Poor Mangy Red Fox

I made myself a cup of coffee this morning and was walking toward my laptop, when I caught a glimpse of an animal in the backyard.

For a split second, my brain said "Oh, another deer." (We get a lot of deer.) Then quickly, "Wait, it's tiny... a baby deer... no, a fox!"

I have seen a fox in the yard from time to time. It's very rare and usually just a quick glimpse as they are darting away, bushy tail swishing behind.

This fox was different. For one thing, he was lounging in a patch of sun, apparently in no hurry to be on his way. For another, he had practically no fur, a thin scraggly tail, and he was scratching-- a lot.

I snapped a few hasty pictures, but a sound outside scared him off. (Unfortunately, I grabbed my camera in a hurry without changing the previous settings, so the pics are not great.) While I was talking to Peter and the kids about it, the fox came trotting back through the yard.

We all agreed that this was not a healthy fox. A Google search quickly convinced us that our fox has Sarcoptic mange. Red foxes with mange are lethargic and tend to stay close to houses. They eat under bird feeders and look for bowls of dog or cat food. They hide under decks and rest in the hay in barns.


You can tell a Red fox has mange by its straggly appearance. Our fox is missing large patches of fur, has a thin tail, and was almost constantly scratching himself. Mange is caused by microscopic mites that get under a fox's skin and weaken the immune system, eventually leading to organ failure.

I called Animal Control, but the answer was not good. The woman I spoke to was very nice -- and she confirmed that it is mange -- but said there was nothing Animal Control could do and the fox would "succumb to the disease". From my description of his condition, she said he's probably in the late stages already.

I was a little surprised. I had called Animal Control once before about an injured cat in the woods and they came right out to help. It turns out it is not their policy to intervene when a fox has mange and they recommend that residents do not attempt to help wild animals either. It's just part of nature.

When I pressed, she said rescue groups in some states do attempt to put out medicated food for foxes with mange, but the Game Warden in our area does not recommend that.

I'm trying to resign myself to the fact that it's just a part of nature, but it's difficult to see a sick animal and not be able to help.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

I think I might be part Vulcan. I don't have pointy ears and I can't drop a man by pinching his neck, but I'm a huge fan of logic and emotional control.

Logic is pure. Logic is straightforward and dependable. If emotions were a brightly colored kite, logic would be the frame that holds its shape and the string that tethers it to the ground.

Yet true logic is sorely lacking in our society. Faulty logic we have in abundance. It permeates every subject -- politics, religion, philosophy, and even science. "Facts" are often based on personal anecdotes, emotional appeal, or stretched analogies.

Here are some examples of several types of faulty logic. (a.k.a things that drive me insane when trying to have a logical discussion with an illogical person.)

1. Americans love country music. It's the logical music choice for any 4th of July party!

False Premise: This argument makes the assumption that all Americans love country music. I am an American and country music is at the bottom of my playlist.

2. Mom and Pop's Online Rare Book Shop should have free shipping. Amazon.com offers free shipping and they are really successful.

False Analogy: A small, individually owned bookstore is not the same thing as a corporate giant. False Analogies compare two things that are not similar enough to make a prediction about one based on the results of the other.

3. Starbucks coffee is popular because a lot of people really like it!

Circular Reasoning: Popular means that a lot of people like something. You cannot prove your opinion by simply restating it.

4. I have to wake my daughter up every morning or she will be late for school.

Either/Or Fallacy: These arguments assume that the options presented are the only options, when in fact they are not. The daughter could use an alarm clock, she could wake on her own, or she could get a pet rooster to wake her at dawn.

5. My mechanic says I should wear magnetic jewelry to stop my joint pain.

Appeal to the Wrong Authority: Your mechanic may be able to reassemble your car, but he's not a doctor. Experts receive specialized training in their field. People who have tried something themselves can have opinions, but they are not experts on the subject.

6. I drank 10 glasses of water yesterday and when I woke up this morning the zit on my chin was gone! Water is the best way to clear up acne.

Ad Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc: ("After this, therefore because of this") One thing that happens before another did not necessarily cause the second thing to happen. Even if your alarm clock rings every day just before dawn, it is not the reason the sun rises.

7. Look at these poor starving children. How can anyone say donating to our charity is not money well spent?

Emotional Appeal: Arguments that appeal to our emotions cloud the issue by making a person seem heartless if they disagree. In this example, the charity that claims to help starving children could be woefully mismanaged, in which case a donation would not be money well spent.

8. Orange juice is the healthiest drink ever known! My grandmother drank two glasses of orange juice every day and she lived to be 101.

Anecdotal Evidence: The story may be true, but it doesn't prove anything. There could be any number of factors that affected the outcome. Also, the experience of only one person cannot logically be considered as the "typical" outcome. Until scientific research can back up an anecdotal claim, it is just a hypothesis.

Negative Space in the House

At some point, often in high school, art students are taught a lesson about negative space. In art, negative space refers to the space around, behind, and between any object. It is what is not there.

Consider the Rubin Vase. It is the classic optical illusion that appears to be either two faces looking at each other, or a white vase (or chalice). The negative space, in this example, becomes its own object.

When people describe Joss Whedon's Dollhouse series, they use terms that explain who the characters become. The actives, or "dolls", have their own personalities removed, are imprinted with new identities, and are sent out on engagements over and over again.

In my opinion, this misses the point. To me, the show is less about who the actives become and all about the Who that is never seen. The internal negative space, if you will.

We never fully see this elusive Who and we never will. It can only be glimpsed in the similarities from one personality to the next, and in the vestiges left behind when each personality is wiped away. This Who is not a full personality at all, but rather what remains at the core of any human being when the personality is removed. It's Sartre's pre-reflective cogito.

**Spoiler Alert**

Alpha, one of the actives, has had a "composite event". He has been overloaded with too many personalities and goes mad. The conflicting personalities overwhelm him and he decides that he is all of these personalities. He is super-human. He is a god.

Yet when when Alpha kidnaps Echo and forces her to experience a composite event, she sees that she is none of those personalities. She sees that she is the shell that holds them. The negative space. And she knows that her own original personality is the only one that she can claim as her own.

But who is the She in that scenario? She is the absence of herself. She is what is left when herself is taken away. This She is looking at herself, her original personality, in another body and simultaneously knows that it is herself and that she is the vessel that should hold that self.

Echo needs to have a personality to express this She's thoughts, because this She is not a full personality, but rather a pre-reflexive cogito. While you are reading this post, there is a part of you that is not reading, but is aware of your reading. It is the part that is not thinking your thoughts, but is aware that you are thinking your thoughts.

This exploration of self is at the heart of existential philosophy. Sartre, Descartes, and many others have spent their lives in pursuit of this eternal question. What is it that makes us who we are? What is the truest definition of self?

And this is what Joss brings to light at the heart of Dollhouse. This, to me, is the brilliance underneath the kickass action and beautiful people. It is why Dollhouse speaks to me and leaves me on the edge of my seat, waiting for more.

This fall: Dollhouse Season 2. Are you watching?