CyberFish on 10/4/2003 at 20:08
Ok, I'm going to dissect this one...
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dont think a cave man was afraid of spiders
You have any evidence of that? A written testimony from a caveman, perhaps?
Fear of spiders would be perfectly rational amongst cavemen. You don't lose anything by avoiding spiders, except possibly some sweat. However, since a fair few spiders have lethally toxic venom, you can lose a hell of a lot by NOT avoiding spiders. And by the time you've looked really closely at it to tell whether it's a harmless variety or a horribly deadly one, it's bitten you out of instinct.
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1000000 people die per month [from 'civilised' causes] ... only 1-10 people die from spiders a month
Did you actually bother to look these statistics up? I seriously doubt it. You just pulled them out of a hat, right? I can find the actual values, if you like.
Anyway, what relevence does that have to anything? What connection is there between the four diverse causes of death that you mentioned and spider bites? Precisely nothing. Even if something doesn't kill people very often, it's still sensible to avoid it. What you're saying is like walking around in a thunderstorm carrying a seventeen foot high copper pole because lightning strikes don't kill many people compared to, say, cancer and malaria.
And had you considered that the reason people don't die from spider bites very often could be that they're smart enough to avoid the spiders?
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why dont you hate cars then?
Because they're a useful form of transport. Personally, I'd love a tame spider the size of a Volkswagen that I could ride to school every morning, but it ain't going to happen.
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why you like playing in "outlaw"(gta,gangsters) games?
Because they're fun. What do you think? Pay attention. Computer games don't actually kill people.
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why dont you think that YOUR life is more expensive than a spiders??
Seeing as this sentance makes pretty much no sense, I'll try and provide a translation...
why do you think that YOUR life is more valuable than a spider's??This is really too big a question to adress here. It brings in aspects from all kinds of psychology, philosophy, morality, animal rights, and stuff.
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have you EVER heard a spiders of hurting ecology?
Yep. Sudden growths in spider populations can critically damage the populations of prey insects. Many of these insect species are essential to the ecology, and some may be endangered.
However, I suspect that wasn't the point you were trying to make. Not that it's obvious from your post, though. I suspect you were arguing that humans have caused far more environmental desecration than spiders ever could.
And what the hell is your point? The fact that something damages the ecology has nothing to do with why people might be afraid of it. Do people have phobias of timber companies? Oil-fired power plants? Weedkiller manufacturers? The point you seem to be incoherently trying to make is that people shouldn't be afraid of spiders. What does this have to do with damage to the ecology?
Alternatively, you could be trying to argue that people should be terrified of other humans. I have to agree with you on this one.
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else than you have some EXTRA-abylities you are on the same floor as the spiders,fleas,elephants,cows etc.
Two words: Self Awareness. Look it up.
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someone said that redator kills. that is false. predator HUNT. it do not kill things if he is NOT hungry.
Right. (
www.Dictionary.com) states that a 'predator' is "An organism that lives by preying on other organisms." It then defines the verb 'to prey upon' as "The act of devouring other creatures".
And besides, I'd hardly consider stepping on a spider to be "hunting" it. It's merely an attempt to kill it to remove the perceived threat it poses.
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have you ever ate mushrooms?
they have the same cover as spider have.
I think the only response possible to this is "WTF?"
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have you ate chiken,lamb,porc etc.?
they consist of the very same elements.
Yes. So does heroin. What's your point? That because something consists of the same chemical elements as something else, it should be treated the same way?
What planet are you on? You can't be serious about this, can you? Please tell me you're not serious.
I'll grant that both spiders and chickens are composed mostly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.
The difference is that, in a chicken, these atoms are arranged into the construct of a chicken. It's harmless, fairly inconspicuous, and tasty. In a spider, the atoms are arranged into the construct of a spider. It looks like death on eight legs. It moves like Satan's own clockwork toy. There's a fair chance it can kill you. And it doesn't taste nice at all. See the difference now?
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ALL living beings are BROTHERS
I'll just sit here quietly while you attend a family reunion with a rattlesnake.
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brain dont make us "Rulers"
I'd disagree with you on that one. No other species has come close to gaining the control over the world that humans have. This, in a somewhat blunt way, makes us the rulers. And it's due to our intelligence. That, and opposable thumbs.
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if you afraid of something that meant "something" have morer strength than you have isnt it?
No. Strength and power are determined by far more things than simple physical intimidation. Besides, a spider has no concept of control or strength. It wouldn't know that a person is afraid of it. It wouldn't be able to take advantage of the fact.
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i wish the first monkey-human never toke that stone, so there was no Homo Sapiens Sapiens
What are you, then? A sentient rock?
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btw sapiens mean smart. can you say that youre smart if you cant even control yourself?
Inability to have perfect control over oneself has nothing to do with a fear of spiders. You can't slow down your heartbeat voluntarily. You can't stop adrenaline being released into your bloodstream. You can't suppress reflex actions.
Humans don't even have control over their own minds. Allow me to demonstrate:
Whatever you do, don't think about purple penguins.
Ok, admit it. You thought about purple penguins. Even if only for a second, you couldn't help it. And there's no rational reason for it.
Anyway... I fear I've strayed off track here.
My point is that you can't blame people if they suffer from a phobia of spiders. It's a phobia, it's a psychological condition, and there's pretty much nothing that can be done about it. Most phobias have some rational basis.
You can't blame people for disliking spiders, either, even if they don't have a phobia. In most countries outside europe, there are spiders which can cause serious harm if they bite you. Wanting to avoid these is perfectly rational, and as I said earlier, it's often better to avoid all spiders than risk getting bitten while trying to identify just the poisonous ones.
Even in countries where poisonous spiders are none-existant, the media, books, and films often portray spiders as dangerous, venomous, evil creatures. It's a false perception, but it does induce fear in people.
