Snake fear presentation help

[rooster]

Hi Guys ...
I need some information and i hopei will get it here...
I have chosen as my topic for my latest Toastmasters presentation the topic of 'fear of snakes'
it goes along the lines of false perception and how different species are potentially more threatening than others e.g elapids vs pythonoids...
What i need is some history on this subject.Why we fear them historically ...Maybe some information on their being symbols for rituals and so on....
Anything relevant or near relevant would be great and any good ideas would be great...
My aim is to change the or influence the general perception ...

I

[cris]

Fear of snakes is instinctive(not just to humans either), but can be overcome with knowledge and intelligence.

They are depicted as evil by christianity/judaism and by other religions, some religions worship them too.

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day Cris,

I agree that fear of snakes, like the fear of just about anything, is instinctive in most animals. I disagree that it is instinctive in humans though. In our experience it is definitely a copy-cat learned response. Young kids are nearly always more inquisitive than the older kids who have had the "Snakes are bad" lesson drummed into them. I have yet to see a kid show genuine fear that contradicts their parents reaction.

Cheers

Jonno

[shelby]

didnt they used to be considered a tool of the devil?

[Chimera]

I think you'll find the fear of snakes in most people is based on the fear that a snake is out to kill them. I've seen many people stand at the door of my reptile room fearful to walk in. As soon as they realise that the snakes can't get them they invariably move really close to the enclosures and peer in. It seems that if you remove the fear of death by snake attack the fear turns into fascination.

[Wrasse]

I agree with Jonno here. I have met many people that have grown up in countries without snakes and they don't have the same pathological fear of reptiles as those that grow up in countries with them.

I think the blame can be placed, in part, on parents and caregivers. So often around children you hear the cry "don't go down in the long grass <insert appropriate area here> there could be snakes!!" delivered in a panicky voice.

"Watch out for snakes"
"The only good snake is a dead snake"
etc

It is growing up with this mentality around us that creates the fear. Mother, Father, Grandparents all tell the children to be careful of snakes, therefore snakes must be something to be greatly feared indeed.

Spiders also generate this type of fear and again, as children, we were told to keep away from them. A little example here...

I didn't want my daughter growing up with pathological fear towards spiders, snakes, anything really. So I never used those panicky warnings and instead, encouraged her to keep her eyes open, and if she saw something, not to touch, but to come and get me, so I could see it too.

She was very good at doing this, would happily watch spiders from the other side of a window and showed no fear. Then one day, she started freaking out at them and I wondered what had happened. I soon discovered her Grandmother was at fault. Her Grandmother had seen her watching spiders through a window and had freaked out, given her a big scare talk and my little 3 year old had developed a fear due to that. It took me a little bit of work to get her over this fear and a stern talking to Grandma not to repeat the behaviour, but it worked, and again, she is not scared of spiders, but has a healthy respect for them.

OK, that went on a long time. Fear of snakes is not instinctive, it is learned.

[cris]

Originally Posted by shelby

didnt they used to be considered a tool of the devil?

Yes according to the bible(for both jews and christians) a snake(most likely a goanna at this point) tempted adam to eat a forbidden fruit, then the vengeful God took away the snakes legs to make it suffer. Although these days as you suggest most Christians and Jews pick and choose what parts of the bible to follow, or think of it as metaphors.

PS. I still think the fear of snakes is instinctive, although i cant prove it so im not going to argue

[Fester]

Education certainly has a lot to do with it. Before I got involved with snakes my wife threatened to leave if I ever bought one home! When I did bring the first home the threat became, she would not clean the floor anywhere near the enclosure and don't ever bring that thing near me. She has now learnt that they are not something to be feared and over a bit of time has accepted them all. She has even developed a curiosity and often comments on what they are up to. She has even touched them! Venomous would be a different story and I doubt she would come anywhere near one. I suppose the fear that they can kill and the worst a python can do is a bite. But, surprise, surprise, she even asks when I am going to purchase another python! And she gets me to send photos to her work to show the girls!

[Bredlislave]

Melissa Kaplan has excellent information particularly about
Ophidiaphobia (fear of snakes)

on the site www.anapsid.org

Hope is is still there
Regards
Sandee

[choppy]

Glad I'm not as scared of them as they are of me. Thats how I've raised my kids.
Imagine if you had someone as big as a house or bigger try and pick you up. And they don't understand what your saying and you cant understand them. Wouldn't you try and defend yourself? So dont always try and pick-up every animal you see. They have a balance of respect and understanding when it comes to animals of all forms. Best of all they aren't afraid unnecessarily.

Then along came Steve Irwin and confirmed my theory many times. lol God Rest His Soul.

[DaveInOz]

I'm defiantly not a theologian or an expert on religious symbology but I believe that the deamonisation of the snake was a deliberate act by the head of the Christian church in Rome, (one of the Caesars) very early in Christian history.

In order to make the Christian hierarchy more powerful they made the symbols of other (pagan) religions' signs of evil, or incorporated them.

The snake was (is) one of the most powerful pagan symbols, along with the cup and rod, the goat, the pentangle etc. Generations of linking snakes to evil has ingrained the association in our culture and built on our very sensible fear of anything that can hurt us.

ps any fundamentalist Christian or Jews that have a problem with this, I'm sorry and fully realise I'm going to hell.

[choppy]

Originally Posted by DaveInOz

I'm defiantly not a theologian or an expert on religious symbology but I believe that the deamonisation of the snake was a deliberate act by the head of the Christian church in Rome, (one of the Caesars) very early in Christian history.

In order to make the Christian hierarchy more powerful they made the symbols of other (pagan) religions' signs of evil, or incorporated them.

The snake was (is) one of the most powerful pagan symbols, along with the cup and rod, the goat, the pentangle etc. Generations of linking snakes to evil has ingrained the association in our culture and built on our very sensible fear of anything that can hurt us.

ps any fundamentalist Christian or Jews that have a problem with this, I'm sorry and fully realise I'm going to hell.

Of cause youll go to hell for stating the bleeding obvious. Isnt that the whole thing, youve obviuosly been listening in scripture, you just wheren't buying. [like myself] Well at least I'll have somone to keep me comany if "they" aren't lying.

[rooster]

See you in hell Dave.LOL

[pixie]

i agree with dave too. hell it is, Hrmm fire, im soo bringing marshmallows

[darkangel]

i agree with wrasse. i have 3 young boys aged 7, 2 and 1. my 7 yr old and 2 yr old love our snake and have no fear (although the 2 yr old hasn't touched it yet. he tends to grab rather than be gentle lol). the youngest isn't to interested yet. they have never had a reason to think snakes are bad or evil or that they are even something to be afraid of. my oldest understands that they can and sometimes do bite but it's not the end of the world. my partner doesn't like the idea of having a snake as a pet because he thinks it could be dangerous especially if it got out. he's worried he's going to find it in the babies cot wrapped around his neck! i can't help but shake my head as i only have the one snake ( a mac) which would be no more than 50cm. he wasn't too bad about having a snake until he watched a doco on fox which showed re-enactments of owners being bitten and almost strangled to death. and then it had them being interviewed. after seeing stuff like that it would give the impression to the average person that snakes are dangerous and it really makes it hard to tell them or show them any different.