Name's Fair. And I'm here to learn about furries.

[Fair's Fair]

Hello! I'm Fair! A hare who is used as a disassociation perspective to be a bit more objective on my channel!

So I do some videos defending ideas that are unfairly attacked. And given that one of my first twitter followers has a Furry-looking avatar, I figured I should know something about the community. Cus the internet is full of edge lord-y types espousing anti-furry jargon and frankly I like the idea of them finding my video one day and crying about it. So this might be partly spite motivated.

To start, I simply can't believe it's all about p*rn. And a great many don't make suits. So what is the furry community? What makes someone a furry?

You seem a very welcoming/tolerant fandom, do you not suffer the divides that other fandoms do?(Star wars is having some bad years...)

I can understand liking the fantasy of a world where characters are relatable yet have social/physical differences that alter the whole of the worldbuilding. Zootopia was a great example of it. Is there more? Or is that the draw? Like how medieval fantasy fans like elves and dwarves etc?

Also can all of the above be answered without politics? I'm not about that on my channel.

Feel free to check me out if you're sus that I'm messing with you. You don't have to watch or follow, any info you can offer is plenty of help. This isn't all the research I'm doing so no pressure.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Fair Balance Even
@FairsFairTweets

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTHos75YEm4Uy6GmPV7edw)

 

[The_biscuits_532]

I'd say it's closest to a cultural movement. In what way a person interprets it is up to them but the core is simply representing oneself as an animal, whether that be anthropomorphic or otherwise. From what I remember the original furries started up in response to Disney, believing that using animals in place of humans could be better than just cutesy mickey-mouse esque stuff (See: Fritz the Cat, or Beastars as good examples of stuff that leans into the original idea), but now with the advent of the internet the idea is more decentralised and up to personal interpretation. For some, it is purely sexual, for others, it may be a comfort thing. Some may just be artists wanting exposure and practise.

Apologies for the rant lmao, that may not be entirely accurate but that's my thoughts.

 

[EmpressCiela]

I'll try to keep my answers brief. I'm very prone to rambling when it comes to this topic, so bear with me ^w^

So what is the furry community? What makes someone a furry?

In it's rawest form, it's a community of mostly like-minded individuals who are brought together by a shared love/fascination/infatuation/etc towards anthropomorphic animal characters. As long as someone meets that condition, they're a furry. Of course, you'll meet a good number of people saying "you need to have a fursona/characters" or "you need to be able to write." I've even heard "you have to be able to write or draw." Which stung because I can do both, but I'm a primarily a musician. And aside from that, a lot of people can't do any of that. Boiled down to it's purest form, what makes a furry is simply a love of anthropomorphism, specifically anthropomorphic animals.

Past this point, a lot of factors come into play when defining or describing certain things, so I'll do my best to be as objective as I can.

You seem a very welcoming/tolerant fandom, do you not suffer the divides that other fandoms do?(Star wars is having some bad years...)

A lot of us pride ourselves on how accepting the majority of the fandom is, and for good reason. However, perfection is a fallacy, and division is an inevitability, even within the fandom. Whether the catalyst is superficial and minor or big enough to affect a large part of the fandom or the fandom as a whole, division is all too common. Though I supposed that goes for any group of people given enough time.

I can understand liking the fantasy of a world where characters are relatable yet have social/physical differences that alter the whole of the worldbuilding. Zootopia was a great example of it. Is there more? Or is that the draw? Like how medieval fantasy fans like elves and dwarves etc?

I can't speak for everyone, but for those like me.....kinda? The worldbuilding aspect is one facet of it - mind you, an extremely fun and educational aspect - but it's just that: a facet. Some like the character creation side more, some like roleplay more, some like to just exist as an idealized and unique version of themselves or an embodiment of themselves that they display to like-minded individuals (hence the play on "persona") in order to bypass things like social anxiety. There's a LOT more to it all. But in order to discover it all, you'll need to speak to every furry out there, as the reasons are as diverse as the people themselves.

 

[Fair's Fair]

I'll try to keep my answers brief. I'm very prone to rambling when it comes to this topic, so bear with me ^w^


A lot of us pride ourselves on how accepting the majority of the fandom is, and for good reason. However, perfection is a fallacy, and division is an inevitability, even within the fandom. Whether the catalyst is superficial and minor or big enough to affect a large part of the fandom or the fandom as a whole, division is all too common. Though I supposed that goes for any group of people given enough time.

Wow, thank you! This is a really comprehensive answer!

Don't worry about rambling, if you'd seen my videos you'd know I have a bad habit of restating things.

Only 2 follow-ups if that's okay, comprehensive answers are valuable and I want to get as much as I can from a good source.

1) Can you give me an example of a non-political division? I have seen some political ones but those aren't fandom specific. Are reptile/birds a big one? Is there major split between the lewder side of the fandom or is it "live and let live?"

2) And I couldn't help but notice you didn't mention the lewd side. Is it smaller than one might expect? Are many furries ashamed of it? (Don't be, r34 is unstoppable.) I feel there's a lot of focus on it from outside, do you think this gives it an unfairly big spotlight compared to a larger whole? Or is it really as ubiquitous as one might think? Surfing around the forums shows a MASSIVE community, it feels almost iceberg-ish. I feel like I've been lied to, expecting some greasy smut-den like the antis said it was.

edit: do you mind if your username is in the video?(Screen-caps and the like.) It's easy to just not include it if you'd prefer I not.

 

[EmpressCiela]

1) Can you give me an example of a non-political division? I have seen some political ones but those aren't fandom specific. Are reptile/birds a big one? Is there major split between the lewder side of the fandom or is it "live and let live?"

I actually haven't seen a lot of reptile/bird discourse (hell, the two are pretty tight-knit in my experience) but there is one that does involve reptiles: scalies vs furries. I'm willing to bet that most people you talk to on both sides, whether they have reptilian/scaled characters (snakes, dragons, wyverns, etc) or furred characters, will refer to themselves as "furries." The name is more of a banner we all unite under nowadays. However, there are some that separate the two. Some scalies hate being called furries and consider themselves part of another group separate from furries, and some furries believe that only characters with fur can be classified as "furries." (no one tell them about plumage XD)

2) And I couldn't help but notice you didn't mention the lewd side. Is it smaller than one might expect? Are many furries ashamed of it? (Don't be, r34 is unstoppable.) I feel there's a lot of focus on it from outside, do you think this gives it an unfairly big spotlight compared to a larger whole? Or is it really as ubiquitous as one might think? Surfing around the forums shows a MASSIVE community, it feels almost iceberg-ish. I feel like I've been lied to, expecting some greasy smut-den like the antis said it was.

A good point. There's also a reason I didn't touch on it in the previous question either: the NSFW side of the fandom is it's own MASSIVE beast. I myself am a contributor to that, but more on the irl lewd side (for now). The lewd side of the fandom is still a part of the fandom, and no matter how hard people try to disown, downplay, or erase it, it'll be there. Such is human nature. That being said, if you poke around the different nooks and crannies that make up the fandom for long enough, you'll notice that there is a very sturdy wall between SFW/NSFW content (<--- this will be important in a bit). That is for the simple fact that there are minors within the fandom. I'm pretty sure that I don't need to explain why minors consuming NSFW content or otherwise being involved with it is wrong on multiple legal and moral fronts. Of course, walls can have holes, and this one is no exception. But the separation is WIDELY enforced in the fandom (aside from an underbelly of people who really do not deserve to be in this fandom, but that's a different discussion entirely.)

Note that the separation is only with content, though. Not people (again, excluding minors and....unsavory individuals.). People can hop back and forth across the wall as they please and there's nothing wrong with it. Where outsiders begin to take umbrage with it all is when they take a look at it all (usually a superficial or biased look) and see any of these following things. Note that this list is not comprehensive:

• A knowledge and welcoming of a WIDE variety of kinks and fetishes that may go against the status quo/normalcy
• An knowledge and acceptance of sexuality and sensuality that may go against the status quo/normalcy
• An embrace of sexual deviancy that certainly goes against the status quo/normalcy

See the pattern?

Basically, they see things that aren't exactly common in every day life being flaunted about like it's nothing. They don't exactly understand it or their biases and pre-conceived notions lead them to a refutation of understanding. As humans, when we don't understand something, we look for ways to come to an understanding. Sadly, as complacency and laziness are all to prevalent in the Information Age, they do little (if any) research and come to any number of conclusions that involve us all being sex freaks that love dressing up as fictional animals and banging 24/7, bestiality lovers, pedophiles, criminals, etc, or some combination of those. And unfortunately, they're not 100% wrong. We all know there are some EXTREMELY horrid people that are a part of this fandom, and we do what we can to ceremoniously eject them. Usually to the proper authorities. But we're not all sexual deviants. Some of us don't even partake in the NSFW side of the fandom. There are kids, parents, spouses, teachers, and more that call the fandom home, and of course there are actual deviants, but responsibility - sexual or not - is what binds us at the end of the day. We have the responsibility to keep this notoriously accepting group safe for everyone, and I daresay we do just that 90% of the time. No one's perfect.

sorry. I might have gone off on a bit of a tangent

edit: do you mind if your username is in the video?(Screen-caps and the like.) It's easy to just not include it if you'd prefer I not.

Go for it! I don't mind at all.

 

[PinchRib]

educational thread, i'm reading a lot

i'd wonder what the difference is in the art community between furries and regular fan or original content artists -- that's nothing to say of the difference between fandom cosplay and furry cosplay which is usually based on a player's own original character (not so many fur suits of beastar characters, instead original furs, but plenty of fan cosplay for any other popular anime, and you might see OC cosplays in recognizable IPs like homsetuck that allow some elbow-room for brand/content recognition).

the art in the furry community tends to go above and beyond, even (or especially) in the nsfw category -- see again early start in movies like fritz the cat or even howard duck.

which leads me to the theory batted around about animal characters vs human ones -- there's an escapist degree of separation when we draw characters as anthropomorphized, which is actively applied to gen and all-audience cartoons in order to more comfortably explore themes of peril or personal growth. the disney robin hood movie was more charming and market-approachable because it was a cast of animals, not a cast of adult human cartoons.

in fact, a great deal of cartoons aimed at western-market all-audience, if they use human characters, will feature a child or young person as the main protag -- (steven universe, adventure time, idk proud family). but if a story for a film doesn't have room for child characters, instead there are animals to 'soften' what would amount to pretty adult themes (zootopia: racism and police brutality).

that's not saying that nsfw furries are somehow immature, BUT there is if not a need, then a resting place for degrees of separation when engaging in sexual fantasy, and that just happens to happen with cartoon animal people (or, in knowing the internet artist cache in general, with just plain cartoons).

in fact, cartoons and comics originally featured extremely adult themes like murder, substance abuse and sex but coded over with animal characters and rebranded as humor. when a human and non-cartoon character steps on a rake and loses all his teeth piano-key style, we wince and probably wonder what the point was of even seeing that. when a villainous dogman in a goofy cartoon short does the same, we're allowed to laugh, because that character isn't human and isn't animal, they're an impossible avatar representing something that can't come to actual harm.

that's degree of separation.

 

[Troj]

Me personally, I've always loved and been fascinated by nature, science, animals, and non-human beings. All other things being equal, I'd rather watch a movie or read a story about non-human creatures (including, but not limited to, A.I.'s, aliens, and anthro characters) than regular ol' people.

Just throwing out a tentative theory, I think many of us felt lonely or alienated growing up on account of being LGBTQ, autistic, disabled, or otherwise "different" from those around us. Many furries report having been bullied as youngsters. Many of us took refuge in cartoons, movies, books, and folktales while growing up, which often featured animal characters, and/or we had a special bond with a pet, or with Nature itself.

I'd also tentatively suggest that taking joy and pride in our fursonas allows some of us to effectively take control of the dehumanization that has been foisted upon many of us by the outside world. When the world treats you as non-human or less-than-human in some capacity, channeling that into creating a fursona can allow you to turn those lemons into lemonade.

But, it may just be as simple as the fact that animals are just interesting and cool, and lots of people have warm, fuzzy (ha) feelings towards the things they enjoyed in their youth, including cartoons and fanciful tales about talking critters.

Many (but not all of us) are additionally passionate about fursuiting/cosplay/mascotting. I'd say fursuiting is my raison d'etre, personally. It allows me to express various facets of myself that I don't always get to express otherwise and also be validated for, and it allows me to entertain people, make them happy, and sometimes, even, surprise them or make them think in a powerful way.

 

[KD142000]

1. I'd say the furry community is based on what it says on the tin: A liking for anthropomorphic animals or animals with human qualities such as intelligence, mannerisms and personalities. Looking at two products that feature these, here: Winnie the Pooh and The Lion King (the latter being what many furries claim to be the film that kickstarted their 'furryness').

In Winnie the Pooh, all characters except for 1 (that one being Eeyore), walk upright. All characters within it are capable of speech, independent thought and other human-like qualities. Some even theorise they display symptoms of real-life disorders such as ADHD, depression and OCD. Though that's just a theory and I doubt A.A Milne intended it to be that way.

Whereas, in The Lion King, everyone pretty much walks the same as their real-life animal counterparts, yet are capable of other human-like things as said above. I think what we see in these movies is something almost relatable. We feel connected to these characters even though they are animals. As for anything else, it's up to the individual what they find most inspiring or interesting.

What makes someone a furry? It really is quite vague. If we go on the basis of it's just liking anthro or animal characters, then technically, toddlers could be considered furries...but that's obviously not the case. I think the 'liking' is on a scale of sorts, measuring how much interest in the character or concept there is. Furries are at the higher end of that scale and will hold onto that appreciation post-childhood. I think that works out?

You could say that being within the fandom itself is what makes you a furry, as you're in contact with people like you who share the same interest. But like I said, the answer is very vague and I don't know of anyone who knows the answer for sure.

I'd suggest watching a documentary not done by a hater or a furry as both are incredibly biased if you want to learn about the fandom's origins and primary influences. I've still yet to watch one, myself.


2. There are many divides. The main one seems to be politics-related, but I won't go into that since it's banned on this site now.

Other divides include your opinion on certain kinds of artwork and what should/shouldn't be drawn/shown where and to whom. Topics in that camp fall into p*rn territory, so I won't go into any more detail.


3. This one I'm confused by. Do you mean is there more media than just Zootopia or things like Zootopia that interest furries? Or do you mean is there more to it than just the anthropomorphic characters and the resulting worldbuilding?

I'd say yes to both questions and it all depends on personal tastes. Some might enjoy any product if it has anthro characters in them. Some might see massive benefit in fleshed out lore and worldbuilding. Some might find it more entertaining/dramatic/funny/etc if it has those characters.

Beastars was probably the most recent furry craze (which I personally don't like, but it's a fact that the community is influenced by it). Others include Disney's Robin Hood and The Lion King.

Sorry if these aren't as in-depth as you'd like.

By the way, I have checked out your channel and if you're making a video based on this experience, I look forward to seeing it :3
Thanks for coming to us with this attitude. It's rare we get asked by someone outside the community on a reasonable level!

 

[Fair's Fair]

Beastars was probably the most recent furry craze (which I personally don't like, but it's a fact that the community is influenced by it). Others include Disney's Robin Hood and The Lion King.

Sorry if these aren't as in-depth as you'd like.

By the way, I have checked out your channel and if you're making a video based on this experience, I look forward to seeing it :3
Thanks for coming to us with this attitude. It's rare we get asked by someone outside the community on a reasonable level!

Ah yes, I watched beastars. The way they work off the world they created with this feeling of inevitability of life's events was kind of amazing. Always a bit skeptical going into an anime, the junk ones are a dime a dozen but the gems shine like diamond! Also "The fox and the hound" was my first taste of a bittersweet ending.

No mind to it! These have all been rather helpful as a cumulative average is good for picking out the real deep similarities.

Oh thank god, tbh I really need the views XD. It may be a while though, I'm at least 2 scripts deep and this isn't even one of them yet.


And same as EmpressCiela, let me know if you want your screenname censored in the video.

 

[KD142000]

Ah yes, I watched beastars. The way they work off the world they created with this feeling of inevitability of life's events was kind of amazing. Always a bit skeptical going into an anime, the junk ones are a dime a dozen but the gems shine like diamond! Also "The fox and the hound" was my first taste of a bittersweet ending.

No mind to it! These have all been rather helpful as a cumulative average is good for picking out the real deep similarities.

Oh thank god, tbh I really need the views XD. It may be a while though, I'm at least 2 scripts deep and this isn't even one of them yet.


And same as EmpressCiela, let me know if you want your screenname censored in the video.

I'm totally fine with my screen-name being in videos. Thanks for asking, though! That's very good of you.

Good luck with your future videos. I'll subscribe and keep up to date.

 

[Pomorek]

Hello and welcome!

If you don't mind my two cents on the topic (and I *like to* think I've seen quite a bit, being part of the fandom for over a dozen years now): in broad outline, I would define the whole furry phenomenon as anthropomorphic animals regarded with mature approach. As opposed to being aimed mainly at younger audience, which dominates in the mainstream culture. For some people (like me), the interest just never dies, and as they take it with them into their adult years, it takes more adult forms accordingly.

And that is, including but not limited to erotic themes. I honestly can't answer whether the "lewd side" is smaller or larger than one might expect, not being an outsider I don't know what the expectations would be. It is there, simply, and it's huge. But it's not everything there is. We've got a good deal of folks who are into the furry stuff because of fursuiting, worldbuilding, stories, art, friendships & community, identity matters etc. and couldn't be bothered about the "lewd side". Also, one of the "founding works" of the furry fandom (unfortunately seeming slightly forgotten these days?...), the "Albedo Anthropomorphics" comic, is a military sci-fi type of story, not an erotica. Because as far as I know, in the beginnings the fandom itself has "budded off" from more general sci-fi.

There don't have to be any hard separation. A person's interest can be composed of both erotic matters and completely SFW worldbuilding & fursuiting in equal measure, for example. There also can be seemingly counterintuitive phenomena. Such as the comments on erotic art very often being well-cultured, appreciative, positive, and not at all lewd in themselves. I've seen a lot of this on the mainsite gallery, and it was kinda surprising in the beginning. Also the furry conventions, they seem to be leaning strongly towards the SFW side. Someone more experienced would have to speak up, I'm not a con-goer myself (for geoghraphical reasons only, it's all to far away), but aside from the art trade which may well contain erotic content, the remainder of the event appears to be SFW. Also for what I've heard, the infamous "sex in fursuits" which the outsiders seem to think it's all about, is actually very marginal thing.

With this all said, the biggest divide within the fandom I can think of on the spot is the conflict between the more entrenched NSFW and SFW sides occasionally flaring up, despite everything. This is not a very huge issue when considering the big picture, and the vast majority seems to be living together quite happily, no matter what one's "level of engagement" would be. But unfortunately there can be some people who would like to push their own point of view onto the other side. Then someone from that other side gets provoked, we start having accusations flying back and forth, and a local flamewar is ready.

Okay, that's all I can think of at the moment... If you have any further questions, I'm happy to assist.

I'd also tentatively suggest that taking joy and pride in our fursonas allows some of us to effectively take control of the dehumanization that has been foisted upon many of us by the outside world. When the world treats you as non-human or less-than-human in some capacity, channeling that into creating a fursona can allow you to turn those lemons into lemonade.

Very much this! Thank you for putting into words what I felt all along but never could verbalize.

 

[Troj]

Thoughts on the After-Dark Side of the Fandom:

• The fandom has a sizable contingent of younger folks.
• The fandom has a sizable contingent of LGBTQ folks.
• The fandom has a sizable contingent of neurodivergent folks.

Put it all together, and you'll get a fair number of people who are in the process of exploring and figuring out how to express who they are in various aspects--including their sexuality--and appreciate having a safe space for that exploration and expression. Lots of people first realize they're LGBTQ in the fandom, often (but not solely) as a result of creating a fursona and "testing it out" through art, stories, roleplays, and interactions with their fellow furries.

Sexuality is a part of who we are---so, it stands to reason that it'll inform aspects of an alter ego we create who's meant to represent aspects of our present selves and our aspirational selves. (Sidenote: Most furries create fursonas that comprise some aspects of their real/current self, and some aspects of their idealized self. The research suggests that creating a fursona that is a balanced mix of both aspirational traits and present traits is commonly associated with better mental health functioning.)

The common mistake people (especially Americans) make that I reckon is born of small-minded Puritanism is to want furries to be Madonnas or Whores, and so then furries feel forced into that narrow binary. Furries are people at the end of the day. Just because somebody has some kinks or an "after-dark side" doesn't mean that that's all who they are and what they're about. I'm of the view that people should be free to enjoy what they enjoy as long as it doesn't involve or especially, harm non-consenting parties. I'm also of the view that furries have been unfairly scapegoated as horndogs, when a cursory glance at almost any community will reveal an equal (if sometimes concealed or denied) level of horniness, because humans be humans.

 

[Fair's Fair]

Sexuality is a part of who we are---so, it stands to reason that it'll inform aspects of an alter ego we create who's meant to represent aspects of our present selves and our aspirational selves. (Most furries create fursonas that comprise some aspects of their real/current self, and some aspects of their idealized self. The research suggests that creating a fursona that is a balanced mix of both aspirational traits and present traits is associated with better mental health functioning.)

The common mistake people (especially Americans) make that I reckon is born of small-minded Puritanism is to want furries to be Madonnas or Whores, and so then furries feel forced into that narrow binary. Furries are people at the end of the day. Just because somebody has some kinks or an "after-dark side" doesn't mean that that's all who they are and what they're about. I'm of the view that people should be free to enjoy what they enjoy as long as it doesn't involve or especially, harm non-consenting parties. I'm also of the view that furries have been unfairly scapegoated as horndogs, when a cursory glance at almost any community will reveal an equal (if sometimes concealed or denied) level of horniness, because humans be humans.

"represent aspects of our present selves and our aspirational selves." "aspects of their idealized self."
You've accidentally touched on one of the true criticisms of the fandom. A welcoming and supportive community though it may be, I've seen that backfire on writing. Like most people, furries tend to aspire high. This results in many fursona-inserts and custom stories having some dreadful writing. I love that there aren't elitist asshats talking down to aspiring writers, but a caring hand leading to well explained resources wouldn't go awry... People seem almost afraid to point out glaring flaws of storytelling. Is realistically analyzing a story frowned upon? I feel that singing praise on poor writing choices just sets them up for grander failure.

"The common mistake people (especially Americans) make that I reckon is born of small-minded Puritanism"
I'll 100% level with you here. I have seen absolutely no reason to believe that Americans hold some major majority on the assumption of perversion/drama of furries. And "Puritanism" hasn't held large sway for decades, certainly not in it's original form anyway. Perhaps your perspective from within the fandom exposes you to a disproportionately large amount of Anti-s?

"unfairly scapegoated as horndogs"
As a whole? Yes, you're correct. Though, like anime, the fact that much of it can be made digitally without being too different from the source means that erotic elements are easier to produce. Add to that, the fact that there isn't as massive a field as anime means that much of the community has to learn to create more if they want more. Disney's old artists can tell you, let an artist doodle and a lewd will come forth eventually. The relatively easier to learn to reproduce art (in that everyone has a computer nowadays and freeware art programs are getting good, ease of tool access) coupled with the OVERWHELMINGLY large percentage of creators has resulted in a larger lewd section compared to the overall number of people in the fandom. That's in no way what the fandom is about it would appear, and there may well be more non-lewd than lewd, but it's shear mass is undeniable.

Based purely on the lack of gatekeeping, I think I like your fandom more than most. Though if you've seen my content you'd know that I don't really like fandoms. Bias and reflex-defense are a staple of fandoms, neither promote betterment. But the bile pushed about furries makes me feel like I've been lied to. There's average families just hanging out drawing wholesome pictures with no need for more. There's entire SFW ONLY forums. Gonna be an interesting video.

Let me know if you want your username left out of the video.

 

[Troj]

You've accidentally touched on one of the true criticisms of the fandom. A welcoming and supportive community though it may be, I've seen that backfire on writing. Like most people, furries tend to aspire high. This results in many fursona-inserts and custom stories having some dreadful writing. I love that there aren't elitist asshats talking down to aspiring writers, but a caring hand leading to well explained resources wouldn't go awry... People seem almost afraid to point out glaring flaws of storytelling. Is realistically analyzing a story frowned upon? I feel that singing praise on poor writing choices just sets them up for grander failure.

As a writer myself, I'm inclined to agree.

The furry fandom is sometimes too gentle and tolerant for its own good in some respects. People who'd benefit from constructive feedback or appropriate criticism don't always receive it, and this means they don't grow was much as they could. This applies to both art and general behavior. This may be the result of a lot of people having endured bullying and abuse, and not wanting to hurt others in the same way, or be perceived as hurting others.

Then, there are people (often eager young whippersnappers) who arguably go too far the other way, and appoint themselves the Grand High Arbiters of Right and Wrong, and that definitely leads to drama (especially on social media).

I have seen absolutely no reason to believe that Americans hold some major majority on the assumption of perversion/drama of furries.

Here's the contrast that I see:

I've seen European reports on the fandom that have included brief screenshots of erotic art, and treated that with calm, professional nonchalance.

When American media has covered the fandom, as a general rule, they've historically drooled and hooted over the idea of people having orgies in animal costumes. To counter that harmful, inaccurate, and salacious narrative, folks have had to veer to the opposite extreme--and, I'm not complaining, because that's probably what needs to happen to properly course-correct here. I hope that we can someday find a sane middle ground between "Everything is about sex" and "Nothing is about sex." I don't like that we have act sex-negative or sex-averse just to get it through people's skulls that furries are just fans of a thing, and furcons are just another type of geek con.

(And, yes, I've seen disrespectful and crass media portrayals of furries from Australia and Britain, too.)

Speaking broadly, I'd say Americans as a culture are weird about sex. We're fascinated by it, drawn to it, scared of it, and repulsed by it all at once, much like kids who just discovered potty humor. Where a lot of the rest of the world is nonchalant about sex and repulsed by violence, we Americans are often nonchalant about violence, and repulsed by sex.

Historically, LGBTQ people in particular have often been perceived or depicted as being more inherently sexual than cishet people---and, indeed, furries are predominantly LGBTQ, so maybe there's a common thread here.

Furries were also early adopters of the Internet, so I'd suggest our weird and dirty laundry arguably got hung out on the clothesline first, before many other fandoms had even arrived to the party. Nowadays, hopefully most Internet-savvy people know that everybody's weird, horny, and drama-prone, because humans are humans.

 

[Fair's Fair]

When American media

Ah, there's the issue. Media would also have me believe that all gamers are violent psychopaths. Or that Anime fans are all unemployed NEETs.

everybody's weird, horny, and drama-prone, because humans are humans.

I think they may have written that in the center of a board and branched out until it just naturally became twitter.

Oooh a writing fan! Hol' up while I hard drift 8 lanes to a tangent exit ramp. Are you by any chance a fan of Possum Reviews? He's acerbic as all hell but he knows his writing. He was part of my inspiration for my channel.

 

[Troj]

I actually don't know of Possum Reviews, so I'll check 'em out! Thanks for the recommendation.

Yeah, the mass media typically goes for what'll draw the most clicks, likes, shares, advertisers, and eyeballs, sadly. It is what it is---but, I'm happy that more recently, the media has started to see that positive stories about the fandom can be at least as interesting, compelling, and newsworthy as the tabloid bullshit---even more so, I'd argue!

 

[Trevorbluesquirrel]

For me, it allows me to do things I'd never do usually! Dance in public, hug people, more easily meet new folks cause you know you have a common interest...............................

You also get to be more anonymous, no one has to know your real name, what you really look like, you have other folks you can talk to about weird or niche subjects!

Some of this is specifically about fursuiting, but some is for non suiters too!

For artists, animals are more interesting to draw, you can do more odd ideas with them, and have an audience that will shell out big bucks for your work, sometimes!

You get to be creative and imaginative with your sona, and try impossible or dangerous things with your fictional characters, express ideas and thoughts with others that will just ''GET YOU!''

Like how an actor gets to portray exciting, powerful, or evil characters different than themselves, we also get to act out roles that are fun, and do things we wish we could do in reality!

To wrap up, Furry is just a hobby, a form of recreation we enjoy in our spare leisure time! Some like bowling, golf, knitting, boating, gardening...................................we like costumes, art, and characters, much like fans of comics, Anime, and Science Fiction!

Without a source material, merely a broad topic, we get to create nearly everything ourselves, and making something original just feels good! And satisfying!

Also, this is 1 of the best fandom vids I've seen, lotta facts, and its by a non furry!

 

[Fair's Fair]

To wrap up, Furry is just a hobby, a form of recreation we enjoy in our spare leisure time! Some like bowling, golf, knitting, boating, gardening...................................we like costumes, art, and characters, much like fans of comics, Anime, and Science Fiction!

Less "Hobby" more "fandom" a fandom or an aspect of it can be a hobby but there's more to it. It has similar binding agents and falls victims to the same issues as fandoms, Though in some ways less so. If you've seen my content it's no secret that I don't like the common issues of fandoms and I'll spare no favor here, you have many of the same trappings. But it being a member-centric fandom gives furries a unique edge over a content-centric fandom. Like the anime fans, there is no single central show/content that you're a a fan of. This allows better openness of differences and requires less gatekeeping by nature.

Without a source material, merely a broad topic, we get to create nearly everything ourselves, and making something original just feels good! And satisfying!

One of the best things about this fandom is that it seems to lend itself to no major media in any way and it thusly, is less likely to be sunk by poor movies.(See the new star wars trilogy) And doesn't have to center around any one genre, medium, company, style, etc.

Also, this is 1 of the best fandom vids I've seen, lotta facts, and its by a non furry!

The script is almost done but I'll add some points based on this. And while he has some great info, I feel what "I" am making is fundamentally different from his video. Thank you!

 

[Trevorbluesquirrel]

Less "Hobby" more "fandom" a fandom or an aspect of it can be a hobby but there's more to it. It has similar binding agents and falls victims to the same issues as fandoms, Though in some ways less so. If you've seen my content it's no secret that I don't like the common issues of fandoms and I'll spare no favor here, you have many of the same trappings. But it being a member-centric fandom gives furries a unique edge over a content-centric fandom. Like the anime fans, there is no single central show/content that you're a a fan of. This allows better openness of differences and requires less gatekeeping by nature.



One of the best things about this fandom is that it seems to lend itself to no major media in any way and it thusly, is less likely to be sunk by poor movies.(See the new star wars trilogy) And doesn't have to center around any one genre, medium, company, style, etc.


The script is almost done but I'll add some points based on this. And while he has some great info, I feel what "I" am making is fundamentally different from his video. Thank you!

I like to keep points simple, I'm not smart enough to really understand and get the flowery language other responders use!

Anyway, if I helped at all, I'm glad!

 

[Fair's Fair]

Well the video is up, here's hoping I do justice to your fandom. You were all very helpful.

Check it out, share, maybe even toss a sub my way.

 

[ssaannttoo]

Well the video is up, here's hoping I do justice to your fandom. You were all very helpful.

Check it out, share, maybe even toss a sub my way.

Wow, I just saw this thread, and think this is actually a really good video. So far I'm only 4 minutes in, but so far so good! I wish I was on to help ya out. :3

Edit: After watching all the way through I would have a few things to say. I quite like a bunch of the points that you brough up, and I feel all of it is quite accurate, so very good job on that. Also great job for putting the effort to actually talk to furries.

However I would say your writing rant went on a bit too long. If I were you I would have come up with more than one example from different artists/writers. This would help to show the wide range of how the fandom has to improve, not this individual writer.

Apart from that you do a fantastic job, and covered things I wouldn't even have thought about. Thank you very much for doing this, it's nice to know there are 'normies' out there who care about lil' ol furries like us. Not all of them want us killed, so thanks for that!

 

[Troj]

I agree with Santo about the writing segment being a bit too long and feeling more like an aside, BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT I still enjoyed that part in itself, and would appreciate seeing more content exactly like that---because, yes, much of the writing in the furry fandom is mediocre-to-atrocious, and we're certainly not alone there.

I would've liked a shorter writing segment that then allowed for more time to explore additional good and bad aspects of the fandom, and then a separate video that did a deep-dive into those writing "do's" and "don't's."

As a whole, the video is excellent! Humorous, engaging, thoughtful, and, of course, well-researched. Thanks for the shout-out, too.

 

[reptile logic]

Can't think of anything to add to what's already been said, right now. All the high points that I could think of have been addressed. Enjoy your stay.

 

[Fair's Fair]

Wow, I just saw this thread, and think this is actually a really good video. So far I'm only 4 minutes in, but so far so good! I wish I was on to help ya out. :3

Edit: After watching all the way through I would have a few things to say. I quite like a bunch of the points that you brough up, and I feel all of it is quite accurate, so very good job on that. Also great job for putting the effort to actually talk to furries.

However I would say your writing rant went on a bit too long. If I were you I would have come up with more than one example from different artists/writers. This would help to show the wide range of how the fandom has to improve, not this individual writer.

Apart from that you do a fantastic job, and covered things I wouldn't even have thought about. Thank you very much for doing this, it's nice to know there are 'normies' out there who care about lil' ol furries like us. Not all of them want us killed, so thanks for that!

Thank you, it was a pleasure. I do tend to go off on writing.
But not wanting to paint a target on a video that isn't about their specific work I couldn't give names, it was more about explaining why it was unhelpful to give it high praise. Also my video has a high chance of attracting haters and I'd feel really bad if they followed it "upstream" and attacked the author. That and running it so long meant few examples.

I'm really glad I took the time to research you all.

 

[Deleted member 111470]

You seem a very welcoming/tolerant fandom, do you not suffer the divides that other fandoms do?(Star wars is having some bad years...)

Oh this isn't the "open arms" community everyone is making it out to be. People here(as in the fandom, not exclusively the forum) attack each other for real-life things. Just like in any other fandom. It would be very difficult to give examples without naming names, but if you stick around long enough, you'll come across it I'm sure. You can also try joining a bunch of furry discord servers - especially bigger ones. I have also heard "furry twitter" is full of examples of this, but I don't have a twitter account so I wouldn't know for sure.

As far as furry-related stuff is concerned - no one will target you if your character is plantigrade or digitigrade, or a certain species. Sure, I've received some unpleasant comments about my fursona, but those were harmless. People have told me they don't like monkeys when I share pictures of my character. So what? Who cares. I'm not being hunted down for having a monkey fursona. It is like you said in your video - there is nothing "central" about this fandom, everyone is free to do as they please. Your characters can be as "feral"(closer to the animal) or as "anthro"(closer to a human) as you like, and you'll be fine. There are no rules that prevent you from doing so.

The biggest problem that I have, personally, is that if you don't fit a certain mold in the fandom, you won't be as well accepted. Unless you're into "nerdier" stuff, then there's a high chance you'll be alienated. I am not into roleplaying, being cutesy, video games, anime, metal, tcgs, the general "geek stuff". It's very difficult for me to find people in the fandom who are into the same things that I am. This doesn't mean that I'm faulting them for it - they are good people, we can talk about stuff, sure, but after a certain point there's nothing else to talk about because our common interests are depleted. It is only natural - that's how conversations flow.

Overall, my experience with the fandom has been a mixed bag, leaning more towards the positive. Lately it's been going downhill but that's for words that were said from furries about things outside the fandom. Just remember - some things once said, cannot be unsaid.

If one does not get involved in such discussions, then the furry fandom is a good place to hang out.