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Is it really that bad?


GemWolf
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It surprises me just how many people around the world receive hate just because they are “a furry”.  I don’t know if I am just one of the minorities who are lucky enough to have avoided such hate, or if it is simply just exaggeration. I mean, I have only read about all this hate on the internet (Facebook statuses, FAF threads, Twitter, Furry News and more) of furs expressing their experiences; however the internet is really just a big network of drama. Moreover, the internet seems to thrive on negative news – any negative news. I’m sure the positive stories are out there, but positive is boring so it never spreads further than the BFF and family. This is a shame really.

I first came out to my colleagues that I am gay about 10 years ago, just after I got engaged. Everyone was so lovely about it. They welcomed my lifestyle, and embraced my partner (still together) and love hearing stories about our kids.  This year, I came out as furry as well. Some of my colleagues didn’t know what a furry was (so I explained all about it – the good, the bad and the ugly), others had heard of the fandom before.  Again I was supported, and they even like seeing my art work (even the adult stuff). I am known as “the wolf” in my office and I even sign off on my emails with ~The Wolf~ (internal staff emails only, not ones to clients of course lol). My work computer desktop is covered in furry art (SFW out of respect of course) and are even for asking updates on my fursuit that I haven’t started yet lol.

Same with personal life as well, family and friends all accept me with no judgement. So, with that said, what is the deal with all this hate that I have personally not witnessed? Because I want to know – am I just lucky, or are things not really as bad as they seem?

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Most run-ins with "furry hate" are people being complete dumbasses about how they conduct themselves in public about it.

Do you introduce yourself to other people in a non-furry setting, telling them to call you a "woof" and making dog noises? Congrats, you're a moron.
Do you wear ears and a tail to a family reunion? Congrats, you're a moron.
Do you think that shirt with your mostly naked fursona in a suggestive pose on the back is appropriate for the mall? Congrats, you're a moron.
Etc.

I will never understand "coming out of the furry closet" stories either, as if I should sit friends and family down in any kind of serious manner and go "G-guys... I... roleplay a douchey turtle character on the internet. This is why I do it. I hope you will still accept me."
It has literally no baring on them, or association with them. It's not a big deal, and it shouldn't be a big deal.

I'm sure there are some 13-year-olds that just discovered the "four chanz" and want to run their mouths about a group that fell out of trolling interest in like 2009 or some shit,
but they're few and far between. Less so IRL than on the internet.
Most of furries' problems come directly as a result of their own actions and lack of any element of social tact. And that's their fault.

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10 minutes ago, GemWolf said:

 This year, I came out as furry as well. Some of my colleagues didn’t know what a furry was (so I explained all about it – the good, the bad and the ugly), others had heard of the fandom before. 

Why must people do this?

It's like turning what was essentially was just a nerdy hobby & niche interest into some form of flamboyant quasi-sexual orientation lifestyle choice which is used to define people's personalities because in reality they are living empty and bland mediocre lives.

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It takes time for people to accept things they don't understand. This subculture is an oddity and is still fairly new. 

Given time I think people will accept it or at the very least tolerate it. 

I have only seen hate on the internet. It isn't the biggest topic around where I live. My friends know I am a furry and bi. They still accept me as I am. 

It takes all of us to make a good name for furries. Act civilized and be respectful, other will take notice. Or keep act like sex fiends and we will continue to look like deviants.

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21 minutes ago, Hux said:

I just always assumed it was a myth perpetuated by butthurt furries whose friends and family got sick of them talking about how they want to fuck the shit out of Tony the Tiger or something.

This made my day haha cheers :D

 

20 minutes ago, Vae said:

Do you introduce yourself to other people in a non-furry setting, telling them to call you a "woof" and making dog noises? Congrats, you're a moron.
Do you wear ears and a tail to a family reunion? Congrats, you're a moron.
Do you think that shirt with your mostly naked fursona in a suggestive pose on the back is appropriate for the mall? Congrats, you're a moron.
Etc.
 

LOL the mental images - thanks hehe

 

 

15 minutes ago, Khaki said:

Why must people do this?

It's like turning what was essentially was just a nerdy hobby & niche interest into some form of flamboyant quasi-sexual orientation lifestyle choice which is used to define people's personalities because in reality they are living empty and bland mediocre lives.

I didn't just go "hey guys, guess what? I'm a furry! lol no.

I was sketching a draft for a commissioner in my sketch book during my lunch break. Someone asked me what I was drawing - I felt no reason to lie about it. I said I am drawing furry art, and it kinda went from there :) 

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10 minutes ago, Khaki said:

Why must people do this?

It's like turning what was essentially was just a nerdy hobby & niche interest into some form of flamboyant quasi-sexual orientation lifestyle choice which is used to define people's personalities because in reality they are living empty and bland mediocre lives.

Sometimes I wonder about it just being a hobby.

You know when people are doing things like buying $500 single image porn commissions or bankrupting themselves from just buying so much.

Forget furry as a hobby or lifestyle. 

When people get to the point that furry is an addiction then we have some really real problems.

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Unless you rub it in people's faces, most people don't care if you are a furry. At most, you may get a few awkward questions thrown your way, like which manimals turn you on. Any kind of hatred for furries is mostly on the internet, normally from weeb trash. 

Same can be said about your sexuality.

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34 minutes ago, GemWolf said:

Hey look, I'm a furry addict ok? there, I said it.

errr, any advise? lol :P 

Don't spend 500 bucks on porn. At the very least, just one image. 

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6 hours ago, LazerMaster5 said:

Unless you rub it in people's faces, most people don't care if you are a furry. At most, you may get a few awkward questions thrown your way, like which manimals turn you on. Any kind of hatred for furries is mostly on the internet, normally from weeb trash. 

Same can be said about your sexuality.

Actually some and/or most weebs are chill with furries because theyre into catgirls and other weird ass shit like tentacles and hyper and all shiz that wrong with furries

If youtube is any indication its the CoD gamer fags that are the furry haters for retarded ass reasons lol

 

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I guess back in the day, furry hate was more of a "thing" but I'd also like to think that part of the reason why it was such a big thing was because of stuff like this and because furries would basically shove the fandom in people's faces in an attempt to accept it

these days, it really isn't

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There is a few furry hate things I know actually happened.

Like that die young animated video, the one with animals? Beautiful work.

Someone reported it under the name "Gabe Newell" for copyright infringement. According to the actual owner of the video a group of people did it to troll it because furries liked it.

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I think this topic has been remade several times. For the most part I don't think most people know or care what furries are and I think a lot of furries are more intrusive and judgemental that most outsiders will ever be. 

Comments such as 'how dare you fursuit in the park; you're giving me a bad name by association' are surprisingly routine and equally silly; as if it really matters whether somebody fursuits in the park; I hope they enjoy themselves.

Some people I've met in real life do genuinely loathe furries; I've met people before who told me that there was a 'horrible rumour' that I was one but that they were going to give me the benefit of the doubt and assume the rumours were fabricated.

I wasn't entirely sure how to respond...like...you actually care about something so trivial?

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10 hours ago, Saxon said:

Some people I've met in real life do genuinely loathe furries; I've met people before who told me that there was a 'horrible rumour' that I was one but that they were going to give me the benefit of the doubt and assume the rumours were fabricated.

I wasn't entirely sure how to respond...like...you actually care about something so trivial?

I heard a horrible rumor that you're a carbon based life form. However I like you, and will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are a being of pure energy.

Like a ten year old after ten candy bars.

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22 hours ago, Vae said:

Most run-ins with "furry hate" are people being complete dumbasses about how they conduct themselves in public about it.

Do you introduce yourself to other people in a non-furry setting, telling them to call you a "woof" and making dog noises? Congrats, you're a moron.
Do you wear ears and a tail to a family reunion? Congrats, you're a moron.
Do you think that shirt with your mostly naked fursona in a suggestive pose on the back is appropriate for the mall? Congrats, you're a moron.
Etc.

I will never understand "coming out of the furry closet" stories either, as if I should sit friends and family down in any kind of serious manner and go "G-guys... I... roleplay a douchey turtle character on the internet. This is why I do it. I hope you will still accept me."
It has literally no baring on them, or association with them. It's not a big deal, and it shouldn't be a big deal.

I'm sure there are some 13-year-olds that just discovered the "four chanz" and want to run their mouths about a group that fell out of trolling interest in like 2009 or some shit,
but they're few and far between. Less so IRL than on the internet.
Most of furries' problems come directly as a result of their own actions and lack of any element of social tact. And that's their fault.

It's the things you describe that have made me want to interact less with the fandom, with how many lifestylers are here.

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One other thing, some furries I've met seem to make it the sole focus in their life.  Like they aren't just hardcore "furtaku" lifestylers, they have nothing else going on in their lives unless it relates to furry. Even relationships. These people are just sad. But that's just the extreme.

And yes, guerilla fursuiting randomly around without asking first is kinda weird. Just like cosplaying by yourself in public "just cuz" or looking like an scene kid in your late 20s. Or wearing a boot on your head when you're not Vermin Supreme. People will view it as a attention seeking behavior. 

This is a geeky fandom, but not everyone wants to be associated with an image of people who try to make it an alternative extreme counterculture lifestyle. It can come off like a "freak the mundanes" attitude. The gap between the fandom and the public needs to be bridged during public interaction, you have to make it more digestible. Having a handler, maybe business cards or a group to go out with can make things better. Hell, this could help people get more interested in the fandom.

Really, people probably don't know what furry is, but they will think you are weird if you make a big deal of it.  Problem is, a lot of furs seem to. I guess that's what happens when you have a fandom, they're all awkward in public, no matter which one you look at. 

So yeah, if you're worried about furry's reputation in public, then have tact when you're in public. Make a good image. Bridge that gap.

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When everyone at my workplace found out I was a furry (and run a local furmeet) I was greeted with two varying responses - first being "what the hell is that?" and "oh god, that's so cool!". I've never experienced any kind of hate for being part of the fandom and I'm as open as anyone can possibly be about it.

I often find, as well, it comes down way more to the individual than it does any other factor. I look like a pretty regular, confident, normal kind of guy. This isn't out of me trying to hide anything, I hide nothing, but it's just who I am. If you go around sheepishly telling people how much you like anthro wolves while wearing wolf shirts and a collar, your response may be different.

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I've generally witnessed extremely positive interactions between furries and regular people, and most of my friends that I've casually told about the furry thing have either loved it, admitted they were also somewhat into it too, or at worst just listened to me politely and then never spoke of it again, lol. Maybe west coast people are just chill like that 

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@GemWolf Well here's the thing, sport, Vae summed it up quite nicely in post #3. But if we're going to examine why it is the fandom gets so much hate we need to acknowledge the gray areas as well. Like it or lump it, the porn side of it is a small part of the bigger issue; I just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents for dramatic effect...  

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Thr real problem isn't furry porn, it's furries who can't shut up about it and make it into some dumb identity. It's the lifestylers, the "proud to be furry" people who make an ass of themselves and the fandom by proxy in public and online. It's just a goddamn hobby. If you make a single thing the sole focus in your life to the point your health depends on it, you are mentally ill. Regardless of what it is, be it football, food, anime, etc, a hobby that becomes a lifestyle that pushes out all others is an addiction and is unhealthy.

I do get the feeling that many furs only hang out with other furs and separate themselves emotionally from non-furs. For instance, why do so many want to date in-fandom? Again, this is supposed to be a fandom, not a leper colony. 

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Cleaned up the thread, no locks are needed.

The topic is just now back to furries who may or may not make a big deal out of things, and the perception of the fandom and what activities contribute positively, or negatively, to the fandom. 

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34 minutes ago, Mr. Fox said:

That was probably a bad idea... But, I respect your decision and gracefully move on by the way I better not have lost any rep...

Posts were just hidden, your likes and stuff should still be there. 

23 minutes ago, Glowing Glass said:

I woulda preferred a lock but ok that's your decision not mine.

Its Gems, actually, unless in extreme cases of unsalvagable derails. 

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2 hours ago, Saxon said:

A lot of people keep telling me that being interested in furry stuff is a hobby.

My interest is neither a lifestyle or a hobby. It's just an interest.

 

 

I think mine is both a hobby and an interest. I'm hoping to make furry art my career one day 

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16 minutes ago, GemWolf said:

I think mine is both a hobby and an interest. I'm hoping to make furry art my career one day 

I don't think my interest counts as a hobby because like...I don't do anything.

I just scroll through images of buff furries on the internet.

 

Good luck selling your art.

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On 9/1/2016 at 11:50 PM, GemWolf said:

This year, I came out as furry as well. Some of my colleagues didn’t know what a furry was (so I explained all about it – the good, the bad and the ugly), others had heard of the fandom before.  Again I was supported, and they even like seeing my art work (even the adult stuff). I am known as “the wolf” in my office and I even sign off on my emails with ~The Wolf~

The cringe is real.

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