I don't know. There's some people on this site that claim they are not a furry - but they draw anthropomorphic animals, they write about them, they want to attend cons... Then they do say things about not having a suit and the like.

But then they do make valid points that people who were involved with NIMH and Bugs Bunny weren't furries...

But why are these people claiming not to be furry posting on a furry website and targeting furries in general? O.o

I've no idea, either. Some do seem to think it's only, well, suiting up, as it were. A couple of them almost treat it as their own personal varient of the n-word. ("There are anthro fans and then there are furries.")

As for the animators of Bugs Bunny or NIMH being unfurry, that's maybe a good point, but then again, they laid some of the modern groundwork for what are considered "furry movies" today... you can't really be a furry if you were too early for the term. And if certain individuals like Don Bluth (NIMH, Titan A.E., All Dogs Go to Heaven, etc.) don't characterize a furry, then I don't know who does. The only evidence I can see for that is that as far as I know, he's never /overtly/ sexualized any character, but surely that's not the only qualifier?

So yeah... ^^;; Why /are/ all these self-acclaimed non-fuurries on a site like this, drawing and writing about anthros and soforth? True, some of them are here strictly for the commisions, but that seems to be the minority.

yeah, its kinda sad really. i like to think that they're just self conscious and by saying they are not a furry that they avoid being labeled by society with all the bad stereotypes. and thats understandable because i know i've personally had to argue that furries are not "people who like to have sex in animal costumes" (granted some us do, but hey, every fandom has their "unique" ones. they're entitled to their opinions and what not so it doesnt bother me really). but i've had to argue in my own defense and other for as long as i can remember, so im used to that pressure and heat, and i know others arent. so maybe thats their way of tricking themselves into thinking they are safe.

unfortunately that whole nice explanation can be thrown out cause i know that some of the people that claim to not be furries are simply stuck up assholes who "dont want to be associated with such people" but of course they want the fame and money anyways. *sigh*

Yeah, that's my guess as to why someone would state they were not a furry. But it's such an empty statement, especially when you've got anthro art plastered all over your own personal corner of a known "furry" site. You wouldn't tell someone "I'm not a freak" and expect them to take your word for it.

And when you get down to defining the word, it varies from person to person, so the only thing you're saying is "I don't consider myself a furry." Oddly enough though, that seems to be worth a lot of credit to some people. As if merely saying you consider yourself a furry means you love and embrace all the negative qualities that come with being in any subculture.

I suppose there's also a difference in how a self-acclaimed "furry" might use the term. It could be to refer to conscious association with the fandom as a whole, or just as a word meaning "person who likes anthro art and animals," which is how I consider its use in my case.

i think it really comes down to defining the word. so many people thing of it so negatively. i've even a few times compared the discrimination gays face with the discrimination furs face. (ignoring that there are many in the fandom that are part of both parties). At school, im somewhat open about my furryness. i dont go around telling random people, but people i've known for awhile, most of them know that im a furry. but they dont understand it the way i see it and so just think its " 'yiffing' animals". And like a lot of fandoms, its kinda hard to describe to someone thats not in it. And as bobcatt pointed out, some companies even look down on it as well because society doesnt know what to do with such "different people". so again i think the people that dont claim to be furry but draw the artwork and frequent the boards, are either stuck up assholes trying to make a buck; or they are just to afraid to face the scorn of society.

It can be very dangerous to compare the discrimination of gays to the discrimination of those who call themselves furries. There are many similarities, but as far as I know, nobody's been killed or raped for being furry. There are still parallels of course, but I think it's very difficult to point them out without seeming to imply that you think both are equally important or dangerous.

Some people really overreact to similar things, though. I once made a passing remark to someone about furry culture, and he seemed absolutely disgusted... he seemed to think that by calling it "culture" I was saying that furry culture is as deep and multifaceted as African culture or something, which I most certainly wasn't. It's simply a word referring to the social structure of any group of any size. I wasn't able to convince him otherwise though. He'd made up his mind the minute I used that word.

There are people out there who don't consider themselves furries but do what we might consider "furry" things (drawing anthros, going to cons, etc), and I actually understand that. There are lots of reasons to think of oneself as something else. But the way some people almost proudly announce that they aren't... I mean, that's great, but it doesn't change the things they actually do. So to tell someone you aren't a furry on your homepage... it just means nothing, really.

yeah, it is dangerous to compare the two. as you said though, im focusing on certain parallels.

the issue is really society. because for some crazy absurd reason its in human programming to assume and judge people almost immediately according to ones own personal beliefs. and few people will even consider trying to be impartial about things, let alone actually do it. i mean, i try to be impartial on a lot of things. but there are times where i simply cant bring myself to do it. and its this problem and how people immediately want to hate someone thats furry or gay or whatever, simply cause they themselves are not like that, and \"if your not my friend, you are my enemy\" comes into play.

Well, it's unfortunate, but I think it's important (albeit difficult) to give people the benefit of the doubt. People, including you and I, all make generalizations because, frankly, we don't have the time or energy to judge people according to their entire tapestry of beliefs and history. I do think people could try a lot harder to be impartial, though. But emotions get in the way along with pre-existing stereotypes and experience, and sometimes people just have prejudices against certain groups that they just don't want to question.

yeah, that about sums it all up rather nicely.

it would certainly be nice if everyone, us included, could work towards being more impartial and accepting.


lol, wow...we've kept this going for an awful long time. my head hurts now XD

XD Think harder, dammit! Work that brain!

\"but it BURNS US!!\"

XD Brain flambe.

Well back int he day the ones who got the conventions and most of the actual social based stuff going pretty much had furry as a lifestyle. But kinda when the internet become more used things exspended to the point you really cannot point your finger down on just one thing. Waaaaaaaaaaaaayyy too many subgroups that clash a lot with mosto the other groups. Surprizing conventions don't turn into bloodbaths due to all the infighting with the sub groups. You get the funny animal types, IE: Mightly Mouse, Dusktails, Tailspin.. the Furry which is pretty much vague and can be slung on most of anything but don't tell them sub groups that. The Anthropromoci types, IE anything that is really really worked into something major like Albedo, Everchaning Palace ect ect. the of course all the sexy derived stuff l and fetishes you find in most any other fandom. Hell it in ever fandom which I find funny Star Trex, Elf Quest, just most of then are better at hiding it. And more mainstream the furry. You also need to remeber that if your anything decent and wish to carry one in the pro market, you have to say your not furry or risk being pretty much blacklisted. Common pratice from most of the bigger industry companies, like Warner, Dizney Lucas Arts, ect ect. The industry see furry as adult only and really don't want em in thier projects, no matter how good you are.

Yes, I suppose they must be referring to the "lifestyle." Even so... a furry "lifestyle" could entail almost anything at this point.

That's an interesting point at the end though; I never thought that there might be a professional motivation. Of course, if you have "I'm not a furry" pasted onto your homepage, it doesn't really make all the adult pictures in your gallery disappear, so that's definitely not the case with some artists who say they aren't furry and draw adult things. At the very least, they wouldn't bother announcing it here.

I don't begrudge the artists their desicion to say they aren't furry, either. Doesn't matter to me. It isn't as though I think, "Okay, you draw anthro art, you're furry, whether you think you are or not." I think it just comes down to what you yourself personally feel. But it's just that so many say it prominently as if it really means something, when as you said, nowadays the definition is really quite vague.

then you got the ones that are into it for the money, drawing a cat girl with large boobs is not really all that hard, somebody is willing to pay for it sure some non furry types will not care as long as they get paid. Pretty much its whateever to customer wants alsong as they fall up to drawing whatever it is. The genner pays more they will lean more towards where the money is at. You don't have to be furry to draw anthro art, must like the old saying about if you drew furry art you were gay.

Yes, unfortunately, some are definitely "in it" just to pawn off porn, probably a lot of the ones who don't consider themselves furry.

ok been rational too log today, be back gotta kill something or blow up something..

LoL! Sounds good about now.