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History Analysis / ReptilesAreAbhorrent

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* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are venomous. Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and envenom your children make for great baddies. The forked tongue of the snakes was once believed in some cultures to inject venom instead of their fangs, and in some languages being "forked-tongued" means being untrustworthy. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].

to:

* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans.humans (despite the fact that hippos kill more people than crocodiles). Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are venomous. Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and envenom your children make for great baddies. The forked tongue of the snakes was once believed in some cultures to inject venom instead of their fangs, and in some languages being "forked-tongued" means being untrustworthy. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].
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* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes, can seem just wrong to some people. On another front, reptiles like lizards, alligators, crocodiles and snakes generally don't show emotion besides "angry" and "startled", and they lack demonstrated affection compared to mammals and birds, which alienates them even more in our eyes.

to:

* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes, can seem just wrong to some people. On another front, reptiles like lizards, alligators, crocodiles and snakes generally [[EmotionlessReptile don't show emotion besides "angry" and "startled", and they lack demonstrated affection compared to mammals and birds, birds]], which alienates them even more in our eyes.
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(minor edit)


* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem just wrong to some people. On another front, reptiles like lizards, alligators, crocodiles and snakes generally don't show emotion besides "angry" and "startled", and they lack demonstrated affection compared to mammals and birds, which alienates them even more in our eyes.

to:

* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes eyes, can seem just wrong to some people. On another front, reptiles like lizards, alligators, crocodiles and snakes generally don't show emotion besides "angry" and "startled", and they lack demonstrated affection compared to mammals and birds, which alienates them even more in our eyes.
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A random RP thread doesn't count as an example


* In the Nation States (all welcome/chill thread) series, Ignis is a cobra yaojing, and instead of being evil and cold-blooded, she is actually a tomboyish, loyal and protective character. This is in turn is made logical by the fact that her protective traits are supposed to mirror a mother cobra's maternal instinct.
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* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem just wrong to some people. On another front, reptiles like lizards, crocodiles and snakes generally don't show emotion besides "angry" and "startled", and they lack demonstrated affection compared to mammals and birds, which alienates them even more in our eyes.

to:

* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem just wrong to some people. On another front, reptiles like lizards, alligators, crocodiles and snakes generally don't show emotion besides "angry" and "startled", and they lack demonstrated affection compared to mammals and birds, which alienates them even more in our eyes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are venomous. Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and envenom your children make for great baddies. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].

to:

* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are venomous. Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and envenom your children make for great baddies. The forked tongue of the snakes was once believed in some cultures to inject venom instead of their fangs, and in some languages being "forked-tongued" means being untrustworthy. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].
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* Back in the days of Ancient Greece, the trope was ZigZagged. A snake shedding it's skin was assumed to be dying and being born again: as such snakes were a symbol of healing, immortality, and protection, as demonstrated by their presence on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus Caduceus]] and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius Rod of Asclepius]]. On the other hand, there were still many abhorrent reptiles: The Lernaean Hydra and the demon-god Typhon are outright evil, while the hundred-headed Ladon and unsleeping Colchian dragon were neutral guardians that nevertheless opposed Greek heroes.

to:

* Back in the days of Ancient Greece, the trope was ZigZagged. A snake shedding it's its skin was assumed to be dying and being born again: as such snakes were a symbol of healing, immortality, and protection, as demonstrated by their presence on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus Caduceus]] and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius Rod of Asclepius]]. On the other hand, there were still many abhorrent reptiles: The Lernaean Hydra and the demon-god Typhon are outright evil, while the hundred-headed Ladon and unsleeping Colchian dragon were neutral guardians that nevertheless opposed Greek heroes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous. Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and poison your children make for great baddies. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].

to:

* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous. venomous. Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and poison envenom your children make for great baddies. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].

Changed: 653

Removed: 340

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* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem just wrong to some people.
* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous.
** Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and poison your children make for great baddies. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].

to:

* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem just wrong to some people.
people. On another front, reptiles like lizards, crocodiles and snakes generally don't show emotion besides "angry" and "startled", and they lack demonstrated affection compared to mammals and birds, which alienates them even more in our eyes.
* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous.
**
poisonous. Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and poison your children make for great baddies. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].



* Back in the days of Ancient Greece, the trope was ZigZagged. A snake shedding it's skin was assumed to be dying and being born again: as such snakes were a symbol of healing, immortality, and protection, as demonstrated by their presence on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus Caduceus.]] On the other hand, there were still many abhorrent reptiles: The Lernaean Hydra and the demon-god Typhon are outright evil, while the hundred-headed Ladon and unsleeping Colchian dragon were neutral guardians that nevertheless opposed Greek heroes.

to:

* Back in the days of Ancient Greece, the trope was ZigZagged. A snake shedding it's skin was assumed to be dying and being born again: as such snakes were a symbol of healing, immortality, and protection, as demonstrated by their presence on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus Caduceus.]] Caduceus]] and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius Rod of Asclepius]]. On the other hand, there were still many abhorrent reptiles: The Lernaean Hydra and the demon-god Typhon are outright evil, while the hundred-headed Ladon and unsleeping Colchian dragon were neutral guardians that nevertheless opposed Greek heroes.
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None

Added DiffLines:

* Back in the days of Ancient Greece, the trope was ZigZagged. A snake shedding it's skin was assumed to be dying and being born again: as such snakes were a symbol of healing, immortality, and protection, as demonstrated by their presence on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus Caduceus.]] On the other hand, there were still many abhorrent reptiles: The Lernaean Hydra and the demon-god Typhon are outright evil, while the hundred-headed Ladon and unsleeping Colchian dragon were neutral guardians that nevertheless opposed Greek heroes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* In the Nation States (all welcome/chill thread) series, Ignis is a cobra yaojing, and instead of being evil and cold-blooded, she is actually a tomboyish, loyal and protective character. This is in turn is made logical by the fact that her protective traits are supposed to mirror a mother cobra's maternal instinct.

to:

* In the Nation States (all welcome/chill thread) series, Ignis is a cobra yaojing, and instead of being evil and cold-blooded, she is actually a tomboyish, loyal and protective character. This is in turn is made logical by the fact that her protective traits are supposed to mirror a mother cobra's maternal instinct.instinct.
----
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Just thought I could make an aversion.

Added DiffLines:

*In the Nation States (all welcome/chill thread) series, Ignis is a cobra yaojing, and instead of being evil and cold-blooded, she is actually a tomboyish, loyal and protective character. This is in turn is made logical by the fact that her protective traits are supposed to mirror a mother cobra's maternal instinct.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


As with WhatMeasureIsANonCute, it should be noted that this view varies by culture. It is largely played straight, especially with snakes, by Europe and North America and a few other cultures. In many other parts of the world (particularly Asia), on the other hand, snakes are associated with various gods, as well as being seen as symbols of immortality and fertility. In quite a few {{Bollywood}} movies, cobras are a force for good, killing evil villains.

to:

As with WhatMeasureIsANonCute, it should be noted that this view varies by culture. It is largely played straight, especially with snakes, by Europe and North America and a few other cultures. In many other parts of the world (particularly Asia), on the other hand, snakes are associated with various gods, as well as being seen as symbols of immortality and fertility. In quite a few {{Bollywood}} UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} movies, cobras are a force for good, killing evil villains.

Added: 340

Changed: 49

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Edited minor typo and added another example


The trope's origins can be partially explained:
* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem just wrong to some people.
* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous.

to:

The trope's origins can be partially explained:

* There's an Otherness issue. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem just wrong to some people.
people.
* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous.poisonous.
** Stemming from this are superstitions and stories created to try and combat that danger, or simply entertain: lurking menaces that can slither into your hut and poison your children make for great baddies. Other dangerous creatures such as lions tend to be big, strong and charismatic and are [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute spared such hatred]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Reptiles are "cold-blooded"; mammals are "warm-blooded", so there's an Otherness issue. Never mind that "cold-blooded" and "warm-blooded" are both very outmoded terms. Animal metabolisms have turned out to be far, far less simple than that - several birds and mammals (including humans with such features as our slow-as-molasses growth rate) have stereotypically "cold-blooded" traits. It's taken a very long time to pry the old terms out of the pop-culture conciousness;
* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous. Truth In Television, because many are the newspaper stories about small pets (and small children) eaten by large snakes. The thing is, you don't hear much about how rarely these animals attack humans, and how uncommon they are in the first place.

to:

* Reptiles are "cold-blooded"; mammals are "warm-blooded", so there's There's an Otherness issue. Never mind that "cold-blooded" Their bodies are often cold, hard and "warm-blooded" are both very outmoded terms. Animal metabolisms have turned out to be far, far less simple than that - several birds and scaly, while as mammals (including humans we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with such features as our slow-as-molasses growth rate) have stereotypically "cold-blooded" traits. It's taken a very long time their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem just wrong to pry the old terms out of the pop-culture conciousness;
some people.
* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous. Truth In Television, because many are the newspaper stories about small pets (and small children) eaten by large snakes. The thing is, you don't hear much about how rarely these animals attack humans, and how uncommon they are in the first place.



As with WhatMeasureIsANonCute, it should be noted that this view varies by culture. It is largely played straight, especially with snakes, by Europe and North America and a few other cultures. In many other parts of the world (particularly Asia), on the other hand, snakes are associated with various gods, as well as being seen as symbols of immortality and fertility. In quite a few {{Bollywood}} movies, cobras are a force for good, killing evil villains..

to:

As with WhatMeasureIsANonCute, it should be noted that this view varies by culture. It is largely played straight, especially with snakes, by Europe and North America and a few other cultures. In many other parts of the world (particularly Asia), on the other hand, snakes are associated with various gods, as well as being seen as symbols of immortality and fertility. In quite a few {{Bollywood}} movies, cobras are a force for good, killing evil villains..villains.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* And, of course, there are many Herpetophobes out there, justified or not (it's a healthy fear if you live in parts of Australia; silly if you live in parts of New England). Certainly, reptile-fearing writers put their fear into their work - but you have to wonder how many people are afraid of reptiles because there's so much "Snakes Are Mean" fiction out there.

As with WhatMeasureIsANonCute, it should be noted that [[ValuesDissonance this view varies by culture]]. It is largely played straight, especially with snakes, by Europe and North America and a few other cultures. In many other parts of the world (particularly Asia), on the other hand, snakes are associated with various gods, as well as being seen as symbols of immortality and fertility. In quite a few {{Bollywood}} movies, cobras are a force for good, killing evil villains..

to:

* And, of course, there are many Herpetophobes out there, justified or not (it's a healthy fear if you live in parts of Australia; silly if you live in parts of New England). Certainly, reptile-fearing writers put Writers are quite keen to jump on any common fear in their fear into their work - but you have to wonder how many people are afraid of reptiles because there's so much "Snakes Are Mean" fiction out there.

audience..

As with WhatMeasureIsANonCute, it should be noted that [[ValuesDissonance this view varies by culture]].culture. It is largely played straight, especially with snakes, by Europe and North America and a few other cultures. In many other parts of the world (particularly Asia), on the other hand, snakes are associated with various gods, as well as being seen as symbols of immortality and fertility. In quite a few {{Bollywood}} movies, cobras are a force for good, killing evil villains..
villains..
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* There are, of course, ''many'' [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Herpetophobes]] out there, justified or not. In fact, some people argue that humans are instinctively afraid of snakes as a survival mechanism, due to evolving in Africa around many species of poisonous snakes; however, psychological studies have shown that a fear of snakes (or any animal for that matter) is not instinctive, but is learned, either via culture or a traumatic incident. Writers are quite keen to jump on any common fear in their audience.
* Physically, reptiles are [[OthernessTropes strange and unappealing]]. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem [[UncannyValley just wrong]] to some people.
* The most popular story in the world, TheBible, begins with a very strong condemnation of snakes. After the serpent tricks Eve into eating the Fruit of Knowledge, God curses snakes to crawl on their bellies and be hated by mankind; the serpent is later used as a metaphor for {{Satan}}, with whom he is typically conflated. The Book of Revelations in the New Testament features a "dragon" in a decidedly unsympathetic role, this being is sometimes thought to represent Satan. With the amount of influence the Bible has had on human culture over the last few thousand years, it's understandable that this would become a self-fulfilling prophecy

to:

* There are, The trope's origins can be partially explained:
* Reptiles are "cold-blooded"; mammals are "warm-blooded", so there's an Otherness issue. Never mind that "cold-blooded" and "warm-blooded" are both very outmoded terms. Animal metabolisms have turned out to be far, far less simple than that - several birds and mammals (including humans with such features as our slow-as-molasses growth rate) have stereotypically "cold-blooded" traits. It's taken a very long time to pry the old terms out of the pop-culture conciousness;
* There's the unfortunate fact that some reptiles are in fact dangerous to humans. Larger reptiles eat large mammals. Additionally, some snakes are poisonous. Truth In Television, because many are the newspaper stories about small pets (and small children) eaten by large snakes. The thing is, you don't hear much about how rarely these animals attack humans, and how uncommon they are in the first place.
* And,
of course, ''many'' [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Herpetophobes]] there are many Herpetophobes out there, justified or not. In fact, some not (it's a healthy fear if you live in parts of Australia; silly if you live in parts of New England). Certainly, reptile-fearing writers put their fear into their work - but you have to wonder how many people argue that humans are instinctively afraid of snakes as a survival mechanism, due to evolving in Africa around many species of poisonous snakes; however, psychological studies have shown that a fear of snakes (or any animal for that matter) is not instinctive, but is learned, either via culture or a traumatic incident. Writers are quite keen to jump on any common fear in their audience.
* Physically,
reptiles are [[OthernessTropes strange and unappealing]]. Their bodies are often cold, hard and scaly, while as mammals we tend to prefer things warm, soft and cuddly. Snakes in particular, with their legless bodies and unblinking eyes can seem [[UncannyValley just wrong]] to some people.
* The most popular story in the world, TheBible, begins with a very strong condemnation of snakes. After the serpent tricks Eve into eating the Fruit of Knowledge, God curses snakes to crawl on their bellies and be hated by mankind; the serpent is later used as a metaphor for {{Satan}}, with whom he is typically conflated. The Book of Revelations in the New Testament features a "dragon" in a decidedly unsympathetic role, this being is sometimes thought to represent Satan. With the amount of influence the Bible has had on human culture over the last few thousand years, it's understandable that this would become a self-fulfilling prophecy
because there's so much "Snakes Are Mean" fiction out there.
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Added DiffLines:

As with WhatMeasureIsANonCute, it should be noted that [[ValuesDissonance this view varies by culture]]. It is largely played straight, especially with snakes, by Europe and North America and a few other cultures. In many other parts of the world (particularly Asia), on the other hand, snakes are associated with various gods, as well as being seen as symbols of immortality and fertility. In quite a few {{Bollywood}} movies, cobras are a force for good, killing evil villains..
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


For many, many years, this attitude was very pervasive in the field of biology, and scientists generally regarded reptiles and amphibians as [[HumanityIsSuperior primitive and unemotional]] [[MostWritersAreHuman compared to mammals and birds]], and not worthy of serious scientific interest. Many reptiles and amphibians are small and secretive, making them difficult to observe. However, as TechnologyMarchesOn in the field of herpetoculture, it has become easier to raise them in captivity and study their behaviour, where they have been observed to be far more intelligent and responsive than [[ScienceMarchesOn previously believed]]; for example, play behavior has been observed in Komodo Dragons, and Argentine Black and White Tegus have been known to bond with their keepers and display signs of affection towards them.

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