FA+
Shop
"I'm not a furry!" - Can someone please explain this to me?
16 years ago
First off, I apologize in advance if this journal seems offensive to anyone. It's not my intention to attack, but I just want to understand this better because, as of now, I don't get it at all.
I really REALLY don't get how people can say that they aren't a furry, when:
1. They draw the art
2. They pay for commissions of the art
3. They charge people for commissions of their furry characters
4. They own a fursuit
5. They go to furry meet-ups
6. They have an FA, a Pounced ad, a furry-oriented LJ, etc
7. They go to conventions
8. They generally want to be liked by the furry fandom
9. They take fursuit commissions
Yet, on top of all that, they still try and claim that they "aren't a furry."
I'm sorry, but being a furry does not always mean you "feel like you're an animal." I'm an adult, and I know that I'm not a bobcat, or badger, or red panda. Those are my "fursonas", but I, myself, am human. Homo sapien. Just because you don't feel you're an animal trapped in a human body doesn't mean that you suddenly don't fit into the "furry mold." There are TONS of people who will gladly call themselves a furry that think the same way I do.
And this is not to say that those people who do identify closer with animals, or believe in the therian ideals, are any "less" of a human. Everyone has their thing that sets them apart. Everyone has something that another group may not approve of. No single person is better than another because "they aren't classified with that group."
But if you like the art, draw the art, and take/pay for commissions of the art, how are you "not a furry?" Yes, so there are some "bad eggs" in the fandom. There are "bad eggs" in every fandom! You just have to look for them. Yes, furries are typically the running joke of the interwebz. Just...don't go on 4chan. Most of the people on 4chan are not going to target you. I've never had a run-in with 4chan kids or any "furry hater." But if you like and do everything furry, except for calling yourself a furry, just so you're not associated with those "bad eggs," what gives? It's like thinking "Oh, I can't call myself a football fan because people will relate me to Michael Vick and think I abuse dogs."
I just don't think it's right for people to think they're "too cool for furry", yet they want to be loved and accepted by the fandom. It's perfectly ok to keep the furry side of you quiet (I sure do. I really don't need by Nursing classmates and my co-workers knowing I dress up like an animal on the weekends). I also keep the fact that I'm gay quiet, so it's not that odd for me to just keep personal things under the table. I know there are several others who wave their freak flag around like nothing (and it probably would benefit me to be more open, but I'm just not to that point right now).
But the basic point here is: No one person is ever better than another. Don't ever think that because you "aren't a furry", you suddenly are higher up on the food chain than those lowly furry peons.
(and if anyone is just highly curious, this was not sparked by anything on FA. It stemmed from a conversation my girlfriend had with a "non" furry, who has a Pounced ad and all, that tried to make her feel like she was a loser for being a furry)
I really REALLY don't get how people can say that they aren't a furry, when:
1. They draw the art
2. They pay for commissions of the art
3. They charge people for commissions of their furry characters
4. They own a fursuit
5. They go to furry meet-ups
6. They have an FA, a Pounced ad, a furry-oriented LJ, etc
7. They go to conventions
8. They generally want to be liked by the furry fandom
9. They take fursuit commissions
Yet, on top of all that, they still try and claim that they "aren't a furry."
I'm sorry, but being a furry does not always mean you "feel like you're an animal." I'm an adult, and I know that I'm not a bobcat, or badger, or red panda. Those are my "fursonas", but I, myself, am human. Homo sapien. Just because you don't feel you're an animal trapped in a human body doesn't mean that you suddenly don't fit into the "furry mold." There are TONS of people who will gladly call themselves a furry that think the same way I do.
And this is not to say that those people who do identify closer with animals, or believe in the therian ideals, are any "less" of a human. Everyone has their thing that sets them apart. Everyone has something that another group may not approve of. No single person is better than another because "they aren't classified with that group."
But if you like the art, draw the art, and take/pay for commissions of the art, how are you "not a furry?" Yes, so there are some "bad eggs" in the fandom. There are "bad eggs" in every fandom! You just have to look for them. Yes, furries are typically the running joke of the interwebz. Just...don't go on 4chan. Most of the people on 4chan are not going to target you. I've never had a run-in with 4chan kids or any "furry hater." But if you like and do everything furry, except for calling yourself a furry, just so you're not associated with those "bad eggs," what gives? It's like thinking "Oh, I can't call myself a football fan because people will relate me to Michael Vick and think I abuse dogs."
I just don't think it's right for people to think they're "too cool for furry", yet they want to be loved and accepted by the fandom. It's perfectly ok to keep the furry side of you quiet (I sure do. I really don't need by Nursing classmates and my co-workers knowing I dress up like an animal on the weekends). I also keep the fact that I'm gay quiet, so it's not that odd for me to just keep personal things under the table. I know there are several others who wave their freak flag around like nothing (and it probably would benefit me to be more open, but I'm just not to that point right now).
But the basic point here is: No one person is ever better than another. Don't ever think that because you "aren't a furry", you suddenly are higher up on the food chain than those lowly furry peons.
(and if anyone is just highly curious, this was not sparked by anything on FA. It stemmed from a conversation my girlfriend had with a "non" furry, who has a Pounced ad and all, that tried to make her feel like she was a loser for being a furry)
Personally, I feel like my fursona, a lynx, more or less is kind of like a spiritual animal or a "guardian"/totem animal, something like that. I do not think I'm a lynx, I'm old enough to know better. I never talk about my fursona in public (well, real-life public), because I don't have to. I'm happy as who I am.
I know there are lots of non-furries who believe they are better than us, but honestly, everybody's equal. It doesn't matter what you are or not. You're gay, so what? There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I'm straight myself, but I have many friends with mixed orientations (one of my best friends is a lesbian.) But I don't discuss sexuality if you don't like it ^^;
But the furry culture is really hated by a lot of people, but I honestly don't understand what is so "wrong" about it, except for the more naughty stuff, y'know what I mean.
Well, mixed feelings about the whole thing, I guess...