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Anyone else feel this way?


charx53

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I am so content learning and watching all types of videos about insects. I feel like I am learning so much and just absorbing all the information possible and it seems to come so easily. It is what I do in my spare time when I take breaks from my actual school work for college. I'm learning every second I get, I am just so hungry for knowledge.

 

I get stoked and want to tell people all about my discoveries and learning ventures. They listen, but people more so seem to judge and give me dirty looks as if "ew bugs". They listen to momentarily appease me, it seems.

 

People tell me roaches are gross and all insects. Heck, perhaps people are the ones who are gross! Ruining perfectly good environments for which insects and animals of all sorts could potentially thrive. We destroy so much and not many people care. The earth would die without insects, plants, animals, fungi, but without the human race..the earth would do so much better. We live in a world where Baseball and Football are more important than keeping our earth clean. But really, I don't see sports contributing anything positive to the unknowns of the world.

 

I very much wish there were more people who want to talk about the environment, insects, animals, fungi, plants, and science in general. I feel too many people seem to skate by in life and don't try hard to accomplish much more than the minimal that they have to. I understand there are so many bumps in the road that people happen upon, but you keep mowing over those repeatedly and you'll get where you want to go. Mental health, physical health.. we all have our problems. Some may be worse than others, but it is so simple to be a kind being.

 

My point in all this is that people too often treat others like they are outsiders from their own kind. People do not have to agree on the same kind of things, but at least take a few minutes to listen to what someone has to say. It could be the most important thing to them and there's no reason to just shoot them down for being different.

 

Just be kind. It is as simple as that.

 

-Charlie

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Right there with you! I love talking about my pet bugs. Sometimes my coworkers/friends ask about them, and some of them are legitimately interested, but more often they seem to ask in a "Ew, what sort of weird crap do you have now?" kind of way. Particularly when it comes to things like roaches or spiders. It's disappointing that so many people seem to have no interest in all of the fascinating insects that we share the world with.

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I completely agree with you. I've been in your situation numerous times and that's okay because you just need to keep on following your passion no matter what other people have told you otherwise. I have been interested in insects since I was very little and people have mocked me for liking insects and going out to collect them all the time. There were times when I thought about giving up on insects completely but I said you know what, it's my life and I do not need anyone to tell me how to live it. Now years have passed and I have worked with insects throughout my undergraduate life. I conducted my own research, participated in faculty research, and now I work with insects in a museum! Like I have always told myself, and now to you, that you just go right ahead and follow what you most desire and you will be very happy!

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I have done lots of insect related outreach and almost always have someone who seems to enjoy telling me that would step on something I am trying to show them if they encountered it their home or yard.

 

I always try to "turn" at least one person at each event - someone who is initially scared or "grossed out" and before they leave I have them holding or touching an insect.

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I have done lots of insect related outreach and almost always have someone who seems to enjoy telling me that would step on something I am trying to show them if they encountered it their home or yard.

 

I always try to "turn" at least one person at each event - someone who is initially scared or "grossed out" and before they leave I have them holding or touching an insect.

 

Those "Ew, I would squish it!" people piss me off. Next time someone tries it on me I think I'll tell them I'm going to come to their house and kick their dog. Maybe they'll catch on that it's rude to tell people you would hurt their pets.

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This "fear" that people have is due to them being unfamiliar towards insects and other arthropods. A lot of misconceptions are also due to media portrayals that depict insects as something terrifying or disgusting. Insects are, as a matter of fact, a very facisnating and unique group of animals that have existed far longer than the majority, if not all, of the animals today. It has always disturbed me when people would step on a harmless insect so mindlessly instead of respecting the fact that it is also something that is alive. They would not do that to dogs or cats, but would do it to an insect in a blink of an eye.

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That is quite what I have to deal with. Pet insects, are quite easier than most fish or even some plants. For me, humans do sports as a pleasure and competition. But too much of a good thing can be bad though. For me, I like animals and nature of all types. Aspergers and animals mix well for me personally.

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TV offers no true knowledge but the wild offers true treasures

ssh do not tell the others

 

Now go out & find your Treasures ! & stop watching TV / Beware of ticks & stay safe !!

 

i do not find exciting things boring

i just find the boring things are much more exciting

post-4975-0-16246100-1486451714_thumb.jpg

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I think its a psychological thing or like a brain wash. When someone tells you insects are gross when you are young, it sticks into you. And it spreads.

Obviously doesn't work 100% because people still kill each other when they are told not to. and just like DynastinaeLucanidae said, the media is not helping!

 

And people tend to approve what the majority of the people are doing, like finding a job, make big money...etc. Beetle collecting is not one of them, especially for adults human being. Now, if this is a well known profession that gets you big money, people's view will change.

 

another thing is...Size does matter. Guess what animals gets attention the first? Tigers, elephant, polar bears, whales. Same thing applies to insects. In Taiwan, the larger species of insects gets into the list of protected species sooner than the others. But the fact that insects are generally smaller, they get less attention...

 

Of course, what you guys said above is true, too.

 

I love most animals, not just insects. insects happens to be one that's easy to find/ catch. and there are so many different kinds out there!

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Those "Ew, I would squish it!" people piss me off. Next time someone tries it on me I think I'll tell them I'm going to come to their house and kick their dog. Maybe they'll catch on that it's rude to tell people you would hurt their pets.

I hate those kinds of people, especially the ones who will go on YouTube videos or Facebook posts or whatever about bugs and say: "OMG Kill it with FIRE", or "If I ever saw one of those I'd smash it". WTF are they looking at bugs then in the first place, if only to leave hateful comments on a video/picture of what is usually a very interesting and beautiful creature. Keep it to yourselves losers. <_<

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One of the things that a lot of people like to say is that for example "oh all insects are pests" or oh that thing could kill me "my dad saying that my mantis will give me an illness and kill the whole house" such ignorance. Especially when resources on the internet (reliable and trustworthy sources), in the library, and simply via scientists tell us that they are quite fascinating. Makes me kind of sick when I see more animals being killed then necessary (food, hides, bait, etc.). It also makes me triggered whenever I see someone do insect fights "not the beetle fights, as they are not harmed in the process," (could be wrong), as the insects are pitted against one another in which they almost never encounter each other in the wild. I used to like monster bug wars when I was 10 or 11. Not anymore. I only watch it barely and it gives children the wrong impression of them.

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I agree with this, like everyone else, too. It is bad enough when your semi-friends at school purposely sound gross about keeping ants, but it is even worse when your parents come up with excuses for this stuff, like "Oh the substrate is too wet, a giant mold outbreak is going to get you sick" and they ban (insert insect/arthropod order here) from being in my room when in truth, they are grossed out at the fact that there are "gross, dirty bugs" in your room. And I don't even want to get started about roaches. Just becuase a miniscule fraction of them are dirty and pests, it is automatically thought that it is essential that they are forbidden in the house. Without letting me explain that they are clean and NOT pests, that is. It really is sad sometimes how the people closest to you cannot support what you love becuase of their own self-conciousness and lack of knowledge that they just can't learn to understand.

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The misconception about roaches really fustrates me as well. They are actually very clean animals but people generally think they are dirty due to the habitat they are found in. The habitat is dirty because of an abundance of littered food and garbage but the roaches are relatively clean and well groomed!

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My mom just told me that all my insects are dirty even though it is the complete opposite. Lol she said that they need to be outside but I told her about how the weather gets really hot along with the factor of the increased risk for release of them or even them being killed by (predator, parasite, or weather, or pesticide). If your'e wondering what it would be it'd be mantids, tarantula, and a few other things. It often makes me mad when my mom says that my hobby isn't good despite the fact that I could of token the path to do drugs, have a video game/internet addiction or something else (as there are always forks in life).

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Whenever I have a party or gathering people ask to see my collection. I always get questions like "What do they eat?" or "Are they poisonous?" It's wonderful to see some people amazed but hurts when people criticize your loved collection. When I hear some things like "I'm going to squash that" or "Ew! Get that thing away from me", it makes me upset and have the drive to explain to them how they're beneficial in the wild. For example, my mom always hated spiders. Eventually, she grew an understanding for them after she cared for my collection while I was on vacation. To get over her fear, she even held my female Avicularia versicolor and male Brachypelma smithi. Until this day she still doesn't like spiders but is open to them and has a slight understanding of what they really are.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I`m amazed that possibly 90 percent of the population do not really understand the animal kingdom. One story I have heard for over 50 years now is that every snake is a bad snake, i`m not sure how wrong they could be.

So we live in a modern world now with really good information, or do we. I think the level of education continues to be contaminated in many areas by all sorts of troublesome events, gossip, passed down, trouble makers, and fake science, and add no interest to really venture out and find the real truths.

A lot of us know better, and we also know that the animal kingdom can carry diseases, some could/ can kill you, many will bite you, others will just die, many will eat farmers crops, but we will continue to study them and enjoy what nature has.

Insect rod

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