Facebook pseudoscience

[Cassiusstein]

If anyone on here also is part of tarantula owner facebook groups, then you probably see regurgitated crap constantly. What's the craziest thing you've heard someone pass off as fact? So far I've heard "Tarantulas know their name and come when called" "Tarantulas can't freeze because they have antifreeze in their blood" "humidity doesn't matter" and much much more. I try my best to help people but sometimes they can be pretty stubborn about the things they repeat without researching.

 

[EulersK]

Tarantulas are known to live for decades after hooking out.

I'll never stop laughing at that

 

[viper69]

There's 2 types of people that fall into this category IME

1. Ignorant- which is fine, no one knows everything, though everyone thinks the word means one is stupid...it doesn't.

2. Willful stupidity- no tolerance for such anti-factual imbeciles. These are the people that wouldn't make it past Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Unfortunately society is so advanced they are able to get along in society generally, procreate and spread their genetic garbage into the rest of society for generations.

Nothing wrong with educating group 1. Waste of time attempting to do so for group 2.

 

[Walker253]

If this site is the "educated" group of tarantula keepers, the facebook groups are most definitely the "remedial" end of the spectrum. I feel like a genius over there, where I am barely more than a novice over here. Mostly I avoid chatting because people don't listen anyway. If you say anything remotely critical (even in a nice way) to a female, some guy swoops in to try and be her knight in shining armor and defend her with even more bad advice. It's a joke and frankly, it gives me a headache. I only hang around for the For Sale Ads.

Note, I am in one good FB group of locals from my area. Idiots get weeded out from that group.

 

[Cassiusstein]

There's 2 types of people that fall into this category IME

1. Ignorant- which is fine, no one knows everything, though everyone thinks the word means one is stupid...it doesn't.

2. Willful stupidity- no tolerance for such anti-factual imbeciles. These are the people that wouldn't make it past Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Unfortunately society is so advanced they are able to get along in society generally, procreate and spread their genetic garbage into the rest of society for generations.

Nothing wrong with educating group 1. Waste of time attempting to do so for group 2.

There's 2 types of people that fall into this category IME

1. Ignorant- which is fine, no one knows everything, though everyone thinks the word means one is stupid...it doesn't.

2. Willful stupidity- no tolerance for such anti-factual imbeciles. These are the people that wouldn't make it past Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Unfortunately society is so advanced they are able to get along in society generally, procreate and spread their genetic garbage into the rest of society for generations.

Nothing wrong with educating group 1. Waste of time attempting to do so for group 2.

Perfectly explained, there's nothing wrong with being ignorant, what is wrong is choosing to be ignorant. People really need to do their own research, I'm not sure what would compel someone to repeat things they've never proven to themselves.

If this site is the "educated" group of tarantula keepers, the facebook groups are most definitely the "remedial" end of the spectrum. I feel like a genius over there, where I am barely more than a novice over here. Mostly I avoid chatting because people don't listen anyway. If you say anything remotely critical (even in a nice way) to a female, some guy swoops in to try and be her knight in shining armor and defend her with even more bad advice. It's a joke and frankly, it gives me a headache. I only hang around for the For Sale Ads.

Note, I am in one good FB group of locals from my area. Idiots get weeded out from that group.

That's exactly what it is, I relate with you one hundred percent. On here I'm the one asking questions, and I sit back and let others answer when someone else asks a questions. While on the facebook groups I'm always answering questions and correcting people. I feel the need to answer questions quickly before some idiot who thinks he knows everything comes and gives a wrong answer.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

I bloody hate facebook groups. I got kicked from LA reptiles because someone posted asking if anyone on the group had an extra viv laying around for a bearded dragon they were "rescuing" in a couple days. I told them if you cant afford a viv why are you rescuing anything or fooling yourself into the thought. What if this rescue beardie needs a vet. Lol. But i was called out because to the OP it was faster to ask for a hand out as oposed to going and buying a proper viv. For a rescue animal you would be rescieving for free. I asked if they would be posting for free feeders and meds aswell. This same group had a chick who was batting for the fences stating that psalmos were old world Ts and that breeders had told her that.

 

[Cassiusstein]

I bloody hate facebook groups. I got kicked from LA reptiles because someone posted asking if anyone on the group had an extra viv laying around for a bearded dragon they were "rescuing" in a couple days. I told them if you cant afford a viv why are you rescuing anything or fooling yourself into the thought. What if this rescue beardie needs a vet. Lol. But i was called out because to the OP it was faster to ask for a hand out as oposed to going and buying a proper viv. For a rescue animal you would be rescieving for free. I asked if they would be posting for free feeders and meds aswell. This same group had a chick who was batting for the fences stating that psalmos were old world Ts and that breeders had told her that.

That last part is definitely
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[REEFSPIDER]

That last part is definitely
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Had to relive my school days but as the teacher and give the poor girl a basic geography lesson. I was being as respectful as one can when dealing with an idiot. Facebook groups are all for fun now i got a few legit keepers from fb in other countries but everything else i read on there is pure banter now.

 

[viper69]

I'm not sure what would compel someone to repeat things they've never proven to themselves.

By proven, do you mean these people should be scientists before they repeat various "facts"? If so, that is an unrealistic viewpoint of society. As you know people blindly accept what they read or hear often, esp on the internet.

And many are trolls.

 

[Cassiusstein]

By proven, do you mean these people should be scientists before they repeat various "facts"? If so, that is an unrealistic viewpoint of society. As you know people blindly accept what they read or hear often, esp on the internet.

And many are trolls.

Sorry, I didn't make that very clear. What I meant was that they don't research it, or find a reason to actually belive what they've been told. Like I do, when I hear something new I try to confirm it. As opposed to simply hearing it and then repeating it.

 

[viper69]

when I hear something new I try to confirm it.

Now that's just crazy talk

 

[Cassiusstein]

And many are trolls.

Ugh tell me about it

 

[Python]

I don't belong to any of those groups just for these reasons. I already deal with enough ignorance and misinformation in real life, I'd rather not deal with it in my digital life as well. I've seen and heard most everything over the years and in the beginning some of it was funny but after a while, it gets pretty aggravating. I've heard so many stories about "a brown tarantula" that died because it didn't eat for a couple weeks that I could scream. Tarantulas are "poisonous", scorpions can kill you, harvestmen are the most poisonous animal on the planet, blah blah blah. The problem is that between Hollywood, bad press, misinformation spread by people who "read it somewhere" and a thousand other random sources, getting someone to listen to real information is about like trying to push rope uphill. Most of the time I don't even try anymore.

 

[Risto N]

The Facebook group I am in has offered me the opportunity to see some pictures of very beautiful T's right next to pictures and videos of some of the worst enclosures, feeding practices and handling.

It's like watching an amazing documentary then changing the channel to reality TV.

 

[Venom1080]

tarantula facebook groups are bad for my mental health.

 

[Cassiusstein]

Update:

I've seen THREE people asking for help ob escaped Ts today.

Also someone asking if it was OK to not hold his T. Yes you read that right, people were badgering him so much that he needed to hold his T, he didn't even know not holding it was an option.