Crush...Yiff...Destroy!

GoManVanGogh · Prattler Joined: 18 Nov 2003 Posts: 194

"Drawing animals doesn't make you a furry any more than drawing snow makes you an Eskimo!"

Charisma · Prattler Joined: 03 Jan 2004 Posts: 163

these days it seems that drawing doesn't come into it. Its how you behave. Much as to how building an igloo makes you an Eskimo. Lol

Tailgunner · Prattler Joined: 28 Oct 2003 Posts: 175

A few of my choice words:

"Just because you have a brain, doesn't mean you are intelligent."

"Just because you have an orfice there, doesn't mean you can stick fuzzy objects into it."

"Believe it or not, dressing up as an animal, doesn't make you one."

"Inspite of my commendation of you maintaining a respectable job, you are still a freak of nature."

ZenZhu · Vociferator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 669

For the portion of the furry population we tend to focus on here, I don't even think furries factor into it much. The whole anthropomorphic thing is just an aside that's window dressing for the real reason they're into the scene... it lets them express/parade their fetishes and sexual fantasies; it gives them an angle to reenforce their feelings of persecution, angst, and being "the loner" or "outsider" in society; or, it just makes them feel special in other ways, either being "more in touch with nature," or feeling like they have shamanic powers or something. The whole bit with funny animals is really just a gimmick to get at the real thing they're after.

The more I think about it, the more I think the "furry freaks" are simply freaks. Furry is neither here nor there. It could have been anime, Star Trek, goth, vampires, hockey, eskimos, whatever. Their freakishness was there to begin with... furry just gave them a means/excuse to express it. That may be why the birth and growth of the Internet gave rise to so many "furry freaks." These folks always had something a little off-kilter about them, but they could never put their finger on what it was. Then, they ran across furries, and found other people that were a little nuts in similar ways, and they think "Oh, I must be a furry!"

Take the normal social discomfort we all felt/feel as a teenager learning to grow up and deal with emerging thoughts and emotions and trials and tribulations. Everyone has some period of feeling like they don't fit in. Some just have it harder than others. When I was a teen, however, we were still pretty much given the message that it was all normal, and we'd sort it all out eventually. There was the whole "late bloomer" concept.

These days, however, if a kid just doesn't seem to fit in, he's taken to the guidance counsellor. If he seems a little gloomy, he's assaulted with documents on depression and suicide prevention and crap. If he wears a black trench coat because he's feeling a little gloomy.... or just really likes those utterly tacky Australian dusters the metalhead-SF-fantasy crossover geeks like.. he's suspended for reminding folks of Columbine.

Sure, when many of us were teens, we probably felt isolated or singled out from crowds at times. Hell, many of us still probably feel that way. But, the social atmosphere back then.. 5.. 10.. 20 years (dunno if any of our old-timers go back any further to their teen years) ago didn't really put a red blinking light and buzzers on us for it. It was just "one of those things" that people deal with. In our modern age, however, it almost seems like society's efforts to protect the kids that are isolated or singled out have made things worse. Back when I was a teenager, my teachers just described me as "unique." But kids that are different these days aren't considered special... they're considered "special needs."

So, enter furry..... or goth, Vampire the Masquerade, anime, Trek, Highlander, or whatever. The "special needs" folks that may have otherwise grown up thinking that this was just an awkward phase in their life find something that gives them easy, albeit totally erroneous, answers to their life's questions. They find something that tells them they're not unpopular because they're bright, artistic, and don't follow the crowd of jocks and prom queens....... that would mean they have to search harder for their identity. What they find in furry tells them that they're different because they're not really human. And in our age of 6-second sound bytes, 30-second macaroni and cheese, 60-second pizzas, instant credit, and other forms of instant gratification, is it any wonder that people find it increasingly easier to delude themselves into thinking they have magic powers, or are not really human, than to commit themselves to dealing with the two or three (or even five to six) years of growing, soul-searching, and grappling with life's questions young adulthood requires of us?

Maybe that's one reason there's a high correlation between furry freaks and holding crappy jobs. They're not big on expending personal effort... and anything other than the really crappy jobs involve devoting one's self to time, effort, and thought. Sure, working at the photo booth in Wal-Mart might be pretty intense during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, when everyone is snapping away, but it doesn't exactly require one to think about planning out their career, their future, etc.

As for the furry fetishists and such, I think what they're really into furry for is the external validation. Our society is still very repressed when it comes to expressing our sexuality.. and much of it is self-imposed. Anything other than missionary position with the lights off is still considered pretty kinky by much of our society. Hell, even oral sex is considered pretty darn kinky by most folks.

Those fortuante enough to be both sexually liberated andcomfortable with their sexual escapades know that what they do behind closed doors is A-OK. If the wife wants the husband to try the French maid's outfit on for once, there's nothing wrong with that. If the husband wants the wife to swing from the ceiling dressed as Jane of the Jungle, huzzah.... just make sure that vine is attached to a beam so you're not explaining how you slipped and hit your head in the bath while playing Anthony and Cleopatra at the emergency room. But, these folks that are both confident and comfortable with their expressions of sexuality know that what they do is between them.. and that it must be done responsibly. They know that what is done behind closed doors stays behind closed doors.

Other folks, however, are more sexually liberated in mind, but not comfortable with that liberation in spirit. They can't be satisfied thinking "I like to jack off wearing a Chilly Willy costume and looking at shoe catalogs, and that's okay." They crave to hear other people tell them "It's okay to wear a Bullwinkle mask and beat off to copies of Black Butt." And furry will do just that. Folks will pat them on the head, and rub their belly... or other assorted portions of their anatomy... and tell them that what they do is great. And not only is it great, it's better than what everybody else does, because "it's more in tune with nature." Of course, many of these folks are just so happy to be able to get someone to touch their wingwang that they'd tell them wearing a fresh cow patty for a hat is the bee's knees. They don't care.. they just want some action any way they can get it.

So, that's another side of it..... folks that are not comfortable with their own sexuality crave someone to tell them it's okay, and furry does that quite willingly.

The bottom line here being that I really don't think that many of the furry freaks truly care about furrydom. They just found a convenient outlet for their freakishness. Why did they turn furry instead of something else? I'd wager they simply found out about furry first... or furry found them.

END OF LINE

MagKnightX · Prattler Joined: 04 Dec 2003 Posts: 196

Reading this, I am reminded of something my father used to say to me quite often, when I asked him about how the world works, why anything, whatever:

"I don't give a fuck. Now bring me my goddamn beer."

ZenZhu · Vociferator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 669

Your dad is Spuds McKenzie trapped in a human body.

Kilsanth · Recusant Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 7

So, enter furry..... or goth, Vampire the Masquerade, anime, Trek, Highlander, or whatever. The "special needs" folks that may have otherwise grown up thinking that this was just an awkward phase in their life find something that gives them easy, albeit totally erroneous, answers to their life's questions. They find something that tells them they're not unpopular because they're bright, artistic, and don't follow the crowd of jocks and prom queens....... that would mean they have to search harder for their identity. What they find in furry tells them that they're different because they're not really human. And in our age of 6-second sound bytes, 30-second macaroni and cheese, 60-second pizzas, instant credit, and other forms of instant gratification, is it any wonder that people find it increasingly easier to delude themselves into thinking they have magic powers, or are not really human, than to commit themselves to dealing with the two or three (or even five to six) years of growing, soul-searching, and grappling with life's questions young adulthood requires of us?

A sense of belonging and acceptance is a big part of it, but there is more to it. Most of the people that get into it, enjoyed cartoons animals and fantasy before hand. Just like star trek fanatics were likely fans of sci-fi before they decided to devulge into the realm of geekness. There has to be some sort of common ground, aside from general feeling of not belonging or they would have chose different ways to cope.

Charisma · Prattler Joined: 03 Jan 2004 Posts: 163

For the portion of the furry population we tend to focus on here, I don't even think furries factor into it much. The whole anthropomorphic thing is just an aside that's window dressing for the real reason they're into the scene... it lets them express/parade their fetishes and sexual fantasies; it gives them an angle to reenforce their feelings of persecution, angst, and being "the loner" or "outsider" in society; or, it just makes them feel special in other ways, either being "more in touch with nature," or feeling like they have shamanic powers or something. The whole bit with funny animals is really just a gimmick to get at the real thing they're after.

The more I think about it, the more I think the "furry freaks" are simply freaks. END OF LINE

I half agree with you there. I do believe that 'furrydom' is to some extent, an excuse for something more, but I don't believe this is necessarily 'freakish'. Its human nature to want to express such things as sexuality, depression, or angst...or any insecurity. Everyone has their own creative ways of doing it and alot of animal-lovers have chosen the way of art, writing or roleplay.

Well, its a theory anyway.

Paul · Venter Joined: 01 Feb 2004 Posts: 215

I do believe that 'furrydom' is to some extent, an excuse for something more, but I don't believe this is necessarily 'freakish'. Its human nature to want to express such things as sexuality, depression, or angst...or any insecurity. Everyone has their own creative ways of doing it and alot of animal-lovers have chosen the way of art, writing or roleplay.

Once upon a time, the term "animal lover" meant nothing more to me than someone who liked her pet cat or enjoyed riding a horse or whatever. After encountering the horrors of furrydom the term has taken on a wholly different and unsavoury meaning.

That aside, I think you're right, there are many people who want to express something, and, having an interest in animals or anthropomorphics, choose that as a vehicle. That's all fine and fair. (Though I'm not so sure it's human nature to want to express insecurities. I think most people are more inclined to keeping their insecurities to themselves. It's probably human socialization that makes it so, but still...) There is just this thing about furrydom that it has such an incredibly high percentage of people in it who are seemingly only there for the macro vore herm taur unbirth whatever fetishes. You just don't get the same amount of bizarre among, say, Star Trek fans. I'm inclined to agree with ZenZhu; the really odd furries were probably odd to begin with. And as opposed to many other subcultures, furrydom is open and tolerant of just about every deviation imaginable, so it'll attract a large amount of pretty fucked-up people.

eatenmyeyes · Recusant Joined: 23 Jan 2004 Posts: 20

PROFOUND

....
Wow...
eatenmyeyes.insight++;

Shmeckopolis · Prattler Joined: 31 Mar 2004 Posts: 140

Other folks, however, are more sexually liberated in mind, but not comfortable with that liberation in spirit. They can't be satisfied thinking "I like to jack off wearing a Chilly Willy costume and looking at shoe catalogs, and that's okay." They crave to hear other people tell them "It's okay to wear a Bullwinkle mask and beat off to copies of Black Butt." And furry will do just that. Folks will pat them on the head, and rub their belly... or other assorted portions of their anatomy... and tell them that what they do is great. And not only is it great, it's better than what everybody else does, because "it's more in tune with nature."

Pretty much nailed it right there. The man knows his freaks.