Some Harsh Words

[xatso]

Some harsh words from an anti-furry site.
http://www.antifurrycoalition.org/Anti- ... rries.html

Isn't it wrong to discriminate against the furries?

No, and it's hardly discrimination. Being a "furry" is not like being a homosexual, or Jewish, or black, or blind. It is not a race, creed, or culture. The furries complain that they are being "fursecuted," [sic] and that those that dislike them are bigoted. It is insulting and belittling to those groups of people who have, and many who are still fighting for equality, rights and acceptance. People are born into their race. Their religions are sacred to them. They fight for something substantial and well deserved. Furries compare themselves to the situation of blacks or Hispanics affected by racism, and of the suffering of the Jewish people in the Holocaust. Furries are gravely mistaken if they think that dramatics and ignorance of the world around them will lessen the dislike of their strange hobbies.

Firstly, I know that I should not take these guys seriously, and secondly I did not post this to incite any kind of strife - I am just wondering what your view is on the quoted passage below. Is the person(s) who wrote this blinded by hate (given the website) or do they have a valid point?

[Valerion]

Tricky question. And it depends on the jurisdiction involved. He's may be right about it not being a culture (though that's very debatable). And I wouldn't want to be a fur in e.g. China.

However, legally speaking, the South African Constitution guarantees freedom of association (Chapter 18). Chapter 30 states:

Everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice, but no one exercising these rights may do so in a manner inconsistent with any provision of the Bill of Rights.

So ... is being a furry a culture? If so, they may not be discriminated against here

A subculture is defined as follows:

3 Sociology.
a. the cultural values and behavioral patterns distinctive of a particular group in a society.
b. a group having social, economic, ethnic, or other traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society.

So from a legal perspective here in SA I disagree with him.

Morally and ethically speaking, I think all discrimination is wrong. From that perspective I think he's a bigot himself. So what if I have strange hobbies? How is this different from me getting pointed ears and speaking Vulcan? Or wearing a mask and walking around with a lightsaber? Others may find me weird, but it does not give them the right to discriminate against me.

[Razotter]

I'll be honest when I say I roll my eyes when people talk about being 'fursecuted'. Its really not something to be stressed over. Its like dressing up as an anime character and then complaining when you get teased about it at school. Furrydom is a sub-culture. Like goth or emo. Its something people come to to feel accepted as being part of something, not to feel accepted by the rest of the world. By definition as a furry, you are declaring yourself as different, choosing to stand apart from society in some way. With that comes a certain expectation of rebuttal by closed minded individuals.

Furrydom is famous for its potential for drama, more so than many other subcultures. This may be largely in part to the kind of people that the ideas of furrydom attract. If we're all honest with ourselves, myself included, there is a certain trend to the type of people who are furries. It is a broad trend and as such difficult to pin down, but there is one I'm sure.

A big part of the trend is the generalisation that many furs have bad self esteem. I know I for one fall into this category. And as such we create a fursona in which we feel comfortable and more confident. The problem that arises is that when there is an attack on our fursona, we take it extremely personally, when really the logical thing to do is shrug our shoulders and carry on enjoying being whoever and whatever we want to be. After all, when it comes down to the nitty gritty, furrydom is for having FUN. Getting upset because someone makes fun of a fursona you created to get away from that sort of thing just ruins the fun.

So ignore the trolls, don your tail and dance the night away.

[Rakuen Growlithe]

I agree totally with Raz here. And the guy you quoted is definately wrong and has absolutely no clue what he's talking about.

[Gryph]

Agreed

[Armour]

Guys, really? You're actually bothering to care? What a waste of time!

First of all, this website is probably run by 4chan members. They love to do stuff like this because furs get so worked up about it! Its not like they are paragons of non-discrimination themselves. 5 minutes of browsing 4chan will let you know that. If it isn't then, its some misguided church group, and lets be honest, noone listen to them.

The site exists only to piss of furries, and look, its working! Ignore them. Go get a drink, chill out and browse Furaffinity or something, and consider just how effective their little site actually is.

[xatso]

Guys, really? You're actually bothering to care? What a waste of time!

First of all, this website is probably run by 4chan members. They love to do stuff like this because furs get so worked up about it! Its not like they are paragons of non-discrimination themselves. 5 minutes of browsing 4chan will let you know that. If it isn't then, its some misguided church group, and lets be honest, noone listen to them.

The site exists only to piss of furries, and look, its working! Ignore them. Go get a drink, chill out and browse Furaffinity or something, and consider just how effective their little site actually is.

No sweat. Believe me, it's going to take much more than that to convince me that being a furry is wrong, a sin or even worse, spoil my day.

I just found it interesting that the author of that website is reverting to belittlement, empty threats and appeal to ridicule to try and strengthen his case against furries, and he does it so cleverly that he almost, just almost, convinced me that he had a valid point - but I always like to consider both sides of a issue before I jump to make a conclusion.

[RankHusky]

*yawns* the fact that we are typing these responses and that you started this thread signifies that they are winning in making the people who partake in this sub-culture feel alienated even more to general society.

over this. I'm gonna start drawing again. boring. Just like that fhm magazine article. It's just another balldrag in level of importance to society.

It's like when research says bullies like seeing pain from others and they hurt intentively. Redundant and utter pointless when it is a known fact without research required. All this anti and fursecution and 'omg they're offending me' bullcrap is just as stupid and pointless.

[vopisca]

I try to refrain from making broad sweeping, over-generalizations about peoples of any sort because they tend to be incorrect, biased, and not from a sufficiently supported point of view and instead based solely on the own cultural perspectives, social ties, and beliefs in a modern world as seen by the opinion holder in question.

But, in this sense, as I have gotten the 'privilege' of meeting so called 'members,' and even interviewing some of them for the sake of argument in a piece I was doing for my studies in college, the specific individuals I spoke to who are members of the AFC were at least civil. They had very specific reasons for disliking what they perceived as the "furry menace" and I found it really interesting that they were misguided by propaganda and heresay. Of the collection of individuals I spoke with, none of them had any clue that the majority of conventions held in the USA (where I am) donate large quantities of their raised funds to local animal and human charities alike i.e. Breast Cancer Research, ASPCA/Humane Society, Autism Awareness, etc.

I would go so far as to say that website was created much like any other 'hate' site on the internet, and does not hold as many true members as it boasts, nor as much public standing as it hopes too. The general public does not typically feel comfortable with extremists of any sort. My actual opinion about it is that the site has no real weight or standing point in anything, and is just a scare tactic and a way to feed trolls into spreading more mayhem.

I do see people discriminating anyone else as inherently wrong but many of us do it to a lesser extent every day without being fully away of it. Does this make us bad people for doing so? Not necessarily, but we should be held responsible for our actions and words.

These individuals (AFC) have controversial views and opinions about a subculture of individuals I happen to love very much, but it does not cause me to hate them, spite them, or even pity them. They are entitled to their opinions and beliefs, just as I am entitled to mine, and anyone else is to theirs. It is only when the opinions turn to actions, and hurt others that the issue truly arises--until then, an opinion is not a threat. ^__^

[Wersowen]

I found out yesterday that a friend is totally against furries. Anyway. Like I bother

It's a choice to be furry, and we can be proud of it. Proud of being what we [choose to be/are].
I mean, as others have said, as a furry, you accept a certain rejection from others, as you stand out. So if others have a problem with furries, they're discriminating.
But why should we worry about it? As long as we can be what we are, everything's fine...

That's my point of view.

[Ivic_Wulfe]

I'd just like to say here...that if we really look at the way people react to articles like this well...I don't know...in a way we read what this person says and we try to set ourselves apart from the furs that he may be referring too.

The article itself does however make sense. To a large degree there is the dangers of the type of pornography that is part of our culture and it can be something unnecessarily scarring to children.

But I digress, why do we constantly have to be set apart and be placed into a box? It feels so...ugly. I mean the variety of things that interest me just in general would put me into groups that other people would hate. I mean equality is one thing but whinging on and on about it isn't going to help anyone. The only ones who help fundamentalist groups like these to gain favour over us is...well us. We're the ones who bring that kind of negative attention towards ourselves by standing up.

And now you'd say...but if we don't stand up how do we do something about it? I'd say work from within to the outside. Find out exactly what we stand for...why do we do the things we do? I mean to a large extent if you asked me why I was a furry...The best answer I have for that is...I don't have one. We need to find a way to project furries in a more positive light and we also have to put personal differences aside because this kind of commentary not only comes from outside but from within as well towards certain sects within our own community.

I feel like I'm rambling here but this is generally how I feel.

[DesertYote]

True, as it is with most groups, though - we fear getting criticized by others on the "outside", but the true threat lies within.

'Yote

[Sticky_Fingers]

I looked at the site. Its a joke. I laughed so hard.

[Ryall]

I've come across this website before, and thought it was made by furries as a joke? seriously? Isn't it?

[Tigris Astartes]

Well I know I couldn't take that site seriously. I did ask someone for their opinion on it. And they also thought it was pretty stupid. Must be made as a joke or something. Try e-mailing the person and see what happens! ;D

[Dark Wolf]

yeah, I also read this:

This is a sad, dark side of the furry fandom that they don’t want you don’t hear about.

lol "that they don't want you don't hear about"? haha that just proved that their use of english is as effective as their little rant

[Dracius]

One of the admins of FA, known as Dragoneer, posted a pretty short summary of the definition.

In short, being a furry is completely subjective. Beyond that, your going to end up in a fight. Without writing out a massive essay about the different avenues of being a furry, this is pretty much what its about.

[Shiro]

Personaly I dont give a damn about what they say. Most of them got the stupid idea of furries being into beasiality stuck in their minds and none of them has actualy done anything to resurch the ppl they discriminate against. I would not label anyone thats into bestuality as being a furry as they are just plain sick in my opinion. Furry is a life stile not a culture / religion or anything els. Those that have done some resurch is blinded by some obscure hatred towards us choosing to be diffrent then the rest. If you ask me those kind of ppl is selfish as they have only their point of view and does not care about anyone elses hapieness.