Quote Originally Posted by thesnakeman View Post
Dear Stefan-A, I am sorry you seem so emotional over a few new names...
Did I just not explain to you that the names mean absolutely nothing? I could have sworn that I did.

"Do you know why? Because that's not the issue. Nobody cares if Thamnophis is monophyletic. The consequences for us, if the change is deemed valid, is learning a couple of new names." - Me.
"Because nobody cares. Nobody is emotionally invested in the current makeup of the genus Thamnophis. Most of us already knew that the genus wasn't set in stone." - Me.
"Ding ding ding! Maybe you should talk to some actual scientists, not random hobbyists on the internet." - Me.
"What makes you think that anyone else cares about the name tacked on the end of scientific names?" - Me.
"100 years from now? No, that's today." - Me.

Yup. That's five instances of me explaining in no uncertain terms that you are barking up the wrong tree with the whole "emotional over a few names" garbage, and why that is the case.

I am sorry to correct you, but THIS IS the issue!
It's not the issue. It's not even close to being the issue. Remember who your audience is. We are not the ICZN, most of us have little or no relevant scientific training (do you?), we do not presume to call ourselves herpetologists just because we've kept and handled snakes in one context or another. We're not in a position to evaluate original research, but we most certainly are in a position to evaluate how it's applied by laymen and the credibility of those narcissistic individuals who would leech off the work of others attempting to gain some personal glory while actually contributing nothing. Why do you care about naming rights? Why do you care whether some of our snakes may have the word “Hoser” tacked on the end of the their scientific names?