Why hate snakes?

[mpgt]

...or spiders for that matter? It just occurred to me that this would be a really neat question to examine. It seems to me that it must be an irrational fear, probably in every case. I bet most people learn it from friends and relatives. If that's the case, the only cure might be early intervention for elementary school aged children.

Has anyone ever heard a legitimate reason to hate or fear ALL snakes, or ALL spiders? It might be fun to ask, if you know any such people.

[ssjsmits]

That is a good question. I believe a lot of it can come about just to lack of knowledge about them.

[Stargazer]

I have only heard one explanation for this and it was a strange one. The theory was that humans spent several thousands (or maybe millions) of years living mainly in the water with their heads above. If this is the case our fears of snakes and spiders are relics of very real fears of eels and crabs (arachnids) that live in the water. An interesting theory.

[mpgt]

Now that's a wild explanation. Thanks for sharing that. Wow...

[X-Factor]

I have no answer except for ignorance....I'm not a fan of spiders, but I don't think that is based on any tangible experience.

[Stargazer]

Snakes are spiders are both unpredictable. Spiders jump and fall quickly and hang by invisible thread. Snakes can hide and strike rather quickly. So maybe something about the mysterious and unpredictable nature, together with the fact that they both can cause painful bites, and neither are very warm and cuddly.

[mpgt]

I saw a show on black widows once, where a guy was bitten and spent SEVERAL days on morphine, in the hosp. He says he goes out every night with a flashlight and a slipper, to smash them. He has a reason. It's a shame really, that so many other people have irrational fears of them. I think the Crocodile Hunter and other shows like it are helping a lot, to reverse that trend.

[X-Factor]

Originally Posted by mpgt

I saw a show on black widows once, where a guy was bitten and spent SEVERAL days on morphine, in the hosp. He says he goes out every night with a flashlight and a slipper, to smash them. He has a reason. It's a shame really, that so many other people have irrational fears of them. I think the Crocodile Hunter and other shows like it are helping a lot, to reverse that trend.

Yes true....Steve Irwin RIP. Jeff Corwin isn't bad....not nearly as big a fan though.

[Stargazer]

But I have never been bitten by a spider nor been harmed in any way by one. Neither has anyone I know immediately. And yet I have always been phobic of them. There's just some sort of innate creepiness about them.