I'm happy to say none of my or Percy's relatives complain about our
ferrets, and Percy's mother is quite charmed by them.  But we've run into
plenty of off-put people who think it's acceptble to express pointedly
derogatory opinions about them.
 
Well, I have this little quirk, I firmly believe it's unacceptable to be
in another person's home and bad-mouth their lifestyle.  I don't go to
someone else's home and make disparaging comments about any part of their
lives, choices or views.  If I feel compelled to comment on how their child
behaves, or how their husband talks down to them, or any other item, I do
it another time, away from their home.  In neutral territory as it were.
So you can probably guess I don't tolorate negative commentary by guests
to my home.  I wouldn't hesitate to say "Why are you here?" to someone
rude enough to criticise my ferrets or me.
 
We happen to get a lot of less than glowing commentary about our living on
a houseboat (a floating home, not a motorized trailer) sometimes by people
who are standing right in my living room.  "Couldn't you put this house on
land"?  "Why would you want to live here"?  Last weekend I came within a
hair of un-inviting someone from New Mexico Percy'd brought home from an
airshow.  These people live in their hanger - I'd have thot they'd be a
bit more gracious about someone else's unique choice.  These people never
got close to the ferrets!  They came down for a boat ride and that's what
they got, a tour of our river, lined on both sides with houseboats, while
I talked non-stop about the wonders of living on the water.
 
The most often expressed comment is "You have 7 ferrets!!"?  "Why would
you have so many"?  When I answer that most of them needed a home, the
questioner usually finds that an acceptable reason.
 
Georgia
 
PS: When someone teases me about the ferrets I don't consider that to be
criticism of them.  "Still go all them weasels"?  "Yep, sure do and I
named the last one after you".
[Posted in FML issue 3522]