>Date:    Sat, 10 Jul 1999 22:54:53 +700
>From:    Edward Lipinski <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Oh, yes, wailing, gnashing of teeth and beating our heads
>         against the wall.
>The idea of "educating the public" is laughable if not idiotic.  No matter
>how many "educated public" you got out there, it only takes one jackass to
>make headlines - and that jackass may very well be an educated jackass.
 
>And ask yourself, just who is going to do the educating?  You people on
>this mailing list.  HA!  The vast majority know "diddle-squat" when it
>comes to instructing others on the nature of ferret behavoir.  And it's
>quite doubtful if any two would even agree on the proper form and content
>of "educating the public," when the "educators" themselves are about as
>ignorant as a doorknob.
 
What a load of self-important, self-indulgent manure!  Most of the people
contributing to this list are good people with open minds who routinely do
an excellent job of educating the public about ferrets.  Please do not
think, Ed, that just because they either don't follow your suggestions,
or chose to ignore them that the folks here are ignorant.  They are not.
 
Most of the folks here do a wonderful job on a daily basis of teaching
others who are unfamiliar with ferrets about how interesting and enjoyable
a companion ferrets can be.  Education takes many forms and paths.  It is
not necessary for all of us to agree on a format, or even the content for
educating the public.  All that is necessary is that the best and most
reliable information be shared with others.  Education can take place in
the office, at a formal committee meeting of a local animal shelter, in
school classrooms, in letters to radio stations, or on a one to one basis.
 
Are we prone to occasional errors of fact?  Of course, but that doesn't
translate to being as "ignorant as a doorknob."  The vast majority of the
people on the FML are eager to learn and accept correction with ease.  Only
you, Ed, persist on stubbornly holding on to your own "theories" and
"facts" about ferret domestication and behavior that have no solid basis in
reality.  The true sign of ignorance is a stubborn refusal to learn -- even
when faced with scholarly evidence that your theories and information are
wrong.  Only one person on the FML tries to delude themselves and others
that their information carries more weight than others through the creation
of a fanciful, and totally non-existant, "Institute for Ferret Research."
 
Ed, you have the right to be as wrong as you want -- for whatever purposes
you want.  But you do not have the right to label the good people who read
and contribute to the FML as ignorant or claim they don't know
"diddle-squat."  Quite honestly, I think BIG has been far too indulgent
with you in the past.  I really don't mind that, I'd much rather him be too
indulgent than too restrictive.  But, I do think you take advantage of his
indulgence and don't appreciate it enough.
 
>Please consider Chris Kibler's plea:
>"We need to educate the public so that the UNKNOWN is known, and there is
>less fear."
 
Chris is right.  We do need to educate the public about what they do not
know.  They don't know that ferrets are far less prone to cause injury to
humans than other pets; they do not know that ferrets have a long history
of companionship with humans; they do not know that ferrets -- unlike cats
and dogs, an most other pets -- cannot become feral.
 
>Is it everything other than the KNOWN?  And Chris, what makes you assume
>that when the UNKNOWN is known, there will be less fear?  Is it possible
>there might be even greater fear?
 
Ed, we are not talking atmoic weaponry or the mind of a serial killer or
some new and terrible strain of flesh eating bacteria here (three things
that do scare me, even though I do know something about them).  We are
talking about ferrets.  Once the unknowing public learns about ferrets,
they do tend to lose the irrational fears based on the myths and old-wives
tales that abound.  There is no reason to fear a gregarious, playful
creature once the truth is known.
 
>Edward Lipinski, who once assisted at a veterinarian-conducted necropsy
>(post mortem) of an innocent ferret who had lacerated the scalp of a
>premature infant 47 (estimated) times in an apparent attempt to DRAG the
>infant away.
 
Somehow, I find the situation described as somewhat less than accurate.
Being the godfather to a beautiful girl who was born prematurely, I have
learned a little something about premature infant care.  Hospitals do not
routinely allow ferrets into the premie care unit, nor do they routinely
release premature infants to home care.  Sounds a little too much like the
British WWI propaganda that the Kaiser's troops routinely baynotted babies
and nuns.  A great way to get folks all riled up, but not entirely accurate.
 
FSG
[Posted in FML issue 2739]