Condolences to those with sick, missing, or angeled carnivorous carousers...
 
>From: Especially Ferrets <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: See what some of us have to deal with!
>How long is the lifespan of a ferret & does it have saliva glands, or will
>it die without water?
>
>This is my answer to this persons question:
>I guess a smart ass question gets a smart ass answer....you need to >water
>the dirt in your brain cavity,
>Ferretguy
>
>Would any of you answered this different and how?
 
Sorry, but yes, I would have answered differently.
 
First, you really shouldn't try to judge any person asking you a question.
Unless you are hanging out with a bunch of buddies, drinking beer, and
everyone is stone drunk, you can't really *know* that the person is just
pulling your chain.  People come in all classes and with all sorts of
education (and lack thereof).  These questions might have actually been
honest questions, asked because the person honestly doesn't have a clue.
Therefore, it would have been your responsibility to answer honestly and
with valid information.  If the person comes back with smart remarks (which
none of these questions actually seemed to be), then maybe questioning
their purpose might be in order.
 
Now, you may not watch The Discover Channel, or Animal Planet, but I
do--quite often, in fact.  On these channels (and on others, I'm sure),
they have recently shown a number of "specials" where they follow various
animals in the wild, while giving details on their lives and habits.  Quite
often, these specials mention that the animal in question has no need to
drink, because they get all the moisture from their prey.  A person who
knows nothing about animals, could easily think that this means most
wild-seeming animals don't need to drink water.
 
These shows also give varying life-span times for different animals,
ranging from just a few years, to 100 years or more, so asking a question
about an animal that *looks* like it could live in the wild, but which has
not really been seen in any television specials, could cause a person to
wonder about this sort of thing.  If there is one thing most kids in school
are taught from a very young age, it is that asking a question is never the
wrong thing to do.  There have also been many professors who live by the
axiom of "There is no such thing as a stupid question." By responding the
way you did, you may have turned off that person's desire to learn.  Next
time, don't think that because the answers to the questions are obvious to
you, that they are obvious to everyone in the world.  That just isn't so.
 
This is not a flame, nor intended as an insult.  This is simply a response
to your question.
 
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[Posted in FML issue 3392]