Are we weird or are they narrow minded?

[chris73]

My wife casually mentioned to a new friend the inhabitants of our home. You can imagine the reaction from a person with no pets at all. She isn't even my wife's friend anymore because she thinks my wife is weird to just live with me! (well, she may have a point here )

Seriously, here's my question:

Are we weird to have Tarantulas in our homes as pets? It would seem the bulk of the world would call us oddballs. I'm not really sure why I am posting this, other than the fact that I feel VERY peculiar now. Iv'e always known it wasn't the norm to have exotics, but since I started with them (over 15 years ago) I've never been embarassed before because I've always been low key about it and no one really knew. My parents thought I was a weird kid, but I disregarded it :? Am I alone in this feeling? :? I just consider them all "god's creatures" and whatever it is it has a right to be here, but I feel weird now DAMN IT!

 

[CedrikG]

totally not, ppl dont know how impressive are these animal , they know nothing about them and they hate 'em, that make no sens, ppl got a bad idea of T's ... my friend's think im weird too, but im not keeping T's to make 'em happy

 

[TheDarkFinder]

"Normal" is relative. People in India worshop cobras in their homes once a year. People in southern asia have pigs in their homes. People keep breeding pair of Ginkgo biloba in their backyards in Japan. Everyone has little likes and dislikes. In our culture their is no "weird" or "normal" just differences.
TheDarkFinder

 

[Wade]

The answer is both!

I am proud of my wierdness, and often wonder how others can stand their bland existance.

Wade

 

[Windchaser]

The answer is both!

I am proud of my wierdness, and often wonder how others can stand their bland existance.

Wade

I'm with Wade on this one.

 

[NYCspiderGuy]

I lived in Paris for many years, and had a good friend from Korea there who had a little dog to chase mice/pests in studio (we are painters). When the dog came to him for love and affection, he would push it away and even lightly smack the muzzle.... I was always telling him that it was no way to treat a dog - "Man's Best Friend" and all that.(American/Korean speaking French... language problems, I assumed)

Well, his NOT-so shy friend explained it to me one day... that I was the fool for valuing this animal.
As she said, "in my country, Dog not pet - Dog food!"
I know that they do not ALL eat dog there, but the point was that to them, it was like having a cow or pig sleep in bed with you.

You go ahead and keep whatever you want... at least you HAVE an interest!
I'm forgetting the song it comes from, but "Don't let the bastards grind you down!" It takes a particularly unhappy person to be bothered by your fun.

Someone with his/her own real interests does not have the time to go looking for others to harass/insult/legislate against.
What - should you collect "Beverly Hills 90210" Mugs and calendars?
If you do, you might win back that woman who rejected your wife's friendship...your choice!

 

[Cirith Ungol]

I guess everybody reacts with astoundment to anything they arn't used to. Wheter or not the overall reaction is positive or negative has then also to do with how much bad rep the "odd stuff" has to put up with. So I wouldn't say at all that you are wierd (wrong place to say that anyway... cuz I'm obviously as wierd as you are) but the only thing that stands out in a very objective way of seeing it is that you have some unusual pets. So anybody who is in fact putting distance betweem you and your woman because of your pets has some very odd thinking going on! It's them really, not us! Don't think about it...

 

[stubby8th]

I know exactly how you feel. My wife doesn't share my enthusiasm for these amazing animals and I over-heard she and her sister the other day: "so, he has how many now??" I have a 5 year old boy who's interest revived my interest in this hobby last year.
I am no stranger to people thinking I am really weird though - since I was very young, my parents encouraged me to collect antiques - as they did - I collected WW2 military items . . .German WW2 military items. Before I was married I had uniforms, flags, visor hats and helmets displayed in a room in my home. And yes, tarantulas and other exotics - a hopeless batchelor. I've been told ny friends and family that it was a miricle I found anyone at all! My point is, people have told me they thought I was some kind of nazi with spiders and snakes for pets.

 

[PapaRoacher]

What animals you choose to keep in your home is a matter of preference, and no human being has to right to tell you you're weird, or below them in some way simply because your pets don't fall under their preferences, or that they are too narrow-minded, and stereotypical to see that it's just a harmless hobby...

People tell me I'm screwed in the head for keeping Ts, or other inverts, and if they don't want to be my friend because of it, they're the ones missing out, so screw them...

I've had people do everything from bolt out of the room to vomiting because I said that I owned nearly 20 Ts... Doesn't bother me, it's just that they're too narrow minded to see the fun in it, and they fear what they don't understand... I still try to educate people to keep such things from happening in the future, and maybe open a few minds... But, usually to no avail, and that saddens me...

 

[andy83]

I would say that all of our minds are more open than most peoples.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

stubby8th... that is in fact in line what chris73 said, very much so. I would say that most people (inkl. me) have some preconceived ideas about certain and varied stuff. Stuff that is conceived as odd or dangerous. The dangerous stuff tho (in 99% of cases) isn't really what the other person is doing (wheter it is keeping tarantulas or collecting war stuff) but I would rather say that the preconceived ideas are the real danger! The real killer in this world are igonrance and intollerance.

What I am doing about it? Trying to be as calm as possible about other people seeing things differently and trying to understand why they are seeing it that way. One could only hope for more people doing it that way, if I may say so myself

 

[PapaRoacher]

I would say that all of our minds are more open than most peoples.

I aggree with that statement...

I've found this board to be a collective of open, nice people who aren't afraid to be different, and are probabley happier because they all made that decision...

 

[Greg Wolfe]

Are we weird...

What animals you choose to keep in your home is a matter of preference, and no human being has to right to tell you you're weird, or below them in some way simply because your pets don't fall under their preferences, or that they are too narrow-minded, and stereotypical to see that it's just a harmless hobby...

People tell me I'm screwed in the head for keeping Ts, or other inverts, and if they don't want to be my friend because of it, they're the ones missing out, so screw them...

I've had people do everything from bolt out of the room to vomiting because I said that I owned nearly 20 Ts... Doesn't bother me, it's just that they're too narrow minded to see the fun in it, and they fear what they don't understand... I still try to educate people to keep such things from happening in the future, and maybe open a few minds... But, usually to no avail, and that saddens me...

Very well said Papa Roacher. I agree 100%.
I have been keeping T's since 1979 and am used to people calling me unorthodox or weird. Many people I encounter begin to show fascination and begin to ask questions once they get past the "bug syndrome". Educating these folks is an imperative gesture to further our hobby.
Getting a date has proven to be a joke but when I enter my spider room and commence to care for my 56 beasts all the comments and ignorant views of some people melt away. I am in my element when I am in there and am proud to be a "tarantulaologist".
Don't allow others to make you feel bad with their arachnophobic antics, they are just secretly jealous cuz they don't have any.
Our hobby makes us unique and over the years I have found a lot of people begin to show a sliver of respect for what I do.
Be proud, be steadfast and let's continue to tend to our magnificent creatures.
Greg ;P

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Yup. I actually prefer my arachnids and Ts to come over a LOT of people I've met over the years. But what else is new...

 

[CedrikG]

its very very hard to educate ppl ... I was meeting someone for a job and I dont know why we started to talk about my Tarantulas... I was informating her and she said : ok ok ok stop stop, she was like... afraid, just because I was talking about 'em , and I was just saying they were fascinating , how they live and everything, nothing bad

 

[PapaRoacher]

If doing what we want to do, and doing what makes us happy makes us weird, I think we should all be proud of being weird...

 

[prang11]

I have been getting nailed by this alot latly. Just started collecting scorpions latly and everyone seems to think it is either very weird or very disgusting. I dont really care because I enjoy them alot. Funny thing is my girlfriend dosnt really mind them at all. I figured she would be the one who was against it the most. Plus I only have 6 scorps and plan to get many more in the future. I am also considering jumping into the T world. My roommates dont seem to happy about Ts but oh well. The bottom line is, who cares what others say or think about your hobby.

 

[prang11]

If doing what we want to do, and doing what makes us happy makes us weird, I think we should all be proud of being weird...

/hug :}

Well said

 

[PapaRoacher]

/hug :}

Well said

Thank you...

And if putting down Ts, T hobbiests, and staying away from things that might remotely make someone different makes other people happy, I think they should be proud of being weird as well...

 

[nightbreed]

Embrace your inner freak