Hi Marie, I was rather saddened to read your email over the last couple of FMLs about Dancing Ferret. You see, I am a Goth, and when I go out to nightclubs, I am dressed much like the Dancing Ferret mascot (in fact, he and I have the same boots). I found him very amusing, and at the same time I recognized that no-one in their right minds would actually try to dress a ferret up like that. Goth is a widely misunderstood subculture; for the most part, adult goths are sensitive people much like any other people on the planet. We just have different tastes, tastes that include thinking about who we are and what we're doing here by looking at some of the aspects of life that many others turn away from. The music produced by Dancing Ferret and by other Goth labels is not intended for children, any more than Shakespeare intended Macbeth or Hamlet, two very bloody plays, for children. In my opinion, parents need to take much greater responsibility for knowing what their children are listening to, and _talking_ to them about it. That goes not only for music but also for movies, video games, and books, right back to the Bible which is full of violence. I would also add that Goth is a widely misused label. Marilyn Manson is not goth. The Columbine killers were not goths (in fact, their website included goths as among the people they hated). I am a 32 year old woman who loves her ferret and her husband and her family and her friends very much and cannot conceive of killing or hurting anybody, and I am a goth. The gothic subculture is very inclusive and very much about mutual tolerance. And guess what? I know of several goths who own ferrets, because we appreciate difference and are willing to look deeper at things that the dominant society may have misconceptions about :-) Happy holidays to all, whether it's solstice, hanukkah, christmas, kwanzaa, or anything else you can think of :) Regina Regina Harrison [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/1083 http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Labyrinth/8096 ...shadow, you're just a gallow that I hang my body from... [Posted in FML issue 3277]