# Baby Plays With Cobra **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2007, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198 "2007-05-08T05:56:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/41 "2007-05-09T01:31:22Z")
Does Jon Stewart know about this video? It would be one hell of a “moment of zen”. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/42 "2007-05-09T02:07:53Z")
Um…I don’t like snakes, but sewing a snake’s mouth shut? Why? And then the animal starves to death? It seems impractical to sew it shut–I am now imagining something in the Velcro line… I am grossed out by the baby playing with the snake. I would also be somewhat grossed out by Baby “playing” with any pet–he’s not of an age where he can be trusted to play “nice”. I hope the parents are teaching this child the proper ways to handle animals, and not just making a disurbing video for “fun”. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/43 "2007-05-09T03:20:46Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] If anything, a dog, is a far \*more \*potentially dangerous animal to have around a baby than a defanged or sewn snake. You can’t remove dogs’ teeth, or sew their mouths shut, or remove all their toenails (the most common injuries I’ve witnessed kids get from dogs is scratches from a friendly paw, not a bite) or remove their high-speed whippy tails. While the family dog might be friendly, the next dog a baby comes into contact with might be a stray, or a dog bred for fighting, or a dog that doesn’t like kids. So why is there no outrage about babies patting dogs on youtube? [/QUOTE] I _would_ be outraged if the video was of a baby playing with a dog that clearly did not want to play, and the adults letting it go on because it was so “cute” how the dog was growling and trying to nip the baby, even if the dog never (on film at least) managed to sink his teeth. It’s not smart as it pertains to the baby, and not nice as it pertains to the dog. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/44 "2007-05-09T05:44:27Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] Please. I’m Hindu and don’t know anybody who would do this. But herpetologists, they’re a whole culture to themselves, arent’ they? And I also felt mroe sorry for the poor snake. [/QUOTE] I said “might.” I don’t know about every culture in the world; heck, I barely know my OWN culture. I also feel sorry for critters that parents allow their babies/toddlers to play with when they’re too young to play nice. Living beings are not toys. ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/45 "2007-05-09T20:02:18Z")
Well, unfortunately they are speaking some dialect of Hindi that my co-workers don’t understand. One of them thinks she can make out that the snake’s mouth is indeed sewn shut, but she can’t be 100% sure that’s what their saying. mischievous ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/46 "2007-05-09T21:59:19Z")
I saw an article pertaining to this, and it appears as though this wasn’t just some random act filmed, but rather a [“rite of passage”](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=453652&in_page_id=1811) In light of this perhaps it’s not so cool after all :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/47 "2007-05-09T22:08:45Z")
[QUOTE=mischievous] Well, unfortunately they are speaking some dialect of Hindi that my co-workers don’t understand. One of them thinks she can make out that the snake’s mouth is indeed sewn shut, but she can’t be 100% sure that’s what their saying. mischievous [/QUOTE] Was it Parseltongue? 😃 **Cowboy** , that article seems off to me. From the article: > [@](#): > > The baby tries to protect itslef[sic] while being repeatedly hit by the animal, which has also had its mouth stitched up and its fangs removed. That’s some slanted journalism, there, (not to mention bad editing). The baby was _playing_ with the snake (trying to grab it, baby-style). The snake wasn’t playing back, obviously, but this is very mis-leading. (Not to point fingers at you, mind you. You didn’t write the article.) ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/48 "2007-05-09T22:34:10Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] **Cowboy** , that article seems off to me. From the article: That’s some slanted journalism, there, (not to mention bad editing). The baby was _playing_ with the snake (trying to grab it, baby-style). The snake wasn’t playing back, obviously, but this is very mis-leading. (Not to point fingers at you, mind you. You didn’t write the article.) [/QUOTE] Ya know, upon reflection that does seem kind of off. I had always thought that the dailymail website was pretty reliable news source, but it almost seems kind of sensationalistic. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/49 "2007-05-09T22:36:00Z")
[QUOTE=Cowboy8467] I saw an article pertaining to this, and it appears as though this wasn’t just some random act filmed, but rather a [“rite of passage”](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=453652&in_page_id=1811) In light of this perhaps it’s not so cool after all :dubious: [/QUOTE] Rite of passage? “Rajid wanted the other snakes to accept him as an adult. Still, he didn’t like the looks of that baby.” ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198/50 "2007-05-09T23:13:28Z")
[QUOTE=Cowboy8467] I saw an article pertaining to this, and it appears as though this wasn’t just some random act filmed, but rather a [“rite of passage”](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=453652&in_page_id=1811) In light of this perhaps it’s not so cool after all :dubious: [/QUOTE] I also call bullshit on this “article”. Not only is it entirely lacking in details (where, when, who, what, how) with a WAGged Why, but nothing about this says “rite of passage” to me. Where’s the drama? Where’s the drums, or the chanting or the bells or incense? Where’s the sense that the child is passing from a liminal state to a new status? Where’s the AUDIENCE, fer crying out loud - the proud aunties and terrified mother and stern priest? A rite of passage isn’t about only the individual, but about the community, and it almost always contains some sort of dramatic thematic BAM! to impress the new status of the individual into the community members’ subconscious. This is just a baby playing with a pissed off snake while some people laugh and videotape the cute snookums. I know rites of passage, sir, and this is no rite of passage! 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-plays-with-cobra/403198.md?page=2)