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Are all people the same?

I love my snakes. But I really love my cats. They make me laugh. I get more joy out of watching them and cuddling with them then I do the snakes.
That being said. I do enjoy interacting with the snakes also.
 
Snake people find the beauty in animals that are often falsely stigmatized as evil, and that makes us better than we would be if we didn't. We have a tendency to more easily look past superficial judgment, but aren't immune to acting as foolish as non snake people. Some of us are overly anthropomorphic, and that can lead some to assume we are a bit wacky.
I think the power of snake people comes with our sense of community, and our strength in defending what others usually condemn. We are not better than anyone else, but we are better than the people we would be if we didn't have this passion for a misunderstood animal.
I am with Dean though. I love to have my snakes, but there will never be any creature with more importance than my dogs. I enjoy having my snakes, and they fill my life with joy to do so. But my dogs are endlessly loyal, and provide companionship and comfort that a snake can not.
 
Michael823 said:
Snake people find the beauty in animals that are often falsely stigmatized as evil, and that makes us better than we would be if we didn't. We have a tendency to more easily look past superficial judgment, but aren't immune to acting as foolish as non snake people. Some of us are overly anthropomorphic, and that can lead some to assume we are a bit wacky.
I think the power of snake people comes with our sense of community, and our strength in defending what others usually condemn. We are not better than anyone else, but we are better than the people we would be if we didn't have this passion for a misunderstood animal.
I am with Dean though. I love to have my snakes, but there will never be any creature with more importance than my dogs. I enjoy having my snakes, and they fill my life with joy to do so. But my dogs are endlessly loyal, and provide companionship and comfort that a snake can not.
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Great post Michael, I wholeheartedly agree!
 
Sorry to be a contrarian here - and yes, I'm sure that those who are incapable of discerning between a taking contrary position and "trolling" will categorize me in the latter - but to think that we're "superior" to other pet owners because we're passionate about a species not commonly kept reeks of rationalization.

We ALL want to feel good (and not stigmatized) about our "free time" choices, whether it's snakes, fish, baseball cards, stamps, vintage porn, Star Wars action figures, or whatever else floats yer boat.....but to claim superiority because we're more understanding/tolerant/accepting given the choices we've made?

Laughable. :shrugs:


Dale
 
jazzgeek said:
Sorry to be a contrarian here - and yes, I'm sure that those who are incapable of discerning between a taking contrary position and "trolling" will categorize me in the latter - but to think that we're "superior" to other pet owners because we're passionate about a species not commonly kept reeks of rationalization.

We ALL want to feel good (and not stigmatized) about our "free time" choices, whether it's snakes, fish, baseball cards, stamps, vintage porn, Star Wars action figures, or whatever else floats yer boat.....but to claim superiority because we're more understanding/tolerant/accepting given the choices we've made?

Laughable. :shrugs:


Dale
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I've made numerous posts to answer this, and deleted them all, because they rambled and didn't make enough sense....
You have said what I wanted, so concisely...
So yea.... As above.
 
Vintage porn rocks and I kinda agree on some level with your superiority theory. I think animal lovers in general have qualities a majority of anti animal keepers lack though. Not just snake keepers but owners of any pet own pets because we love spending our time with animals. It takes dedication, patience, money, time, and sacrifices of other human interests to properly care for an animal and have that animal live as a part of your family. People who make these sacrifices enjoying and understanding the rewards of keeping animals tend to be focused on the introspective joys of life and not just the external components many value. Its of course a generalization because theres no such thing as an all inclusive category in life, but the people I know who don't keep pets say pets stink, consume too much time, and offer them nothing. I don't get that so in that respect pet owners are at the very least different.
 
Yes Dale, you are absolutely right. Of course we are not better people, as that should be a judgment of moral character, and so on. There are many people I know, who will most likely never even own a reptile, let alone a snake, that are excellent people. But we are better people than we otherwise would be, for at least taking the time to care for, respect, and understand an animal that is largely viewed as creepy and evil.
When I see or hear someone who is not fond of snakes, I try to enlighten them. Most of the time they actually gain interest, and seem to grow a fascination. I admire these people as much as any person who owns or studies snakes, and appreciate and respect their willingness to listen and understand.
How much you care for, love, and know about snakes is irrelevant to being an understanding person. It's your willingness to understand something regardless of the status quo, or popular belief that is important, and for that we are somewhat unique. Our sense of community as a whole is also unique, especially considering we fight for a cause that is also rare.
The second we think we're better, we are worst, because then we have lost our understanding and ability to really teach people. We would be no better than people who think snakes are the devil if we demonize people who don't like snakes.
Personally, I like the challenge and conversations that happen between non snake people, because of the reward of leaving people with a better understanding than they had before. My best experiences have been talking with non snake people, because sometimes preaching to the choir doesn't go as far as we'd think.
 
jazzgeek said:
Sorry to be a contrarian here
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Don't be sorry. This is a conversation, and this is a wonderful little community. Feel comfortable enough with yourself, and with us, to say how you feel without being sorry.

I think there are lots of thoughtful answers on this thread. Yours is welcome also.:)
 
jazzgeek said:
Sorry to be a contrarian here - and yes, I'm sure that those who are incapable of discerning between a taking contrary position and "trolling" will categorize me in the latter - but to think that we're "superior" to other pet owners because we're passionate about a species not commonly kept reeks of rationalization.

We ALL want to feel good (and not stigmatized) about our "free time" choices, whether it's snakes, fish, baseball cards, stamps, vintage porn, Star Wars action figures, or whatever else floats yer boat.....but to claim superiority because we're more understanding/tolerant/accepting given the choices we've made?

Laughable. :shrugs:


Dale
Click to expand...

I can think of supporting and counter arguments to your opinion and to be perfectly honest, I am not sure who is right nor who is wrong.
On the one hand, as people have mentioned- taking care of an animal takes a lot of responsibility, sacrifice, willingness to care for another being.
On the other though, isn't it our own need to be able to care for another being? In the end of the day, we all get satisfaction in return to keeping the snakes. Does the fact that we get satisfaction from taking care of animals make us better than others who get the same satisfaction possibly, from doing other things?

I think we're all simply different. The reason why people here mostly get along well, and a lot are supportive, I feel, is because compassion is a trait that is common to many animal keepers.
Compassion is a wonderful wonderful trait, but so is ambition, dedication, bravery, intelligence et cetra- we may prefer one to another, but they all play their parts and have their place here.

So some of us may prefer certain people with certain traits, and it is likely that people of that type will be drawn to a certain hobby that requires some measure of those traits. But that's to be expected and does not make us any better nor worse than anyone else.

Hope I managed to get my point across :)
 
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