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My own little controversial topic... Just how "weird" are we?!

diamondlil said:
Ok, big rant time! I do not put anyone down for their hobbies or lifestyle, I listen politely and express interest in their interests in DIY projects etc.
I'm wondering why I'm not paid the same courtesy.
I don't volunteer info about my spare time to random patients, the ones who I know well because of frequent admissions have gradually found out because they are bored stupid and want to know what I do when I'm not at work, then other patients overhear the conversations and the snakes' fanclub grows! These 2 patients in particular have followed Lil's progress from her early troubles and still ask about her, one of them used to ride and would love to be well enough to do so again.
Why does sharing my hobbies with people who are asking about them give some colleagues the green light to judge me?
I don't think of myself as weird, and I get a little jaded at times with being told I am.
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Because human beings exist only to judge. Each one feels that their opinion is the one that should be absolute, when most of their opinions are extremely prejudiced and have no value in todays world or even belong in society. :devil01: There. I responded to your rant with a mini-rant!
 
Well,I live in a country where most of the people think all the snakes are vipers with big teeth and deadly venoms... Most of them haven't seen a single snake in their lives! Who's weird?

My closest friends though,find my job more weird for me than my snakes..
They should know better.. :rolleyes:
My colleagues have mixed feelings about my snakes..It always helps that I have a bunch of pics on my mobile phone,to show them all the pretty colors my snakes have.
I have brought my snakes only once at work.It was after 7 years at the service that I was asked to bring one.Some wanted to play it hard nuts..
It was so funny watching half of my police special force's teammates step out of the bus when I brought out in light my adult emory (no,i wasn't going to bring a colorful snake to them this time).:grin01:

Other than that,I really feel alone around here.I don't have anyone to talk about genetics and stuff considering cornsnakes.So I don't talk with people about my snakes much.Oh,well,at least there is the CS.com! :)
There are a few guys who are into boids or whatever is popular at the time... Most of them mostly like to show off and don't keep their snakes at the appropriate conditions.:puke01:
 
People are just used to me having wierd pets. I have 2 rabbits, had up to 5 rats(now 2) 3 leopard geckos, and my corn. I actually get fewer surprised people when talking about the snake than I do with the rats.
 
I think the same can be said for me. I'm sure my parents thought it was only a matter of time before my pet collection expanded.

I suppose I really do fit in with the "stereotypical" snake crowd... well, at least one of my lives does. The rocker metal chick who'll don leather like she was born in it. then again, striking up a conversation with my coworkers is one of my favorite things to do. We're talking about people that have seen it all; decapitations, impalements, ruptured appendixes... they take it like champs. But mention a 3 foot long corn and they squirm like the dickens. Perhaps there's part of me that is almost amused watching them squirm lol!

My family held on to the shock factor for a few years, but lately they've been more than tolerant; almost interested actually. My Uncle, who would rather go out of a way to kill a snake than run from it, often asks me how they're doing or if there's anything new this year. Even poor phobic Mom has a Beardie of her own now :)

I can honestly say that the only creepy crawlies that terrifies me are scorpions. I have just as many Spiders and T's as I have snakes, and many of them are indeed dangerous... They've never bothered me. I'm normally pretty comfy with 8 legs, but if you throw a tail and claws on it you will have me running for the hills!
 
Jynx said:
I can honestly say that the only creepy crawlies that terrifies me are scorpions. I have just as many Spiders and T's as I have snakes, and many of them are indeed dangerous... They've never bothered me. I'm normally pretty comfy with 8 legs, but if you throw a tail and claws on it you will have me running for the hills!
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SNAP! I was sort of secretly relieved why my emperors died over the winter... they were obviously WC adult specimens...
 
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but do you think the Bible has any influence on snakes' reputations?

Because the Bible represents snakes as evil, Snakes have always been shown as wicked in movies, books, etc. (Jafar from Aladdin, for instance).

They're displayed as these powerful predators (and while they are predators, they are actually pretty low on the food chain) and this causes fear in people.

The fear sparks hatred (alright, I'm sounding like Yoda).

So far everyone I've told about my snake has reacted surprised. But once they've been challenged and educated, I've gotten some to like them. Snakes are docile for the most part. Any time that they attack people, it's because the snake is scared. People need to realize this.

A bull is more dangerous and more likely to attack a person. Yet ranchers all over America own bulls and aren't though freaky, so neither should we be (though we are) ;P
 
Intersting bit of info, but in Peruvian culture the Snake simbolizes intelligence. I guess it just has to do with the cultural awareness that people grow up with. Thats why whenever I tell people I have snakes, I always approach the subject from a standpoint of how majestic and calm they are. In someways I think that snake owners sometimes perpetuate fear, because they enjoy the attention they bring. Like somehow if they carry a 16 foot python, it solidifies their own personal ability to dominate such an "aggressive" species. I'm not aiming this at anyone here, because to be on a forum shows how compassionate you are towards them. Another reason, I think, is that parents often create fear in children about them, due to their own lack of understanding. For example, I was showing some of my corns to my Step-sisters 2 children, ages 4 and 6, and the second I showed them my step-sister said "be careful, don't let them bite them". If they weren't scared before, they definitely were after she said that. I mean, children learn everything from their parents, so how does it look when your mother is saying "their going to bite you". Granted, I would never suggest showing anybody a snake who could harm a child, but it's good to teach them at a young age what snakes mannerisms are like, before they start creating fear over something they don't know about. I think a great part of my understanding of reptiles came from my early childhood experiences, and it's created an appreciation in me towards all creatures. Except, well, spiders, but thats just, because their plain creepy, no offense. I do respect people who love them, but I have a theory about them and that is; if they were bigger than me they would devour me. I don't think the same can be said about snakes, though this is definitely just my opinion!.
 
michael couture said:
....I have a theory about them and that is; if they were bigger than me they would devour me. I don't think the same can be said about snakes, though this is definitely just my opinion!.
Click to expand...

Actually, when I introduced myself to the forums, I said the same thing about snakes :nyah::nyah:

If they were bigger than us, and hungry, why wouldn't they eat us?
 
I have had mixed reactions to my snakes, some peopel think I'm crazy, my friend is scared of them, but she cant stop watching them mince about. But most people dont have a problem. When I bought my first snake I had to pop into a supermarket and I took my little man with me, some people just stopped and stared but some one who worked there came running up and coo'ed over my little Archie telling me how cute he was. My father in law to be thinks im nuts he hates em I would blame it on on him being crazy and Scotish but I'd get eaten by Elle:p :noevil:
 
I was voted "class individualist" at my high school in 1980.

I keep snakes AND rats as pets.
Never had kids. Never wanted kids.
Although I adore certain specific children, I find kids as a whole ALOT more terrifying than a few snakes and rats :)

Maybe my classmates had a point :D
 
starsevol said:
I was voted "class individualist" at my high school in 1980.

I keep snakes AND rats as pets.
Never had kids. Never wanted kids.
Although I adore certain specific children, I find kids as a whole ALOT more terrifying than a few snakes and rats :)

Maybe my classmates had a point :D
Click to expand...

On that same note, I was voted "Most Unique". I was the only kid in school with a pet corn snake. LOL.
 
Every January we have a Super Bowl party at my house. There are usually around 50 people from all walks of life, for ages 30 to 60. Almost without exception, the women are fascinated, the men are repulsed. The guys act tough and won’t admit they are afraid of snakes, but very few of them will come into the snake room. I spend most of the evening in the snake room answering questions for the women. They always ask if they could come back next week and bring their kids.

I don’t get the weird reaction so much from people. I think most people find it interesting even if they would never consider snakes for themselves. I most like the reactions when I tell them that actually I take care of the rodents and my wife cleans and feeds the snakes.
 
In high school a good friend of mine taught me to embrace my weirdness. Since then I've tried not to get hung up on what others think of me, and have let me freak flag fly. I do have to admit it gets old sometimes though. Take my mother in-law for example. As if having ink and a nose piercing, and being a "neo-hippie" weren't bad enough, my husband and I took in a 5 week old wolf-dog puppy (part sib. husky and part timberwolf). It was at that point she started hinting that she would not be visiting us again. But then I committed the heinous act of getting a snake. Never mind the fact that Pandora is about as menacing as a marshmallow Peep, she will not set one foot in our home. It's really unfortunate that she allows her fears to stop her from seeing her grandson, especially considering we live 13 hours away. Good thing she doesn't know I'm bi or she'd probably try to have me committed. My mom on the other hand spent last summer on the back of her boyfriend's Harley in her bikini so she doesn't give a flying fig what I do.

My friends just roll their eyes at whatever kooky thing I decided to do this week. Most of the time I'm happy being me, but I guess sometimes I just get tired of feeling like a square peg.
 
...I was voted most likely to be a cannibal... :D

but onto the original topic... it depends on who you ask, whether we are weird or not. My mom is alright with the snakes and is actually starting to like them. To the point that I almost have her convinced to get one of her own. My dad, on the other hand, has no interest in them at all, refuses to touch them, and thinks I'm crazy for wanting them. They just creep him out. And, because he will NOT touch them, he still says they are slimy... :rolleyes:

I work with someone who owns a snow corn, and a guy who used to have a milk snake. And whenever I bring in a new camera-load of photos, almost everyone likes to see them. But I guess I'm just a little lucky like that. Plus one of my best friends currently has a corn and two ball pythons.

Going back to another thing (even though this is an ancient thread, and I know this was already discussed) , I dont believe for one second that being afraid of snakes is an instinct you are born with. My mom has an in-home daycare, and whenever I bring the snakes down, all the kids except two are just ecstatic to see them. All the little girls call them "pretty" and say they want one, and the boys think they are "cool". And this is from three-year-olds up to a girl going into 7th grade. The only ones who dont like them are our neighbors that my mom watches before and after school, and their dad HATES snakes.

I've never been afraid of them, and used to try to catch Garter snakes at my grandma's lake house. I did find one that she wanted to step on and rescued it, just a little tiny guy that was VERY cold. I carried him around for a while, then put him in a pile of leaves in the woods by her house. Of course, she thinks I'm insane too, since she hates snakes. I've shown her pictures of Jazz and Salem, but she just doesnt understand the attraction. :shrugs:

I think my older sister got me into owning snakes though, since while she still lived in the area she had two snow corns, a boa (not sure what kind...), a milk snake, two uromastyx, and a bearded dragon. for a while she had an iguana too. along with various other pets including rats, ferrets, rabbits, dogs, cats, birds, and gerbils. So I guess she is the "super weird" one! :p
 
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