I'll say this upfront: send the expected flames to me, [log in to unmask]
Don't clog up the list with them.  If they're numerous and inventive
enough, I'll post a summary.
 
I'd also like to point out that I'm not picking on Cheryl M. Nordgulen
particularly; rather her message came at the end of a list riddled with
such posts.
 
>From:    "Cheryl M. Nordgulen" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Animal planet misrepresentation
>...Yesterday I caught a portion of a program on Animal Planet that showed
>ferrets as "wild animals" ... Now, how can we get our point across to this
>network to examine programs for content and to delete any obviously untrue
>statements, such as ferrets being wild.
>
>...This is not the first program that has labeled the domestic ferret as
>wild, but could we possibly make it the last?  This kind of ignorance
>should not be broadcast.  There should be liability of the network for
>"truth in programming".  I feel very angry when misinformation such as
>this is allowed to be broadcast.
 
I'm bothered by such blatantly inaccurate information.  Writing a letter to
the network/show seems like a fine response.  Calls are more immediate and
get more attention, so even better.
 
Should such ignorance be broadcast?  Well, no, particularly not in a format
claiming to give advice.  BUT.  Are you seriously suggesting that the
network should be legally liable for an inaccuracy concerning the
domestication status of ferrets?  Think about the implications of this
demand.
 
Would that people became so outraged when their national news inaccurately
reports details of human slaughter worldwide.
 
I'm not a particularly political person, and far from being an activist
of any stripe, but I must say that it bothers me considerably more that a
person spends time expressing active *outrage* about a dim-whitted TV
commercial -- as another poster did in today's (Oct 8) list -- rather than
worrying about the larger issues of the day.
 
While I love ferret and other animals as much as any of you, some of these
complaints veer dangerously close to outrage over the poor showing of clogs
on network television.  Animal Planet should be taken to task -- within
reason -- because it purports to be a source of accurate information, but
things like the commercial?  Sheesh.  The most likely effect is derisive
comments/jokes at the watercooler about the 'ferret lobby'.
 
In a doomed attempt to nip some flames in the bud: I have the greatest
admiration for those getting laws changed in anti-ferret locales.  And,
yes, accurate information is an important part of this battle.  But let's
not let our love of these animals toss a spanner in our ability to think
clearly.
[Posted in FML issue 2456]