I can understand what all of you are saying. I just find it frustrating having to give a scientific name I know the other person won't remember as well as having to explain scientific names every time someone asks me "What bug is that?'
I can absolutely relate and sympathize. I don't think there are many people here who don't. Unfortunately, I think this might just be one of those things that goes along with engaging in any even slightly scientific pursuit.
I wouldn't be able to tell you the number of times I've tried to explain something or other to a family member or close friend, just to get the glassy eyes and distant stare, closely followed by, "Oh yeah man, that's great." Swiftly on the heels of this comes the change of subject.
The truth is, the people who care about this are (relatively) few and far between. It is, at the end of the day, a niche subject. Family, friends, and sometimes co-workers suffer us it because it visibly give us pleasure and purpose. In some cases you can make a convert, but that's rare in my experience.
Short story:
When I was a teenager, I had the pleasure of meeting my grandmothers' cousins' husband (yes, you read correctly). He was elderly, wheelchair bound, and had retired from NASA some 20-30 odd years previous. While working there he had been a physicist studying the effects of ice and water in zero G environments. He had brought glass film prints with him, which he claimed were some of the fist microscopic images NASA had taken of ice and snowflakes created in space. He had spent years of his life learning, understanding, and advising other scientists and engineers about this, his particular area of expertise. Looking at those photos as a high school junior, they looked like snowflakes; they might as well have been close up photos of a sidewalk. I could have cared less, but I tried to make a show of interest, because even in his mid-eighties you could still see the childlike wonder that played on his face when he talked about his snowflakes.
Now, I look back on that and take it as an example of how I should be when it comes to my passions. I am passionate about myrmecology, but that doesn't meant that others around me are, or that I should have to change the way I interact with others in order to make them passionate or aware. Nor does it mean that because of their inattention I should stop talking about it. They can make up their own minds, have their own interests. The people who care to listen, or at least care enough about me to listen, will.
Anyway, I hope that wasn't misdirected. I'm certainly not trying to change the subject, stand on any soap boxes, or belittle your frustration. This is just my experience and point of view. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.
Edited by OmniusClone, July 4 2018 - 12:16 AM.
). "Lasius" is called "Wegameise" in German "path ant" because you find them often find them on or near paths.
but I like the rigor of learning the scientific names. 
