Anne Ryan introduced a bunch of us to a saying very long ago here on
the FML. She said that when people assume they "make an ASS of U and
ME".

Of course, even worse can happen; I recall some times when some third
parties decided that two people were fighting and then actually got
the primary parties fighting -- even in a situation where they had been
working together and not fighting -- because of all the third party
"defending" of each primary. Seriously, third party assumptions of who
is "fighting" are so often off-base that they deserve to be completely
ignored if the people are not known. If the people are ones you know
well enough then just reassure them that they have made an assumption
which is so far away from reality that it is out in fiction land.

BTW, it long ago used to be (still is?) a sport among immature boys
or even more immature men to flame-bait, which means trying to cause
fights, sometimes for points with their friends. Back then the fashion
was for them to often pose as being female when doing it. Hopefully,
that sort of stupid competition has long ago died out.

I can verify that on the same days and nights when a few deluded people
assumed a fight was happening the reality was that Alexandra, Wolfy and
I were actually exchanging a bunch of very silly emails and had each
other completely in giggles. Giggles, I tell you! Punctuated by
guffaws, and on my part also by snorts, because Wolfy and Alex are
too lady-like to snort when they laugh.

Don't assume, folks. Assumptions may not be as wrong as internet
rumors (which, in a study a few years ago turned out to be more than
90% wrong -- which is kind of cool since that had been my observation
independently so it felt kind of good to see that) or maybe assumptions
actually are wrong as often as rumors are. I don't know how often
assumptions are wrong, just that they are very, very, very often wrong.

Oh, and most people are fine with differing opinions and new
information; those are tools to help people learn.

Forensics in real life is not like on tv. There are waiting line-ups
and the places that have to use state or federal labs have especially
long lines. The cases are also prioritized. I read recently of some
toxicology in a critical case where getting the info soon mattered
still taking 6 weeks.

Okay, and now I am going to do something from that day and night when
there was no fighting to make Alex gag and weakly laugh, and make Wolfy
have milk come out her nose from laughing: Primo!

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump
off the cliff." (2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 7001]