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A Letter to Idaho Furs, and those who attend Anime Oasis
12 years ago
General
Why I Will Never Return to Anime Oasis, or, on Geek Pissing Contests and Their Inherent Stupidity
It took a year and a half for me to develop the audacity to write this; I am not one for “call outs”. However, if you are a prominent public individual, making public statements, you’re not going to escape public criticism.
When I was in middle school and high school, the highlight of my year was Anime Oasis, the major geeky convention of the Boise area. When I was young, I admired the Anime Oasis chairman, Jeremy Lopett, for his effort, bringing together the event that introduced me to many of my friends -- as well as my girlfriend, Sara. As of today, however. I will never attend another Anime Oasis -- and this person, whom I once looked up to, is the cause.
Sara and I have been members of the local furry fandom -- a group that appreciates anthropomorphic art and media -- for more than three years. In 2012, we participated in FurIdaho, the first furry convention to be successfully held in Idaho.
When the convention date came, despite the lackluster turnout on Friday, the attendance bounced back and by the end of the con the numbers had reached 253 attendees, just short of Fandemonium’s statewide record of 256 attendees at a first-year geek convention -- as well as exceeding Anime Oasis’ first year by a significant margin. The entire staff was ecstatic, not only did FurIdaho not “bomb” as many had anticipated, they managed to put on a pretty damn good con.
Not impressed, Jeremy Lopett took to his Facebook page (public to anyone with a facebook account) claiming that FurIdaho would not be where it was had it not been for conventions before it (which had never been suggested). Even worse, he took to Anime Oasis’ official Facebook page, condescendingly accusing FurIdaho of “Fuzzy Math” when counting attendance. Both posts have since been taken down. Those of us who grew up looking to Anime Oasis as the ideal convention saw this as a slap in the face: the person who inspired us to put together our own convention was now looking down his nose at us with contempt. While he detests them, Jeremy has no issue taking furries’ money and, perhaps, if FurIdaho wouldn’t have had its success without the help of Anime Oasis, it could be said Anime Oasis would not have had its success without all the attendees who supported it all these years -- even the ones Jeremy dislikes.
Simply bashing FurIdaho’s attendance numbers was not a huge offense, but Jeremy seems to have a consistent pattern of ostracizing the furry fandom in general. In another public Facebook post, he claimed to enjoy Pittsburgh Pirates’ games so much he could watch them even with “1,000 furries hanging around, if I had to.” -- suggesting that we are not good enough to “hang around” with Jeremy.
What finally set me off, however, was a story Sara brought back with her from the most recent Tomodachi Fest: while spending time with friends -- and Jeremy -- Jeremy began to rail against fandoms that annoyed him -- including the recently popular “Homestuck” fandom. He then said, “You know what the worst fandom is, though? Furries”, without a hint of respect that Sara was standing right in front of him.
He’s even acted out against the fandom using his own convention. A local Boise fursuiter, A.C. Arment, attending Anime Oasis, entered the cosplay contest in fursuit only to be ejected by Jeremy and escorted out by AO Security. He was not given any official reason why he was booted from the contest, but felt that his presence “aggravated” Jeremy. In the competition there were “other cosplayers that weren’t anime characters” and that it was most likely the fact that he was a fursuiter he was kicked out.
Not long after he was removed from the event, an Anime Oasis staff member -- notably not Jeremy himself -- approached A.C. offering that he judge the cosplay contest in order to make amends. A.C. declined, feeling the gesture was insincere.
I don’t expect Jeremy to like the furry fandom, but, as a head of a convention where many of his attendees do, there at least should be a level of professionalism and respect towards all fandoms -- not exclusively furries -- and not just the ones he’s personally invested in. You don't have to enjoy something to be a decent human being to those that do. Regardless of whether or not someone is interested in the furry fandom, there are aspects to the fandom that can be appreciated. A friend of mine once described furries as “punk rock”; unlike most fandoms, furries’ media is very DIY, predominantly made by small-time artists, fursuit makers, writers, and publishers. This way media is created in our fandom is very unique. “Our popular artists and entertainers are our friends, not our idols.” -- there’s something to be said of the furry fandom’s independent spirit, even if you don’t like talking, bipedal animals.
Jeremy seems to either not understand or not care that many people who attend his convention are often furries; and they attend his convention in spite of his callous and, frankly, inappropriate attitude towards them. As a prominent figure in the local nerd community, he sets a standard for all those within that community. If he marginalizes a section of that community he’s established that it’s acceptable for anyone to do the same. To create a pecking order among geeks by demeaning fandoms other than your own is juvenile and harmful to the community -- especially if you're in a position to be a role model.
Though I haven’t attended the convention in several years, Fandemonium and it’s staff have set a stellar example of being a place welcoming to all. I recall attending a few years ago when furry events were just beginning to be accepted and remember when the staff was up in arms about an incident where someone had harassed a furry panel in the middle of the event. This is the kind of standard that geek leaders should be held to.
The fact remains that the attitude and behavior that Jeremy has towards his paying customers is petty and unacceptable; is there another business you would continue to frequent if the owner resented you? If even half of FurIdaho’s attendance purchased 4-day passes to Anime Oasis, you’re looking at over $5000 in revenue; from how close I hear conventions often cut it, that's sizable.
As for myself, I'm going to continue to boycott the convention I once looked forward to every year -- at least until the management gets over its illusion of superiority and shows decency to all geeks. At the end of the day, how Jeremy treats his congoers is entirely his business choice, but, speaking personally, I'd rather put my money into a con that wants me there over one that'll take my cash then allow its leadership to demean me.
It took a year and a half for me to develop the audacity to write this; I am not one for “call outs”. However, if you are a prominent public individual, making public statements, you’re not going to escape public criticism.
When I was in middle school and high school, the highlight of my year was Anime Oasis, the major geeky convention of the Boise area. When I was young, I admired the Anime Oasis chairman, Jeremy Lopett, for his effort, bringing together the event that introduced me to many of my friends -- as well as my girlfriend, Sara. As of today, however. I will never attend another Anime Oasis -- and this person, whom I once looked up to, is the cause.
Sara and I have been members of the local furry fandom -- a group that appreciates anthropomorphic art and media -- for more than three years. In 2012, we participated in FurIdaho, the first furry convention to be successfully held in Idaho.
When the convention date came, despite the lackluster turnout on Friday, the attendance bounced back and by the end of the con the numbers had reached 253 attendees, just short of Fandemonium’s statewide record of 256 attendees at a first-year geek convention -- as well as exceeding Anime Oasis’ first year by a significant margin. The entire staff was ecstatic, not only did FurIdaho not “bomb” as many had anticipated, they managed to put on a pretty damn good con.
Not impressed, Jeremy Lopett took to his Facebook page (public to anyone with a facebook account) claiming that FurIdaho would not be where it was had it not been for conventions before it (which had never been suggested). Even worse, he took to Anime Oasis’ official Facebook page, condescendingly accusing FurIdaho of “Fuzzy Math” when counting attendance. Both posts have since been taken down. Those of us who grew up looking to Anime Oasis as the ideal convention saw this as a slap in the face: the person who inspired us to put together our own convention was now looking down his nose at us with contempt. While he detests them, Jeremy has no issue taking furries’ money and, perhaps, if FurIdaho wouldn’t have had its success without the help of Anime Oasis, it could be said Anime Oasis would not have had its success without all the attendees who supported it all these years -- even the ones Jeremy dislikes.
Simply bashing FurIdaho’s attendance numbers was not a huge offense, but Jeremy seems to have a consistent pattern of ostracizing the furry fandom in general. In another public Facebook post, he claimed to enjoy Pittsburgh Pirates’ games so much he could watch them even with “1,000 furries hanging around, if I had to.” -- suggesting that we are not good enough to “hang around” with Jeremy.
What finally set me off, however, was a story Sara brought back with her from the most recent Tomodachi Fest: while spending time with friends -- and Jeremy -- Jeremy began to rail against fandoms that annoyed him -- including the recently popular “Homestuck” fandom. He then said, “You know what the worst fandom is, though? Furries”, without a hint of respect that Sara was standing right in front of him.
He’s even acted out against the fandom using his own convention. A local Boise fursuiter, A.C. Arment, attending Anime Oasis, entered the cosplay contest in fursuit only to be ejected by Jeremy and escorted out by AO Security. He was not given any official reason why he was booted from the contest, but felt that his presence “aggravated” Jeremy. In the competition there were “other cosplayers that weren’t anime characters” and that it was most likely the fact that he was a fursuiter he was kicked out.
Not long after he was removed from the event, an Anime Oasis staff member -- notably not Jeremy himself -- approached A.C. offering that he judge the cosplay contest in order to make amends. A.C. declined, feeling the gesture was insincere.
I don’t expect Jeremy to like the furry fandom, but, as a head of a convention where many of his attendees do, there at least should be a level of professionalism and respect towards all fandoms -- not exclusively furries -- and not just the ones he’s personally invested in. You don't have to enjoy something to be a decent human being to those that do. Regardless of whether or not someone is interested in the furry fandom, there are aspects to the fandom that can be appreciated. A friend of mine once described furries as “punk rock”; unlike most fandoms, furries’ media is very DIY, predominantly made by small-time artists, fursuit makers, writers, and publishers. This way media is created in our fandom is very unique. “Our popular artists and entertainers are our friends, not our idols.” -- there’s something to be said of the furry fandom’s independent spirit, even if you don’t like talking, bipedal animals.
Jeremy seems to either not understand or not care that many people who attend his convention are often furries; and they attend his convention in spite of his callous and, frankly, inappropriate attitude towards them. As a prominent figure in the local nerd community, he sets a standard for all those within that community. If he marginalizes a section of that community he’s established that it’s acceptable for anyone to do the same. To create a pecking order among geeks by demeaning fandoms other than your own is juvenile and harmful to the community -- especially if you're in a position to be a role model.
Though I haven’t attended the convention in several years, Fandemonium and it’s staff have set a stellar example of being a place welcoming to all. I recall attending a few years ago when furry events were just beginning to be accepted and remember when the staff was up in arms about an incident where someone had harassed a furry panel in the middle of the event. This is the kind of standard that geek leaders should be held to.
The fact remains that the attitude and behavior that Jeremy has towards his paying customers is petty and unacceptable; is there another business you would continue to frequent if the owner resented you? If even half of FurIdaho’s attendance purchased 4-day passes to Anime Oasis, you’re looking at over $5000 in revenue; from how close I hear conventions often cut it, that's sizable.
As for myself, I'm going to continue to boycott the convention I once looked forward to every year -- at least until the management gets over its illusion of superiority and shows decency to all geeks. At the end of the day, how Jeremy treats his congoers is entirely his business choice, but, speaking personally, I'd rather put my money into a con that wants me there over one that'll take my cash then allow its leadership to demean me.
Idk all I can really say and think about right now is how I recently upset someone because I wasn't very sex neutral in my group's description and lots of FtM transgenders kept joining.
I may not have an opinion that agrees with their definitions, and I may be unwilling to compromise my personal belief that there is still a sex and gender difference.
However, I have come to realize that it's a cause that has picked up many FtM people as a place they can feel comfortable in expressing themselves, and for good reason. I also had to realize (and I do know this from personal experience so now I feel a little bad that I ought to have "known better" or the like) that there are women out there, particularly MtF trans, that identify as female but keep the parts they were born with.
So I have to set some of my own ideals and opinions aside and try my hardest to make the group neutral. I told the person upset with me outright my opinions but tried to reconcile and state I understood the reasons that neutrality was necessary despite my own opinions.
I told this upset individual that I was accepting of the fact there are many scientific labels and concepts that I do not necessarily agree with, which is actually a big reason I'm not in the Science Furs group anymore. So I didn't really mind if in the end my opinions were to the degree the individual could not feasibly feel comfortable supporting us.