if just for the adrenaline rush and to say "I've done that"? Do people lack the spirit many seemed to possess years ago, or is it all for fear of new legislation and the fear that the hobby may go the way of the Dodo?
Are these laws and "special interest organizations" killing us inside; killing what originally made us proud to be Americans?
It obviously isn't about survival because the USA is the most obese nation on earth and there are more diseases related to things that we CAN control in this country than anywhere else. We aren't doing whatever it takes to live longer, healthier lives so why do people care so much about what everyone ELSE does?
Is this country ruining itself little by little?
I'm not gonna sit here and say that a "hand tame King Cobra" wouldn't be one of the coolest things around. Most would agree (maybe not publicly). In our hobby, are these "risks" that allow personal interaction with the snakes on a near-pet level so taboo and really worthy of all the "venom" they receive?
Should we accept the fact that the people in power simply don't care or understand this hobby and that future legislation is inevitable? Should we disagree so strongly with those who choose to interact directly with their animals?
I'm not one to do stupid things, but I'm also not a researcher who gets their kicks out of splitting atoms either. Maybe there was something to this "recklessness" that made it all worthwhile.
Maybe people were just plain dumb.
Your thoughts?
|
| |
|
RE: Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on September 9, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
"Is this country ruining itself little by little?"
Yes ! Although it is perhaps faster than that !
Best Regards JohnZ
|
| |
|
RE: Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by richardduckworth on September 9, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
it's a matter of fighting for your life. cars and roads are a necessity and it's impossible stop drag racing, but facilities have improved and popped up out of nowhere to give street racers a place to race. there is a lot fewer rural areas nowadays too. recently, at a sanctioned event where dragsters were basically burning out and just doing show stuff, not racing, a car got away and killed a teen and hurt a bunch of other people. i don't think people understood then, understand now or will ever understand how dangerous common things are.
if we did, we'd all have bubbles around us and never leave the house. it's scary to think about what could happen to us on any given day. i think some just go overboard with the safety thing and are just picking on what they can successfully pick on.
a lot of stuff is to keep from getting sued too, not so much about safety.
this is the most litigious country on earth where it seems everything, even obviously bogus claims, get more than their day in court.
no one is brave enough to do something that may get them sued later, and i can't really blame them.
that is a cool profile though. interesting. makes you wonder about ophidophobia and when it really became an issue.
|
| |
|
RE: Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by Rob_Carmichael on September 9, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Grace Olive Wiley is a very interesting person and the Chicago Herp Society had a great article in their bulletin a while ago. Grace and one of her close friends both died from the bites of Naja and those were risks they fully understood. But even so, there was a sense of shock when it happened because they knew their animals so well; it was probably a similar reaction to when many of us heard of Steve Irwin's untimely and unfortunate death. It was a much different day and age when Grace was around and its hard to compare now to back then....I personally wished things were more like then than they are now where we are legislated to death. Grace was a part of our history and her story makes for great reading. She was no doubt passionate about her animals but I do wonder what today's herp folks would say if they saw the way she handled her animals.
|
| |
|
RE: Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by Stinkfoot74 on September 9, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Well way back in the late 60's and 70's you could drag race on the streets in a safer maner then you can now. Also the cars that were being driven were assembled with a bunch of TLC as well as a good bit of blood sweat and tears, So a fellow was less apt to drive beyond his means. At least that is how my Dad was when he was alive. Today you have single Mommy's who are trying to be a "cool Mom" by getting Jr a spankin new mustang or suberu and then Jr go's out and crashes into a bus stop and kill's a mom and her two year old. the stupidety of the young person who thinks he/she is street racing in ther stock Mustang or Import is inflected on the public through Mommy and Daddy's lazyness and lack of incentive to raise there offspring. The petting of a "Hand Tamed" Cobra is another storey. If she was standing outside of safeway with her pet king cobra thats one thing, as it is who evers choice to pet or not to pet the snake. But if the sed cobra bit a passer by then the owner of the snake hanges out in the same circle of stupid that Jr comes from.
|
| |
|
RE: Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by richardduckworth on September 10, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
cars in the 60's & 70's weren't safer lol.....floppy leaf spring suspensions, weighed 4000lbs, small & inefficient drum brakes, bias ply tires, less control.....people were still injured but the media attention wasn't so intense.....nowadays, 10000 media outlets can all focus on one story while 10000 others perpetuate another
|
| |
|
RE: Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by Stinkfoot74 on September 11, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I dont mean safer in the car's What I ment was your avrage street racer but ALOT of money and work into his ride. Mommy didnot buy it for him so a racer would race when he had a good chance of not fliping his car or t-boning granni.
|
| |
|
RE: Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by thedude on September 13, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I had read that the Naja that bit Grace was new and unfamiliar to her and that she expressed doubts/was nervous about handling it for the event in which she was bit (a photo op I think).
|
| |
|
RE: Grace Olive Wiley
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on September 13, 2007
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Vinnie, you are exactly right. The photographer / writer was very pushy and she told him a number of times that the snake was new and should not be worked with. Finally, she decided to try to pose the snake for him, and was bitten.
She had AntiVenom, however, it was outdated and the syringe did not work also.
The photographer / writer went on to write numerous books on wildlife, many which were not all that accurate in their facts. I think he finally died a few years back.
It really is ashamed that such a amazing lady died the way she did.
Best Regards JohnZ
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
