Worst Year EVER: How the Furries fought the Nazis and WON.

[Angelcakes]

So 'Worst Year Ever' is a podcast done by Robert Evans (who also does 'Behind the Bastards'). This specific show has to do with life running up to the 2020 election.

Back in January, they did a two part series about the furry community, and specifically how it reacted to the infiltration of the fandom by the far-right. It actually starts off with the chlorine attack that happened at Midwest FurFest 2014. It then speaks about individuals like Foxler and Magnus Diridian (the guy with the Confederate fursuit), and even goes all the way back to the late 90s when the whole Burned Furs fiasco happened (spoiler alert: Some of the people who were in Burned Furs would eventually migrate over to the Alt-Right).

Ultimately, it's not only a sympathetic but incredibly positive portrayal of the furry fandom, and Robert Evans and company give the fandom mad props for how it dealt with far-right infiltration (like zero tolerance policies and active de-radicalization groups).

Part One
Part Two

 

[Purplefuzz]

The fandom outperformed other communties on kicking out neo nazis & people like Kero, Which is funny. For 2 months you had members from non fur communites with issues on bad eggs, Latch on how how furries are bad. But never replied or ignored issues in there own circles?.

Anime/Gaming/Metal still have those issues.

 

[Fallowfox]

I had no idea that the chlorine attack was associated with all of the far-right stuff?

 

[Deleted member 134556]

I had no idea that the chlorine attack was associated with all of the far-right stuff?

A lot of attacks are carried out by the alt right and other hate groups so I’m not surprised.

 

[Aedion]

The way the furry community handled the Neo-Nazi thing so amazingly! I'll have to find the podcast.

 

[quoting_mungo]

I had no idea that the chlorine attack was associated with all of the far-right stuff?

I’m not sure that they ever figured out for certain who was behind it, much less their motive? It’s not the most implausible guess I’ve seen, but I should think we would have heard about a conviction in the case. So I think any ties between the events at MFF and the far right are largely speculation.

(But then I am also pretty cynical about the scorched earth approach a swathe of furries have taken to “kicking out” what they decide are undesirables. Given that at least one such person described me as “a literal nazi” or something to that effect.)

 

[Raever]

I’m not sure that they ever figured out for certain who was behind it, much less their motive? It’s not the most implausible guess I’ve seen, but I should think we would have heard about a conviction in the case. So I think any ties between the events at MFF and the far right are largely speculation.

(But then I am also pretty cynical about the scorched earth approach a swathe of furries have taken to “kicking out” what they decide are undesirables. Given that at least one such person described me as “a literal nazi” or something to that effect.)

Gonna agree with Mungo on this one. I dislike assumptions, even if they do paint a fandom I'm in positively. It's not fair to others - in general - to just call whatever we don't like or agree with "Alt Right" or "Nazi", especially considering that both the right and left have good people (and embarrassingly stupid extremists).

I understand the point of the thread in general, something positive happened, and that's AWESOME, but we shouldn't be bringing politics into the fandom drama without any proof. That just makes whoever is doing it look less logical and more "radical" or whatever the extreme word is nowadays.

 

[quoting_mungo]

I dislike assumptions, even if they do paint a fandom I'm in positively. It's not fair to others - in general - to just call whatever we don't like or agree with "Alt Right" or "Nazi", especially considering that both the right and left have good people (and embarrassingly stupid extremists).

I am not going to contest, mind, that a number of the people who were shunned in the process were absolutely some flavor of far-right/alt-right/edge-right. The problem, in my book, lies in the fact that this hasn’t been true in every case (and once you have the label, it can be awful hard to wash off), and that some influential furries have used that influence to pressure others into action and/or effectively started witch hunts.

There has to be a balance, IMO, where we can say “we’re not going to tolerate you bringing that bullshit in here, but we have no desire to actively harm you as long as you respect that boundary.” And that boundary, on the other hand, needs to be sincerely respected, rather than pushed by people trying to see how much they might be able to get away with.

 

[Raever]

I am not going to contest, mind, that a number of the people who were shunned in the process were absolutely some flavor of far-right/alt-right/edge-right. The problem, in my book, lies in the fact that this hasn’t been true in every case (and once you have the label, it can be awful hard to wash off), and that some influential furries have used that influence to pressure others into action and/or effectively started witch hunts.

There has to be a balance, IMO, where we can say “we’re not going to tolerate you bringing that bullshit in here, but we have no desire to actively harm you as long as you respect that boundary.” And that boundary, on the other hand, needs to be sincerely respected, rather than pushed by people trying to see how much they might be able to get away with.

Alrighty.

 

[Filter]

Gonna agree with Mungo on this one. I dislike assumptions, even if they do paint a fandom I'm in positively. It's not fair to others - in general - to just call whatever we don't like or agree with "Alt Right" or "Nazi", especially considering that both the right and left have good people (and embarrassingly stupid extremists).

I understand the point of the thread in general, something positive happened, and that's AWESOME, but we shouldn't be bringing politics into the fandom drama without any proof. That just makes whoever is doing it look less logical and more "radical" or whatever the extreme word is nowadays.

Agreed. Maybe call them biggots, authoritarians, extremists, or something else descriptive. The knee-jerk branding of people we don't like as "Alt Right" or "Leftist" rarely addresses the problem.

Actual left and right ideologies are nuanced, and can be espoused by reasonable people. Nazis, on the other hand, are murderous authoritarian bigots. That's what makes them so awful. Not because some of their policies lean right or left.

It should go without saying that there's no place for bigotry within the furry fandom. Politicizing everything is bound to rub people the wrong way. Many of us would like to get away from that.

 

[Raever]

Agreed. Maybe call them biggots, authoritarians, extremists, or something else descriptive. The knee-jerk branding of people we don't like as "Alt Right" or "Leftist" rarely addresses the problem.

Actual left and right ideologies are nuanced, and can be espoused by reasonable people. Nazis, on the other hand, are murderous authoritarian bigots. That's what makes them so awful. Not because some of their policies lean right or left.

It should go without saying that there's no place for bigotry within the furry fandom. Politicizing everything is bound to rub people the wrong way. Many of us would like to get away from that.

Exactly my point. Thank you for saying it in a way that's so much nicer to read. I suck at talking politics, lol.

Besides, it shouldn't be anyone's goal to insult one side of the playing field. Everyone's goal should be for the benefit of their country and their fellow man. To have a balanced system, both ideals should be taken into account, without the extremist sides getting in the way.

A political quote that sticks with me was said by Winston Churchill, "The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter."

It's unfortunate to me that intelligent people cannot be heard over the brainwashed masses who listen to one source and believe in it as if it were a religion. People on the left shouldn't be outwardly defensive or hostile against all right wings, and people on the right shouldn't be outwardly defensive or hostile against all left wings. This isn't a kindergarten playground.

We're adults (in animal costumes), and we have so many other things we could be doing --- but instead some of us choose to insult and belittle like children. :/

 

[1234554321]

YASS QWEEN!!1!!1! oh thank you my heroes we'd be living under the Fourth Reich if it weren't for you!

 

[Raever]

YASS QWEEN!!1!!1! oh thank you my heroes we'd be living under the Fourth Reich if it weren't for you!

Pfft XD