>From:    zen and the art of ferrets - bill and diane <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Same old same old misc. topics from zen...
>All the negative feedback is backfiring.  The more "Attacks" Mr. Cowherd gets
>the funnier we seem.  Its embarrassing actually.
 
Bill and Diane, I can understand what you are saying, HOWEVER you have only
part of the picture here.  This article ran in a local newspaper-- Not as
satire, but in the community living section.  These folks took it literally.
While the readers of "THE SUN" understand the satire, the local community
here does not.
 
We are settled in a very conservative area with literally a swarm of ferret
haters.  This feeds their frenzy of ferrets being wild animals , baby
killers, etc.  You may live in an area where they are accepted.  Here
ferrets are the exception and still very misunderstood.  I admit perhaps
seeing this column appear in our local paper where they have shown NO
SUPPORT for the shelter was infuriating and almost defeating.
 
The timing was also not welcomed.  It seems that those folks who take this
satire as fact are also the ones who feel there is no loss in taking a
ferrets head-- so yes, I am darned upset about this -- and PERHAPS you think
I am going too far... but you are not getting the calls on a daily basis to
shelter the ferrets now, are you?  Perhaps once in a while..  .but your web
page always states there are none in the shelter.  I really look forward to
the day when we can state the same thing.  In fact since July of 1993 we
have not had a single day off from shelter work.  So I give you this I might
be over reacting to Mr. Cowherd's satire, but I am not over-reacting to the
misapplication locally of his column.  The phone has been ringing here for 3
days!!!!
 
Alicia
and the Ferret Wise gang
[Posted in FML issue 1987]