At the risk of starting up a flame war, I have to say that I think some
people are way over-reacting to this commercial.  Take it for what it is
meant to be, a humorous little skit.
 
If you saw a commercial where a cat or dog is depicted as a vicious
little devil leaving a completely destroyed house, would you be horrified
at the horrible PR dogs and cats were getting?  Probably not, because
they *can* be destructive, but it doesn't mean you can't laugh about it.
 
I do have to wonder though if there is a little bit of concern among
these folks that the idea of a ferret latching on may be a little too
close to the truth.  I've owned ferrets for almost 15 years, and while
they have been mostly good little guys and girls, there has been the
occasional little devil that DID latch-on to fingers, not unlike this
commercial.  Ferret owners have spent a lot of time trying to shake these
"downsides" of ferrets.  I don't think I've ever seen a pet store that
did not ultimately have to put locks on ferret cages due to a high
incidence of customers being bitten.  That's just the nature of the
beast, until they are trained not to bite or grow out of it as many do.
 
I think there are far more important things for people to devote their
energies to, especially since a commercial like this will have a set
broadcast run, and then it is gone.  If you really think this commercial
is bad, I suggest you cancel all your business dealings with Verizon,
because that's the only thing that will mean anything.  The marketing
people will express sympathy, but the company paid for the ad and it will
run its course.  I'd be willing to bet that there are a lot more people
chuckling at the ad than complaining about it.
 
Now if you can pull off the demise of the "Can you hear me now?" guy,
then you will truly have contributed to society!
[Posted in FML issue 3874]