Anti Snake Hype Sells

[Sdaji]

Since my high profile bite not so long ago I've been contacted by several documentary makers wanting to feature my story. I've asked them what angle they're planning to take, they've been reluctant to give a clear answer, I've said I'm only willing to be involved if it's going to put snakes in a positive light and invariably I don't hear from them again.

Obviously, what sells is playing on peoples' fears and paranoia, making it seem that there is a terrible monster out there, rather than a creature we should be happy to share the world with.

These links have been passed around recently, previews of a "documentary" which does about as good a job as possible of scaring the heck out of people and making them want snakes dead. The last one is also interesting, it shows a live mouse being bitten by a captive viper and leaping up in the air in pain and fright (it's designed to look like a wild snake and mouse, but it's about as transparent as polished air). This wouldn't be legal to film in Australia, but obviously there is a huge number of people who are fascinated by such graphic footage, and it's legal to show it here. They'll all upset squeamish people, and the last will upset most animal lovers, but the last one is spectacular footage and worth a look. I'm pretty sure this crew is one of the ones I've been contacted by, and seeing what they've produced it's no wonder they weren't interested in featuring someone who wanted snakes to look like worthwhile and desirable things to share the planet with! Incidentally, this is the angle the media was taking with my story before I agreed to speak to them, and many of the TV, radio and newspaper folks I dealt with that day tried hard to get me to put this slant on it, which as anyone who saw any media that day will know, I bluntly refused to do.

The sad fact is, people will watch this sort of thing and won't pay attention if there is no danger or fear involved. No wonder people still hate snakes!

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/8/Rattlesnake-Bite-562219.html

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/8/Stiletto-Snake-Bite-562218.html

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/8/Rattlesnake-Wound-562216.html

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/8/Mouse-VS-Rattlesnake-561950.html

 

[DDALDD]

I'm always hopeful that people will be smart enough to see propaganda for what it is.

 

[Vincey]

Wow!!

Insane footage.
Sorry about your high profile bite, but what was it? Got pics? =p

 

[funcouple]

glad you have taken the stand you have with the doco makers. its sad that the wider public think that every snake is poisones and is going to kill them. we need more positive publicity to show that snakes arent the killers as they are portrayed as. we need more people like you sdaji.

 

[ClareB]

Hi could you please fill us in on your bite. Have looked back through some old threads and posts but can't find it. Sorry if I'm asking you to repeat yourself.

 

[Chris1]

good on ya for saying you'll only do it in a positive light,..

if they wanna horrify people they should get into that skinning live animals vid,...

 

[Sdaji]

DDALDD: I remember having hopes that Joe Average was smart enough to do things like that :lol:

Vince: Yeah, really awesome, gory, scarey, bed-wettingly dangerous one! Venom dripping all over the place, flesh dropping from the disolving bones, screaming faces all around...



funcouple: To be fair I think I'd be a better person if I'd not actually been bitten in the first place :lol: One of me is probably more than enough!
I don't really feel like I've taken a stand. I couldn't live with myself if I was enough of a sellout to hype the bite up for the sake of getting exposure. It doesn't take much effort to say "I'm not willing to do that", just a bit of respect for the world and yourself.

 

[Emzie]

the last one is sad

 

[Vincey]

Vince: Yeah, really awesome, gory, scarey, bed-wettingly dangerous one! Venom dripping all over the place, flesh dropping from the disolving bones, screaming faces all around...

Ah, you got bitten by the wife i see... haha

 

[caustichumor]

They could have just agreed to do the interview in a positive light, and then with the wonders of editing (slow the footage here, some dramatic music there) you could have come off as a complete lunatic, breeding an army of venomous serpents to help in your quest to become ruler of the earth!!! And with your background in genetics, it is only a matter of time before they put two and two together and realise you are "genetically enhancing" the killing capabilities of your animals...

 

[Sdaji]

Ah, you got bitten by the wife i see... haha

Haha, no no, my partner is the most wonderful girl in the world! She isn't too fond of the snake which bit me though :lol: She'd love it if I sold that snake, and people often joke about it being worth a lot as a beloved pet owned by one of the people who aren't so fond of me :lol: I'm quite attached to the little snake though and want to make sure it stays well cared for.

ClareB: I was bitten by an itsy bitsy Death Adder, I received the tiniest little bit of venom (enough to do barely more than make my finger itch a little), but was unfortunate enough to have an anaphylactic reaction. This happened on a slow news day and somehow the media got hold of the story, so it was in all the papers, radio and TV stations. At first I had no interest in speaking to the media about it, but then they were running the story along the lines of "Man attacked by deadly snake in critical condition" etc etc. In many reports I had antivenom (I didn't have anywhere near enough venom to require any antivenom) and in a small number of reports I actually died! :lol: Even today while having lunch at the local uni someone was surprised to see me alive as they thought I'd died back in June :lol: Everyone at the local lab thought I was dead and the first time I went in after the bite they all went pale and looked horrified! :lol: I couldn't understand why I'd scared them so much :lol: I spent the whole day doing interviews, including displaying the cute, colourful and very tiny little snake which had been reported as a vicious killer, making sure to smile affectionately at it the whole time and only say positive things about snakes, blaming myself entirely for the bite and trying to explain that the anaphylaxis was bad luck, and something which could have been caused by anything at all including food, plants or just about anything else. I can't say I did a perfect job, but all things considered (including not having slept for two nights in a row and having been close to death a few hours earlier!) I think I did reasonably well, and that day the media displayed snakes in a much, much, much better way than they would have if I'd stayed quiet.

 

[ClareB]

Thanks for the catch up. I actually just googled it and watched one of your interviews. There were heaps of different headlines like you said. One even stated you had been left paralised by the encounter implying it was permamnent, they left out the 'temporarily' bit.
I thought you did a great job playing the whole thing down, very calm and collected.

 

[funcouple]

i guess sdaji. but on the other hand you didnt set out to get bitten. you have never once blamed the snake for doing its natural thing. its just a shame that hype sells

 

[Sdaji]

Thanks guys

Caustic: I thought about that. I have some knowledge of the media and had no doubt that some of the media reporters were going to play that trick with me, so I had to be very careful (as I said, I didn't do a perfect job but wow, all things considered, I'm amazed at how well it went!). Considering that in some cases an hour or more of constant talking was picked through to get the worst 10-20 seconds of footage, put it together out of context and make it look as bad as possible and I was doing this under extremely difficult circumstances, I'm amazed I slipped up as mildly and as seldom as I did. I utterly cringe when I see the footage because I wish I'd done things better, but wow, when that's the worst of a whole day of constant talking in those conditions, gee, it went so well.

Anyway, enough about me, my story is old news. What do people think about this 'documentary'? Is it a good idea to present snakes in this way? Thoughts about the use of footage of a viper killing a live mouse being used to entertain people?

 

[Vincey]

Sdaji, i think portraying snakes in this way is (in my opinion) stupid. They should make a doco about how placid a snake can be, UNTIL you disturb it, UNTIL you make it feel threatened. Not "they bite anything and everything, even a cute little mouse."

People should be informed about the dangers of snakes, but not made out as if they are Godzilla, bringing havoc to the world (which this documentary you have showed seems to be like- although i have not seen it, im not sure. just a first impression)

People should be informed about how 'nice' snakes can be... not just this evil spawn of satan bollocks i see every day.

 

[saratoga]

Some of the footage is great....just a shame it gets used to portray the animals in such a negative light....but thats what sells unfortunately...and the more it sells the more peoples phobias are reinforced.

The photo of the viper biting the hand...how did they do that....the hand looks so real!

Well done Sdaj for not participating in it.

I have no problems at all with the live mouse scene.

 

[gelusmuse]

Amazing footage.

 

[snakehandler]

Footage is great...so is the actual doco...I was bitten....if you catch up with the guys who made it and speak to them about it...it will show you a different side to the stories. Part of it is ratings grabbers as they will admit, however they also want to show that it is not always fatal when you get bitten.

Before you judge...see the show! Its on foxtel

 

[cris]

Many modern docos are stupidly presented and hyped up, probably sells better no point having a cry about it. Some snakes are quite nasty if you get bitten by them, to me it seems like a good idea for a show. I really dont see how you could do a show on "getting bitten" or whatever and have placid cuddly snakes playing with children...

 

[888lowndes888]

Good on you Sdajii. Seriously for you to obviously turn down money from people wanting to do docos with you involved all too prevent the anti snake hype is most certainly admirable.