I've been following this thread for a while now and, having read some of
the responses, feel compelled to make some suggestions.  I haven't watched
Dave in a while (any TV I watch is from rabbit-ears on the TV and CBS
doesn't come in that well) so I didn't actually see the incident in
question.  I do know some folks who saw it and from what THEY said about it
a lot of exaggeration has happened over the last week.  The first post was
something akin to 'someone poured water on a ferret on The Late Show.' The
latest posts are at the 'A ferret was tortured in a gruesome manner at the
specific request of David Letterman, animal hater.' Please don't misread
this post as in any way condoning the actions taken by the Late Show staff.
The bit was obviously in poor taste, but the responses that folks have
posted and sent TO THE LATE SHOW won't carry much weight.  Why, you may
ask?  Read some of them from the poing of view of the average Joe/Jane on
the street (or in the mail department).  Some sound downright fanatical,
and that's about the last thing you want to be preceived as when
complaining to a comedian about his act/show.  Knowing a bit about
Letterman (I did watch him when I had cable), I know that the responses
themselves really bug him, but more because someone (not necessarily Dave)
made a bad decision to do the bit; someone posted that Dave wasn't aware
the water would be dumped on the ferret instead of water being sloshed into
the water bowl.
 
I guess my point to this whole thing isn't to stifle feedback, but to know
your audience.  Name-calling, no matter how creative or forceful, is never
received as it's written.  Ferret rights is not the main concern of the
Late Show staff (neither is Clinton's impeachement or a plethora of other
causes and issues).  Their job is to make the show funny.  Tell them it
wasn't funny.  Tell them it was in poor taste.  Tell them ferrets are pets
that are similar in many ways to cats and dogs (something they can RELATE
to).  The instant animal rights, abuse, boycotts, PETA, or other issues
work their way into the message, the writer will likely be labeled as an
activist rather than a viewer.  Someone posted here that they threatened a
boycott and then asked the FML who the Late Show sponsors were!  I
apologize if my cynical view on the world offends anyone, but in ALL cases
it is important for someone to play Devil's Advocate to the masses (and
yes, I can provide references if you like).  As I said before I don't think
the bit was a terrific idea as executed.  It shouldn't have happened.  I
wouldn't do that to any of my gang and I'd certainly give someone a piece
of my mind if they dumped water on them.  I'd just try to do my best to
make sure I gave them the appropriate piece.
 
                             -Erin...
 
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   Mr. Erin M. Ennis    |       Any sufficiently convoluted argument can
 eennis(at)zoo,uvm,edu  |       be made to appear to be science as the
 Water Resources Major, |       layman equates incomprehensibility with
     Biology Minor      |       science.                -Unknown
    Uni. of Vermont     |
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[Posted in FML issue 2461]