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My thoughts on the FurBQ
13 years ago
This journal is really meant for one person specifically, because Twitter's 140 character limit is not a good way to express most opinions.
Don't be so quick to accept someone's claims just because they are believable. Is it possible this story is true? Yes, of course it's possible. But it would be really shitty to go through life accepting every remotely believable story as fact, wouldn't it? You'd end up believing all sorts of things that aren't true.
This entire debacle rests on one man's claims - a city councilman (I wish I knew the name) who claims to have stumbled upon two fursuiters engaging in some sort "inappropriate behavior" that has never been defined, though it's implied it was sexual. He supposedly had his children with him, and supposedly took a picture.
He will not show the picture to anyone involved, nor will he describe the people in the picture. There is no explanation as to why his children were with him at a municipal complex (which holds only a court house and a police station) on a Saturday evening during a holiday weekend. Despite claiming to see - and have evidence of - criminal behavior, the police were not called or involved in any way. And while I don't know the facts of this part, there is some talk of evidence that he was not even there.
He claims the incident happened in "broad daylight." Sunset happened at 8pm that night, and the party continued until past midnight. That's several hours that passed where the councilman could have had the police or another official confront Tony/Razor or someone from the squad, or have the party shut down. Instead, nobody even heard about this happening until days later.
Meanwhile, according to the squad leader (via Tony/Razor), the town council has been putting pressure on the Twin W squad, looking for any reason to cut their budget or deny them equipment, to save the town money.
The only part of his claim that is remotely credible is that, yes, sometimes fursuiters hump each other. Are you willing to believe that two fursuiters snuck off to do this under the hot sun in 90+ degree heat, and do it on top of a hunk of metal that's been sitting in that sun? I've seen furries do a lot of stupid shit. The majority of it has been either alcohol-related, or just plain juvenile. Very, very little of it has involved inappropriate fursuit sex.
I find it far, far more likely that this councilman is either mistaken or lying. None of the story adds up.
Unfortunately I have no idea what the truth might be. But I'm not willing to take the word of someone who claims to have super-secret evidence that he won't show anyone but seriously it exists, no foolin'.
Don't be so quick to accept someone's claims just because they are believable. Is it possible this story is true? Yes, of course it's possible. But it would be really shitty to go through life accepting every remotely believable story as fact, wouldn't it? You'd end up believing all sorts of things that aren't true.
This entire debacle rests on one man's claims - a city councilman (I wish I knew the name) who claims to have stumbled upon two fursuiters engaging in some sort "inappropriate behavior" that has never been defined, though it's implied it was sexual. He supposedly had his children with him, and supposedly took a picture.
He will not show the picture to anyone involved, nor will he describe the people in the picture. There is no explanation as to why his children were with him at a municipal complex (which holds only a court house and a police station) on a Saturday evening during a holiday weekend. Despite claiming to see - and have evidence of - criminal behavior, the police were not called or involved in any way. And while I don't know the facts of this part, there is some talk of evidence that he was not even there.
He claims the incident happened in "broad daylight." Sunset happened at 8pm that night, and the party continued until past midnight. That's several hours that passed where the councilman could have had the police or another official confront Tony/Razor or someone from the squad, or have the party shut down. Instead, nobody even heard about this happening until days later.
Meanwhile, according to the squad leader (via Tony/Razor), the town council has been putting pressure on the Twin W squad, looking for any reason to cut their budget or deny them equipment, to save the town money.
The only part of his claim that is remotely credible is that, yes, sometimes fursuiters hump each other. Are you willing to believe that two fursuiters snuck off to do this under the hot sun in 90+ degree heat, and do it on top of a hunk of metal that's been sitting in that sun? I've seen furries do a lot of stupid shit. The majority of it has been either alcohol-related, or just plain juvenile. Very, very little of it has involved inappropriate fursuit sex.
I find it far, far more likely that this councilman is either mistaken or lying. None of the story adds up.
Unfortunately I have no idea what the truth might be. But I'm not willing to take the word of someone who claims to have super-secret evidence that he won't show anyone but seriously it exists, no foolin'.
And this is on a site that generally has no qualms about making fun of furries.
I hope both you and Tony come of out of this OK. Regardless of what the public thinks, it's shitty to be on the bad side of someone in government, even someone as generally insignificant as one of five councilmen in a town of 27k people. Neither you two nor the squad deserves any of this.
Nothing happened. At all. This entire thing is blown out of proportion.
And you know my stance on things elsewise. This is a non-issue, blown out of proportion. Nothing happened.
closing complaint: there was a party with lots of drinking and some workers were uncomfortable.
they just slowly retracted the whole thing...
It isn't so much that I'm being quick to accept their allegations, I just found the general response to those allegations a bit silly and naive.
And it's a lot more rare than you think that there are photos of an act in progress. Usually it's eye witness accounts or photos of the aftermath, like in car accidents and stuff. The basis for our court system is innocent until proven guilty! So that's why, bottom line, I still think what the township there is trying to pull is BS.
The media making furries out to be something bad. The mayor putting in his 2 cents.
I'm just very disappointed in how this became a media nightmare.
And that politics is what triumphs in all this.
[shakes head]
I'm almost sweating just from writing the above. It just doesn't make practical sense, much less any other kind.
I find it far, far more likely that this councilman is either mistaken or lying. None of the story adds up.
Above I think is the most important part...
Regardless of the situation, it is unfortunate. Either the BBQ is gone because of a political angle, or because of two people's stupidity, any amount of speculation won't change that fact. It sucks.
1) I've seen some pretty inappropriate stuff done outside of mall entrances in Jersey with fursuits being completely uninvolved.
2) I've seen inappropriate stuff done in public by people without fursuits due to the influence of alcohol.
3) I've seen people do some pretty inappropriate stuff due to the anonymity or attention provided by the internet, much less fursuits.
4) This BBQ has been a long-standing event.
Combine 1, 2, 3, and 4... the odds are probably pretty likely it would happen sometime, or for it to be as likely as political games in NJ.
Without knowing who offending individuals are... I'd really have no reason to doubt it... just because in my lifetime I've seen people do a lot of stupid things... nothing surprises me anymore to be honest.
With regards to photographic evidence... If charges are being filed, that evidence won't become public until a trial is set. Releasing that evidence ahead of time would cause the trial to be thrown out.
Secondly, seeing the pictures won't really make anything better in the long run. Sure, it might give you peace of mind. However, if it did happen, what happens if non-fursuiting folks at the BBQ are in the background? I understand Tony as well as others have had a lot of fallout from this, but what about those folks who were lucky enough to be spared, and just didn't notice what was going on?
Third, two people being in fursuits dehumanizes them to the public. Sure, furries are pretty easy to paint in a bad light, but if now there's photographic evidence, then you just throw in the MTV and CSI episodes and you've got your case pretty much covered as a politician/"journalist". People will care more about that there was a whole group of 'dirty furries' rather than just two individuals.
Now if you assume this is a political game...
For one, it opens up a whole new can of worms. If the politician is willing to stoop so low to cut a budget... it tells you nothing about how low he's willing to stoop. I'm really not familiar with how long he's held a public office, but anyone with experience in manipulating people knows how to motivate a crowd and paint a picture. And to be honest, its pretty darn easy to paint. If the 'evidence' is a photo, all you'd really have to print in the paper is probably a picture of two suiters sitting one behind the other with the right headline, and you have a completely innocent situation turned into fursuit exhibitionism. Sadly, the outcome here really has no bearing on what actually happened. The outcome purely depends on what the township think happened.
People could come out to try and defend it, but when it comes to politics... who is the public going to be more likely to believe? The guy voted into office, or friends of the two fursuit exhibitionists? (not saying they exist, but in regards to the public eye) Are businesses going to come to the aid of the volunteer firehouse and a bunch of fursuiters who donated a few thousand dollars, or the man who helps them get their permits through, and saves them hundreds of thousands a year? How likely is it that this whole episode will become a major topic in the next election?
Of course, there's a third scenario... both of those two cases are extremes. It probably most likely that its a combination of the two. Do I think the councilman and his kids happened to be there without someone noticing? As you said, the fact that no one stopped the party after such an incident seems far-fetched. I'd expect any parent, much less a councilman to demand to speak to the head of the squad, or someone on duty and report the incident then and there.
It could be possible they drove by... the kids were drawn to the costumes, and something could be construed as something sexual. However, in my experience, this is usually on the part of the parent, not the kids. If anything, the kids don't even know something innocuous looks sexual til the parent reacts. The only way I'd think this wouldn't be the case is if someone showed up with A) An anatomically correct fursuit or B) Whipped out actual genitalia.
Personally, the reason I'd suspect the whole debacle took a few days to erupt is the actual 'witness' to the incident was one of the local "journalists". Plop that perfectly angled shot on a desk or show it to the right councilman and you at least earn yourself a few hundred bucks for the paper sales and/or the political gold its worth.
Then again... I've met furries who spend all their money at cons and then resort to begging to get home, beg online pretending to be homeless/jobless/and/or disabled veterans. Heck, I remember one who actually had a cat with a severed leg, begged online to get people to donate for the vet bill, then never even took the cat to the vet. Spend the some 2 grand on conventions and manga... and insisted her cat's leg was 'healing' as its festering leg dragged behind it... 6 months later. I've seen quite a few furries make, some pretty darn stupid and selfish decisions. How likely do you think it is two furries might take the offer equivalent to a PS3 or even an Xbox to pose sexually, in a fursuit, provided their RL identities aren't revealed? I'd say pretty darn likely.
But, there's one thing beyond this whole issue here. You can speculate all you want, and it really won't change the most important thing:
Tony's BBQ was about a bunch of people getting together to have a good time.
The people spotlighted in the incident and people they share social networks with in this whole thing probably won't be able to put their name on the event. Considering the lengths the journalist went through to expose Tony's identity, it wouldn't surprise me to see any of that monitored for the next year, at least. But, if people really want to get together... they'll find a venue, they'll find a day, and a time and make another BBQ.