It all started with this...

(2:59:25 PM) Syphir: Haku have you noticed how like 95% of furs, I've noticed, are always in a rut?
(3:00:42 PM) Syphir: I go onto FA and all I see is "hey, I'm poor - please paypal me 20 dollars"
(3:01:44 PM) Haku (AIM): thats a loaded question, actually i should make a journal entry about it

So why does it seem like so many furs are so poor?


Reason #1: Perception.

Simply put, poor flurries tend make themselves more visible than "rich" ones.

The furries that need money, ask for money.
Furs that don't need money, don't ask for money.

What types of posts do you think you`ll you see on FA or LJ more often, "Im so awesomely rich!?" or "Im so poor that I ate my toenail scum"... likely the latter...

Poor furs basically put their financial status out here more often.

Don`t get me wrong, I`m not saying that all poorfurs bitch and moan all the time. That sort of information can come up as innocently as a standard conversation:
Haku: "Hey you going to super-expensive-con `09 this year?"
PoorFur: "Nah man, im poor."
Haku: "How poor are you?"
PoorFur: "Im so poor I cant afford Intern..."

Obviously, PoorFur wasn't complaining to me about their status, but I still learned about it.


Reason #2: Social Skills

Ok, Im going to tread on this one lightly, but I think I can get a pretty solid consensus here. There is a significant portion of the fandom that uh.... how to put nicely.... were not the popular kids in school.

There can be numerous reasons for this, but the fact remains... some of us come off as creepy, some of us come off as quiet, some of us come off as awkward. This lack of social grace translates into real life, sadly.

Many of you, are furry due of the ability of other furs to accept you. Our ability to accept others is a great aspect of the fandom, but like it or not, we are somewhat a dumpster of the "unpopular kids" as far as social groups go.

I have plenty of friends that never finished high school or college due to the fact they were pretty much ostracized in their classroom. Many of them left school due to the harsh nature of school. This in turn, led to little or no real job skills. For most, less education tends to lead to less pay.

Secondly, even if you are the most well versed person in the world in your field, if you cant get through a job interview like a normal person, you aren't gonna get the job. There are a few furs I know that interviewed at my place of employment. They are, in many ways, smarter than I am. They didn't get the job. Why? because they are cant talk to a stranger worth crap.


Reason #3: Demographics

Most furs tend to be under the age of 30. I`d even guess that something like 50% are under the age of 25.

This is due to the fact that the acceptance of the internet is much higher for those under 30 AND the fact that the fandom is centered strongly around an online presence.

Demographics for anyone (not just furs) show that people under the age of 30 tend to get paid less. Its just life.

Many under the age of 24, are often students... students are always poor.

Trends show, as you get older, you to get paid more. I suspect as the fandom gets older on average, you`ll start to notice more of your peers stabilize.

Of course, there will always be the poorfugs, and there will always be new "kids" joining the fandom, so the "issue" will never really go away.


So whaddya think? Discuss amongst yourselves...

Reason #4: Its your fault
...annnnd here we go. Its your fault. No, seriously. ITS. YOUR. FAULT. Ok, so this doesn't apply to everyone, but a lot of you. Get off your ass, stop playing wow, and go read a book. LEARN SOMETHING! For craps sake!

PS. The term "poorfur" is now copyright me! If you use it, PAY UP! Im poor, and I need the royalties. :3