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Interesting thread this. As one who has an ABSOLUTE phobia of snakes (against snakes?), I can see people's reactions to them as being very like my own........run like hell if you can, bop it if you think it's threatening your kids (as was, mine are 17 and 20 now).

Regarding natural selection, not intervening between animals, not choosing one over another, not favouring one etc etc. I can understand this to a point. Where do you draw the line though? Would you stop your cat/dog attacking a snake? Would you stop a snake from biting your dog/cat? Would you stop a wild cat from attacking your cat? Do you intervene if your cat attacks your budgie/pet hamster/mice/goldfish? Do you intervene when dogs are fighting? After all, these are ALL natural things.

Not being cynical, just trying to see why some people WOULD intervene, whilst others would not............or maybe would in certain circumstances?

Alcazar

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I agree with you Alcazar that this is a fascinating subject. Most of us wouldn't think twice about killing woodworm yet at some point we all have a hesitation about what we would kill.

Something else I've noticed which has only been slightly touched on; that it seems to be mostly women who are willing to kill things in defence of (as it seems to them ) their children. I wonder if we shouldn't also accept that our own layer of civilization is very thin. As a mother myself I know that I would go twice round the world on my hands and knees and then fight tigers at the end of it for my children and grandchildren.  Maybe that is in the nature of the female of the species.

Hoddy

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There is definitely the mother protecting her offspring instinct.  But also maybe it is just in us to be wary of snakes, like horses and other animals are, as some of them can be dangerous... it's perhaps also just "nature" to feel that way.

I think I would feel better near a great fat python who moves slowly, than a long thin snake which "slivers" around really fast, even if the python might be far more dangerous.

We need a few more phobia lessons from Anne and Chris, but what I was trying to say is, is it really a phobia or just nature?

 

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The order of protecting seems to be as follows

1. small humans in one's own family

2. small humans of one's tribe

3. fluffy, cuddly little animals e.g. bunnies, baby birds

4. fluffy little animals kept in bedrooms of 1 above e.g. hamsters

5. legless reptiles are to be killed at every opportunity irrespective of any/actual danger level

As to whether disliking snakes is a phobia or not see 2 definitions below

  1. A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.

  2. A strong fear, dislike, or aversion.

I suspect that for most of us, most of our phobiae (plural ?) fall into cat 2

John

not


 

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Normal English plural of 'phobia' is 'phobias'.  One of those words that came originally from the Greek language (phobos = fear or flight) into bastardised 'modern Latin'.  I knew that one of these days something I learnt from The Irish Christian Sadists would come in handy.

I have something approaching a phobia of maggots - I know they won't harm me but they make my flesh crawl.  Snakes I like.

Phil

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Wow!! Just a quickie and I'll be back later.  

There is a huge difference between us humans, our domestic animals and pets and "wild" creatures. I would intervene in one way or another in some situations when it was, shall we say, between a cat and wolf, but I would try not to harm either. If it was between a wolf and a hare, I would leave them alone to get on with it.

Chrispy pea.

 

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Genesis ch3, verses 14, 15:

"And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

And I will put enmitybetween thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

So now we know............

Alcazar

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