Dr. K is my hero!  Not because she is a great ferret vet (she is), nor
because she works hard to better all of our ferret' lives by answering
questions on the FML (she does), nor because she works far more behind the
scenes in the ferret community than many people know (ain't telling, but
believe me, its a lot), but because of what was in her post in yesterday's
FML regarding Aspartame.
 
What she did to investigate the claims of the bad side effects of Aspartame
was classic; identify the problem, look up the references, and then, decide
for yourself.  In her case, the references did not exist, which happens
quite often when many outlandish claims are made.  As ferret people, we
drop our drawers and take up arms if such claims are made against our
little furbutts, but often, especially if we might think the claims may
hurt a fert, we embrace the claims without trying to identify the facts
behind them.  That's not dumb science; it's just plain dumb.
 
If I were your Dutch uncle, I would give each one of you a few special
hints for (ahem) ferreting out the truth when initially presented with
claims of one thing or another.  1) Look for the manipulative emotional
appeal.  This almost always means there is no proof, so an appeal to your
obviously good and charitable character is the only way to convince you.
This is a classic PETA propagandist tactic.  2) Look for circular
arguments, like "ferrets are dangerous because they bite, and they bite
because they are dangerous." This is a classic CaCaLand Fishing Gestapo
propagandist tactic.  3) Look for paranoid arguments.  The minute someone
says, "Denied by scientists," or "Hidden by corporations...," turn on your
scam-radar.  Corporations love money and scientists love peer recognition;
if they turn their back on it, there's a reason.  4) Don't look for a
lack of references, look for *perfect* references.  Scammers know you are
looking for support, so they create references that on the outside seem
beyond reproach.  Just read Constitine and Kiser's report on ferrets and
you'll understand what I mean.  5) Look for meaningless associations touted
as evidence.  Like, "everyone with cancer of the nose has nasal hair," or,
"I used product X and my ferret was sick the next day." Well, I used soap
in the shower the day before I got the 'flu....coincidence?  6) Use your
computer for more than downloading naughty pictures, playing games, and
populating chat rooms, and spend some time learning the truth about things.
Websites can lie, so go to the library search engines, like "Medline" or
"Current Contents." (My personal favorite is "Biological Abstracts"...I
wish I could buy the complete collection on CD).  Spend a rainy afternoon
at the library and learn the truth.
 
When you do find evidence of something bad, and you wish to inform other
people, make sure you have the documentation to go with the claims.  Also,
make sure the problem is a legal one.  I remember one instance when I was a
photojournalist where I was told a puppy mill was harming doggies, so I
snuck (i.e., trespassed) on private property to get the pictures, only to
find out later the place met all state and federal requirements.  What was
visually shocking to me was legal for them.  I discovered a similar thing
while investigating a mink ranch.
 
If P.T. Barnum were alive today, he would have never said "there's a
sucker born every minute."  He would have said, "every second."  Thank You
Dr. K for showing me at least one person is not a sucker.
 
Bob C and 19 Mo' Furbutts on Ice
[Posted in FML issue 2616]