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Should we lie low or be brave?
10 months ago
General
A little over 20 years ago, television told vicious lies about the furry fandom for better Nielsen ratings. The viewing public believed it. Since then, we've been clawing back from that low point.
I must confess to being a bit fearful. I'm worried about our collective safety and wonder how visible we should be in public over the next four years.
Suppose President Trump can take one look at immigrants, undocumented or not, and decide that they must all be dangerous criminals. What's to stop him from making such baseless judgments about other groups, the furry fandom included? Despite overwhelming evidence that we are invariably upstanding, even empathetic and generous citizens, some people will believe Trump over anything else that walks on two legs.
Let's not forget the roaming paramilitary groups floating around out there, eager to put a swift end to whatever it is that the President says we're doing. That would make a potential Trump lie more dangerous than any that television told. If it can happen to Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH, it can happen to us.
So should we go ahead and put on a brave face?
I must confess to being a bit fearful. I'm worried about our collective safety and wonder how visible we should be in public over the next four years.
Suppose President Trump can take one look at immigrants, undocumented or not, and decide that they must all be dangerous criminals. What's to stop him from making such baseless judgments about other groups, the furry fandom included? Despite overwhelming evidence that we are invariably upstanding, even empathetic and generous citizens, some people will believe Trump over anything else that walks on two legs.
Let's not forget the roaming paramilitary groups floating around out there, eager to put a swift end to whatever it is that the President says we're doing. That would make a potential Trump lie more dangerous than any that television told. If it can happen to Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH, it can happen to us.
So should we go ahead and put on a brave face?
Oh yeah, 20 years ago, MTV... and its load of... raw sewage. Beyond pathetic.
Fursuiters may be seen as "freaks" but furry artists have the edge here, because everyone likes cute animals. You are doing cute Christian animal themes, which is actually appealing... so you have a voice that is POSITIVE in this world.
You can do cartoons emphasizing negotiations, courtesy, kindness, etc. That might not sound like much to you, but this kind of thing gets shared around (Bluesky, other places) and reaches the stressed and fearful to remind them of better things.
Locally... start keeping a list of resources: food banks, free and low cost clinics, help lines, etc. GOOD information will be king in this coming time frame. Have it at your fingertips.
There are many ways of being brave. Be Quaker-brave, not Grab-Weapons-And-Go-Medieval-On-Someone brave.
Someone has to do it! It won't get done by itself.
What Would Jesus Do?