My post on the wolfrally account about Antheria, and FA's reaction to it, is an excellent example opportunity to talk about why criticism is important and should be allowed (criticism, not harassment and libel, libel being lies told to harm.) This not only applies to this case, but to comments that criticize art, which are woefully lacking on FA and in the furry fandom in general.

Criticisms are opinions, at least, if they are well-research. If they are just off the cuff, they aren't criticisms, are they? Criticism provides a different perspetive that benefits the person who created whatever is being criticized. In the case of Antheria, is it really a good idea to hide behind fake addresses and denial to protect yourself from the media? When the media gets wind of it, they'll present it as though the convention staff are hiding the backing organization and its license holder to protect his reputation by preventing people from knowing he is invovled in an adult event. My criticism points out to them what they might not have considered, that what they chose to do will only make things worse - far worse.

For those unaware of the FACTS behind the Room 366 video, it was completed, and uploaded to a site and access only given to those who were in the video so they could review to make sure they approved of the use of their image in the video. Someone forgot and posted it on FA, for about a minute apparently. The media picked up on this and reported that the video was "not meant for public consumption" and alluded that it was being hidden from the public. The fact is, it was under review. Had it been released publicly as on YouTube, it would not have been a big deal. But because FA is trolled by anti-furries, it was picked up and touted as being something that wasn't supposed to be public. And this 366 thing just happened, and the staff of Antheria simply overlooked that they are doing the same thing - it probably just didn't occur to them.

So my criticisms were posted, then taken down by FA admins because they claim it to be "libel and slander." First of all, slander is verbal, libel is written. And libel, to be libel, must be both intended to harm, and untrue. I posted facts, with the intent to help the convention see their mistake - before it's too late and the media finds out. But FA is preventing that from happening, and preventing a discussion of the matter that would have certainly resulted in Antheria being forced to address the issue. Now that FA has "protected" Antheria, the media is free to discover this ruse and exploit it and if they do, that will be the end of Antheria. (and yes, I did contact the media, but only the news media, and only reputable organizations - the LA Times and OC Register.) The broadcast media outlets are the ones to worry about. They may already have the information and plan to attend the convention, or just show up at the hotel and grab footage and dig up dirt.

So FA stifling me, may well be what kills Antheria. Please remember that if you start seeing news stories or reports related to this. Remember that it wasn't me who killed Antheria, but FA. Oh yeah, and in the process, FA sabotaged my effort to get the word out about the wolf rally, and is this responsible for the deaths of wolves now and in the future.


And this surpression of criticism extends to artwork as well of course. Failure to allow criticism means the artist will never gain insight into the quality of their work, and will simply rely on people who judge are based not on the actual art, but on popularity. I seek criticism so I can improve my costumes. I also make sure I am incredibly brutal in criticizing myself since most people won't do the job for me.


We must embrace criticism, and we must put pressure on people and organizations like FA when they surpress or discourage it.