Disgusted with Animal Planet

[ConcinusMan]

Sensationalism to raise ratings is all they care about.

Seems so.

[ConcinusMan]

Right...my son loves the show...he's afraid of bugs so he freaks himself out watching the insect episodes...lol! I think he got tired of hearing all of my snake tirades though because even he stopped watching it recently!

And I believe this is exactly how people develop deep and irrational fear of snakes too.

[EasternGirl]

Absolutely Richard...almost every person I meet has an irrational fear of snakes...people come to my house..people who are deeply afraid of snakes and I manage to turn them around with my girls. My son's family is Mexican...and Mexicans are very afraid of snakes...some of that is irrational and some of that is rational, considering that a lot of the snakes in Mexico are venomous...if I understand correctly. But I have gotten most of his family to the point of coming into my house and asking me if I will please bring the snakes out so that they can see them. They were mostly afraid because they did not understand...which is usually where fear lies...in ignorance. Shows like these shows we are talking about take ignorance and fear and exploit it and then spread it like a disease...they perpetuate myths based on such fear and ignorance. People fear snakes because they do not understand or know the truth and these shows do little to dispel such myths.

[kibakiba]

I have an irrational fear of being outside. It's caused by the idiot meth and heroin addicts around here... And the drunken hillbillies, but I don't mind that as much... Hah. Going out and "dealing" with my fear doesn't really help... I just tolerate it as long as I need to. It seems the same with my brother, who hates snakes... But, if I'm holding one around him, he's scared but tolerates it. I don't think it's a fear he'll ever get over tbh.

[d_virginiana]

I think that most people will never get past that 'healthy respect' stage like what Chantel was describing. My fiance is a great example of that. He really likes my snakes, and is always asking about how they're doing. He'll even hold them if I've got them out. But he won't get them out by himself and can't feed them because he's too jumpy and can't figure out when they're about to take the food or where they're aiming. He's just got really bad instincts for it, and I'm not sure that's ever going to change seeing as he's been around them a lot for about five years now. Even knowing the individual animal, it's like he can't read what it's thinking.

For snake lovers, I think we just find it easier to overcome that little natural 'block' and read animals that don't communicate using the same sorts of cues people do. I think education can make people who will let snakes be rather than chopping them with the shovel, but I'm not sure if the majority of civilization can be rehabilitated into really being comfortable with them

[EasternGirl]

Well first of all, Chantel, if there are meth heads and heroin addicts running around...then I wouldn't say your fear is irrational...I would say that is a very rational fear. If you were afraid to go outside because of a fear of possible earthquakes all the time...that would be irrational. Some people have a rational fear of snakes...perhaps a snake bit at them or scared them when they were a child. But I just see too many people who have a fear based on myths perpetuated by the media and word of mouth that all snakes are mean and predatory. If you think about it, that is what your average person thinks about a snake. Then they put these stupid t.v. shows on....with people running around screaming that a nice friendly snake...or a snake that is just minding it's own business in the wild...is "Oh my god! It's coming right for me! Look at that thing! It's gonna strike!"...and it makes me so mad. We need more shows that educate people on the facts about snakes. We need a show about garter snakes!!!

[snakehill]

I watch Natgeo alot. Python Hunters is one of my favorite shows.

[ConcinusMan]

Absolutely Richard...almost every person I meet has an irrational fear of snakes...people come to my house..people who are deeply afraid of snakes and I manage to turn them around with my girls. My son's family is Mexican...and Mexicans are very afraid of snakes...some of that is irrational and some of that is rational, considering that a lot of the snakes in Mexico are venomous...if I understand correctly. But I have gotten most of his family to the point of coming into my house and asking me if I will please bring the snakes out so that they can see them. They were mostly afraid because they did not understand...which is usually where fear lies...in ignorance. Shows like these shows we are talking about take ignorance and fear and exploit it and then spread it like a disease...they perpetuate myths based on such fear and ignorance. People fear snakes because they do not understand or know the truth and these shows do little to dispel such myths.

You summed it up perfectly. Pretty much exactly what I would have said, but was too lazy to spell it out as eloquently as you did. Yeah, the guy that was my boss back in Vancouver is very afraid of snakes. I mean, to point of being downright ridiculous. But then again, for good reason, he was taught to be afraid of them. He was raised on a farm on the Yucatan peninsula.

He was with me the day I first found anerythristic concinnus'. I was having a blast catching snakes and he was screaming like a little girl and literally trembling with fear over a little ol garter snake. He had a freaking anxiety attack. It was bad.

[EasternGirl]

Well...I caught my brother-in-law stomping on snake heads once...I don't like to think about it too much because the image is still burned into my mind. A huge Mexican man freaking out and stomping on the heads of poor garter scrubs...I've never liked the man since. Of course, I made him stop and told him he was ridiculous...but he is still scared of snakes. I have however managed to turn his daughters around about snakes...that gives me a little wicked satisfaction...perhaps they will grow up to be snake breeders or something .

[guidofatherof5]

Well...I caught my brother-in-law stomping on snake heads once...I don't like to think about it too much because the image is still burned into my mind. A huge Mexican man freaking out and stomping on the heads of poor garter scrubs...I've never liked the man since. Of course, I made him stop and told him he was ridiculous...but he is still scared of snakes. I have however managed to turn his daughters around about snakes...that gives me a little wicked satisfaction...perhaps they will grow up to be snake breeders or something .

Or just grow up and not indiscriminately kill them. Either way you've done good.