While simply watching the ad as ferret owners, we may appreciate the
humor of the advertisement, that doesn't mean we can ignore the further
implications.  Sure, it's an entertaining concept without the context
of an ignorant population.  I can't speak for everybody, but I know the
reason it upset me so much is because we have all fought so hard to
change the image of the ferret.  I would say that 75% of the time I
mention I have a ferret, the uninformed person asks "Don't they bite?"
or says "I heard they're mean" or "They're filthy and stinky".  (Well, I
can't completely argue with stinky!) These are the people who are seeing
this ad.  These are also the citizens of New York City and California who
may someday get to vote on the legalization of ferrets.  I would love to
be able to take my ferrets for a walk in the park someday and have NOBODY
pull their kids aside and say "Don't go near them, they bite".  But
that's not going to happen anytime soon.  And ads like the one from
Verizon are only going to perpetuate the bad public image of our fuzzy
friends.
 
I think it's fair to say thatmost of us don't object to the ad by itself,
only to the effect it will have on the ignorant public.  If Verizon
showed a similar ad with dogs or cats, it would be less of a big deal
because most people know that dogs and cats aren't vicious and mean.
They don't have the same bad image to fight.
 
For those people who don't have a problem with the ad, don't read the
emails pertaining to it, and you certainly don't have to write a
complaint letter.  But please try and understand the rest of us wanting
to prevent Verizon from undoing what it has taken us decades to do for
the image of the domestic ferret.
[Posted in FML issue 3874]