Well, I've been "lurking" on this site for quite awhile now...might as well get a move on and finally post something.

My mother was one of those "Snakes are evil, and always will be!" people for the longest time. I managed to convince her that maybe a small snake wasn't so bad (when I said "small," apparently she was thinking about one foot....boy, was she a bit shocked when I brought a box home and removed a full-grown corn!

), and wonder of wonders, she now finds them positively fascinating. She watches them, pets them (odd, I know, but apparently most people are just used to the idea that all pets should be...pet), talks to them, and holds them for short periods. She even agrees with me that the snakes truly have little "personalities" (one is slightly insane when brought out, one is calm as a old canine, and one is simply friendly). In other words, I think that if only people would take the time to really listen about reptiles and put aside their fear for a few minutes, they would see that snakes and lizards and other "creepy-crawlers" aren't so terrible, after all.
Oh, and as for hunting...I'm against it, but then again, I'm a vegetarian. Personally, I have less respect for those who whine about adorable deer and large-eyed seal pups while chowing down on cow flesh than those who treat ALL animals the same way, even if that means killing them.
Happy to be a veggie-eating, snake-owning, horse-riding user of cosmetics not tested on animals. 