I don't get too offended by comments. I know I've had cavies forever and there are still many more things to learn. Just take it in stride. It's for your cavies, not your feelings.
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I am honestly scared to post on here sometimes because of the reaction that some people give. I am just realizing this from reading through other posts and seeing some of the rude comments out there.
I've been a member of this site for awhile now. I completely understand where you are coming from. I have many times seen replies, from well respected and knowledgeable people even, that just did not need to be said. It sometimes feels like the way some people word things makes you feel incompetent, right? Like you should have known that about your pigs already.
I definitely can relate to this. If this site wasn't so full of good information, I probably wouldn't come back. Some people are very judgmental and rude in their comments and don't seem to realize that I'm not a child.
Do any of you have specific examples to cite? If so, I'd really like to see what, specifically, you're referring to. If you don't feel comfortable sharing them publicly, PM them to me. We work hard to make this a friendly place where everyone feels welcome - breeders and rescuers alike, and everything in between. I find it very difficult (and rather pointless) to argue based on generalities and vague references. If there's something specific that needs to be addressed, address it. Questioning the general tone or mood of the forum with no supporting examples doesn't accomplish anything other than to stir up another debate.Sometimes someone asks a good question, and the initial responses are friendly and direct from oldtimers, and then someone else comes in and derails the initial conversation, so the whole thread becomes hostile when the original poster of the thread just asked a basic question.
I think when you've seen so much inhumane treatment, you can find yourself using a broad brush to paint everyone with cynicism. That's just human. I volunteered in the ER at LA County hospital, where they take in everyone, regardless of who they are, if they can pay, or how they got there. I've seen the victims of child abuse, drug abuse, domestic violence and gangs. And I am amazed at how nurses and doctors, who sometimes see the same people come in week after week (sometimes to feed their habit with painkillers), maintain a level demeanor or don't just throw in the towel and retire. It's brutal. But because they care about humanity (perhaps they lost a loved one to terminal illness or a terrible accident), they stay. But they admit that they sometimes get very cynical and need a break; they admit their flaws in judging humanity. We all judge; that's human.
And unless you love GPs or are responsible enough to use the internet to become a GP owner, you're not going to know about GPC.com or GuineaLynx. It's such a specialized interest. The point is that domesticated animals cannot take care of themselves and need humans to survive. I think the frustration with people comes from the fact that animals need them regardless of how smart or stupid they are. What I love about this site is its reaffirmation that people love animals like children - as it should be - but that we can't alienate other people who need the education, who have the empathy to spread the word. That goes for all animal advocacy. Granted, there will always be people who will never change, who use animals for entertainment value alone or a babysitter for their children. There's no point in trying to appeal to breeders, pet store workers, etc; they are the willfully blind. And the converted are already converted. So what we have left are those who just don't know, and this site is good for giving them insight as to where they fall on either side of the fence.
My plumber came by and told me his kids have GPs but had never seen a cage set up like mine; he was fascinated. Once I told him how little it cost (that it was cheaper than those pet store cages in fact) and how easy it was to make (along with links to where he could get the coroplast), he was onboard. I gave him the guinealynx site, too. He just didn't know. But I'm glad he wanted to.
People are always amazed by my setup. The funniest comment I ever got was not about the cages but about the guinea pigs. A couple of years ago, we had a new patio door installed. The installers came through the house and into the dining room where my guinea pigs are. Four of them walked right past my coroplast cage but the last guy stopped and hesitated for a minute and said, "Boy, those are some big hamsters you got there....."
@pinky I had a similar thing happen, except instead of hamsters I got rabbit!
A lot of people don't know what guinea pigs are. Oprah Winfrey called them hamsters on her show.
Do any of you have specific examples to cite? If so, I'd really like to see what, specifically, you're referring to. If you don't feel comfortable sharing them publicly, PM them to me. We work hard to make this a friendly place where everyone feels welcome - breeders and rescuers alike, and everything in between. I find it very difficult (and rather pointless) to argue based on generalities and vague references. If there's something specific that needs to be addressed, address it. Questioning the general tone or mood of the forum with no supporting examples doesn't accomplish anything other than to stir up another debate.
I don't see how asking for specific examples is snippy. I tend to assume that if there's something troubling enough for this type of thread (and there are many here) to be started and perpetuated, it shouldn't be difficult for those commenting to provide specific examples, and without them we can't know whether or not there's actually a problem that needs to be addressed or the person(s) complaining is/are simply being overly sensitive.Yes, I do. I don't keep a log of them. It's sort of a double-bind, isn't it, to ask someone who is feeling bitten by a response to respond right on that thread, and set themselves up for another snippy remark?
It seems to me that if those things are upsetting enough to start a thread like this, they'd also be upsetting enough to address individually with one of us, particularly when asked specifically to do so. If it's not, and there's no real desire to actually have anything done about it, then that's one thing and we can carry on in vague and general terms.There is also the issue that one or two snarky or disrespectful (or seemingly so) remarks don't matter to most people. It is the trend or overall sense of it happening over and over. Do you all really want people to PM you every single time some one *seems* to be snarky?
I'm sorry that the notion of providing specifics is so upsetting to you and that you felt the need to respond so defensively; neither was my intended result. There is nothing "wrong" with debate, and if that's the only desire, with no actual effort toward a remedy, then that's fine too. Carry on.
I neither asked nor expect anyone to keep track of offenses. I asked if anyone who is openly saying that they see a problem "many times," or are afraid to post, or "wouldn't come back" if not for the information here, or those who say they see hostility, could actually provide specific examples because those responses seem to indicate it is a much bigger problem than I've been aware of, and one that would need some kind of action from a moderator. You were neither chastised nor backed into a corner - you were asked to provide examples if you have them, either publicly or privately.I am honestly having difficulty, though, sorting through the logic of asking people to keep track of offenses while at the same time being asked to let some things go; to not bother the mods with bits and pieces, but at the same time, to get chastised for not bothering the mods; to ask people to be aware of the sensibilities of newcomers, but then to tell us that our airing of a concern is "pointless"; to assume that because things used to be much worse, that there still aren't issues now; and to say that the forum owner wants a friendlier place, but then to back people into a corner.
... or buy from a petstore, like I did. Before I came to this site, I had no idea about the consequences of buying from pet stores. I got the largest cage available. I got a single guinea pig. I came here, and it was like an explosion of "WOW YOU ARE SO STUPID." I should have bought from a rescue. I should have made my own cage. I should have gotten two. This realization is enough to make us feel bad, and any further reprimanding by other users is not fun. We all joined because we LOVE guinea pigs. We have to respect that all users have the best interests in mind for their own fuzzy friends, and should be treated as such.