Interaction on Fauna

We all have our reasons for being here....why we registered, why we post, and why we return to Fauna. Those reasons will vary somewhat, from person to person, and even day to day, but at the core of it is usually an interest/fascination/obsession in the creatures known as fondly as herps (and lets not forget arachnids ). Some come to read/learn, some enjoy the pictures, others buy and/or sell...and many help others by giving instruction, information, and advice. Or should I say try to help? Or maybe not? I will mention a few names, because for whatever reason, the subjects are prominent in my mind as I type this...but they are not alone, and to attempt to list all the examples I have seen would just give me a headache.

There are many that give good advice, post pictures that fuel our obsession, and participate in discussion. Sadly, this post is not about them. Lately, my attention has been grabbed by the others - the ones that give bad information, or seem to participate mainly when they can tear somebody down. We all have off days, myself included, sadly; but when it gets to the point that things are seen as a typical (insert name) post, it is worthy of attention.

Seamus - You have repeatedly impressed me with your knowledge and understanding in several aspects of herpetoculture...but you really are a , lol. You admit that subtlety is not a strong suit for you - which is one of the reasons I generally enjoy reading your posts - but you are very quick to call somebody ignorant or declare them unfit to keep animals. Sometimes I can't help but agree with your assessments, at other times, I think you go overboard. When you deign to offer advice, you are spot on, and I cannot help but think of how much people could learn from you if you were freer with it...or at least if it did not come with such a degree of chastisement. You are who you are, and I know you commented somewhere on why you don't post more (and in a more friendly manner), but your criticisms sometimes are off the mark. Hopefully, with the exception of this post, I can stay off your radar (you can be brutal ) and continue to learn when you choose to be forthcoming with info. I admit that I have never come right out and directly asked you something...I wonder if your response would be different.

Amber - after viewing a recent exchange, I went back and looked at some of your posts...enjoy your animals & continue to learn about them, but for now - please stop giving advice. If your experience and accumulated knowledge leads you to suggest putting a monitor in ice cold, yes, ice cold water to identify the sex, you really have a long way to go before you start giving advice/information to people that might not recognize that you are essentially figuring it out (or making it up) as you go along.

As a rule, I tend to not discourage people from posting or trying to help others. Even the relatively inexperienced can sometimes offer some interesting insights. Their desire to help also alleviates some of the frustration for those that just can't bring themselves to help correct husbandry for another nonfeeding BP, or to address concerns about RI or mouthrot. There is also an unwritten responsibility for anybody that seeks information online to carefully consider the source. I think we all know that there is a lot of BS posted on forums AND on professional looking websites, and that everybody online is an expert, so verifying info for ourselves should be second nature (then again, so should researching before asking, lol)

I'd better shut up and go clean/fill water bowls. Have fun with this one, gang, I'll be back

hhmoore said:

Seamus - You have repeatedly impressed me with your knowledge and understanding in several aspects of herpetoculture...but you really are a , lol. You admit that subtlety is not a strong suit for you - which is one of the reasons I generally enjoy reading your posts - but you are very quick to call somebody ignorant or declare them unfit to keep animals. Sometimes I can't help but agree with your assessments, at other times, I think you go overboard. When you deign to offer advice, you are spot on, and I cannot help but think of how much people could learn from you if you were freer with it...or at least if it did not come with such a degree of chastisement. You are who you are, and I know you commented somewhere on why you don't post more (and in a more friendly manner), but your criticisms sometimes are off the mark. Hopefully, with the exception of this post, I can stay off your radar (you can be brutal ) and continue to learn when you choose to be forthcoming with info. I admit that I have never come right out and directly asked you something...I wonder if your response would be different.

Click to expand...

I am quick to call people ignorant and tell them to get rid of their animals.

Some of it is hyperbole, an over the top response that establishes an extreme solution as a possibility, so when a third party enters the discussion, the medium strength response is more likely to be in the area I want it to be. There's an element of challenge to it as well, some people really respond best when someone holds their hand and carefully walks them through things, some people need to be kicked a bit till they decide to really, truly shape up and "Show that jerk!" Those would be the situations where I wait and watch and read a few responses before stepping up to pick a fight and also explains those where I pointedly remain uninvoled or less agressive.

The majority though comes from what I feel are responsibilities people don't always take as seriously as they should. The responsibility to do right by any animals a person owns are fairly paramount, but associated with that is a responsibility to do right by other people's animals when trying to educate. There's a difference between things a person knows, things they believe, things they read once if they're remembering it right and things they're making up as they go along. The first three categories have the potential for value but only if they're explained as being exactly what they are. People who wander along and start trying to address husbandry issues based on something they saw once on Croc Hunter in 1997 and phrasing all their "answers" as absolutes are abusing that responsibility and often spreading misinformation.

There are subjects I just won't touch because I haven't got a solid enough grasp of the details to feel comfortable educating someone else. I recognize that there's an inherent burden when trying to answer a question or provide information and I don't take it lightly. I get angry when I see other people who don't give the action the same kind of consideration. People who've known me for awhile joke about Kaplan flashbacks but they're not entirely wrong; I get very very uppity when I see anyone make things up and present them as factual.

I know I have driven some people out of reptile ownership. I also know that on the flipside there are a few people wandering around who went out and learned things just to punch me in the face with their new knowledge and became better at what they do because of it. Some of them might even admit to it if they're asked directly.

As to the tendency to show up when there's an argument or something to be critical of- as you said, I think I explained that before. And direct questions will usually get direct answers, if it's something I am capable of answering and the question is aimed at me specifically or just interesting enough to catch my attention long enough to hammer out a response. Please note the use of the word "usually" leaving me an easy out if I just plain don't feel like telling you my shoe size or what I had for breakfast.

Seamus Haley said:

Please note the use of the word "usually" leaving me an easy out if I just plain don't feel like telling you my shoe size or what I had for breakfast.

Click to expand...

Don't worry, Seamus, if/when the time comes that I direct a question to you specifically (other than mindless banter in chat), it won't be anything so inane

would you believe I came to these forums to specifically learn to interact with people better? (shameful, i know) Than I found out there were Herp forums, and I didn't have a problem interacting at all. Just that people bore me if it's not an interesting subject. But I actually have gotten better at holding my tongue though.

I agree with what Seamus has to say most of the time also. Much of the time, even when he's throwing someone a beating, I agree with what he's saying. Some people just don't understand anything else. I don't believe his intentions are malicious like some others though, and maybe therein lays the difference. To me anyway.

Rick

Seamus Haley said:

Please note the use of the word "usually" leaving me an easy out if I just plain don't feel like telling you my shoe size or what I had for breakfast.

Click to expand...

Out of curiosity Seamus, what DID you have for breakfast? Your dietary tendencies have always been a fascinating mystery to me and a subject which you have historically been inexplicably silent about.

LOL! I was just scrolling down to ask Seamus what was for breakfast! LOL

Forget the breakfast, I want to know the shoe size and do you wear steel toed or not. I want to know just how hard that swift kick in the butt you sometimes dole out is.

he wears a mens 11wide - I asked in chat last night, lol...I forgot to ask about steel toes <curses>

Clay Davenport said:

Out of curiosity Seamus, what DID you have for breakfast? Your dietary tendencies have always been a fascinating mystery to me and a subject which you have historically been inexplicably silent about.

Click to expand...

Seamus, if i am allowed to say, i will tell clay exactly what you at least Drink, Breakfast Lunch and Dinner.

Heh heh heh heh.....you silly fauna folks. Seamus don't eat. He runs on batteries. Energizers.

Actually, I am beginning to wonder if Seamus isn't really Augusten Burroughs.... or possibly Jim Knipfel, but I believe Jim Knipfel truly is blind, and I suspect that Seamus has eyesight.

Maybe that's why I love to read Seamus' posts....because Burroughs and Knipfler don't publish often enough....