Ask a Furry

[Cheetah]

Do you really think that sexual attraction to antropomorphic animals is a natural extension of human sexuality?

But what is natural? In the most basic, narrow sense, human sexuality is to have sexual intercourse between a male and a female in order to procreate.

And where is the line drawn for natural extensions of human sexuality? Is oral sex natural? Anal sex? Simultaneous sex with more than one partner? Are sex toys (vibrators, etc) natural? Are fetishes for certain parts of a human body natural?

And furthermore in media: Is porn natural? Is the human interaction leading up to sex in most porn movies examples of natural human behaviour, or is it simply human (predominantly male) sexual fantasies?

Assuming you find all or most of the previous examples natural, why then do you draw the line at sexual fantasies involving human(oids) with "special features".

Nobody is attracted to ink on a paper (at least I've never heard of that fetish! ).

What furries are attracted to, as I have understood it, is the idea of an anthropomorphic character.

Makes sense?

 

[Tani Coyote]

How can you say it is anything near 'natural' to be attracted to something other than a human being?

As was said, what's natural can be hard to define...

If we take sex to be solely for procreation, then any form outside that is unnatural. Now, if we focus solely on the sex drive, then all the various forms of sexual attraction - moral or non - are natural too. But being natural doesn't make something good or bad; if being unnatural is bad, I believe anybody who believes such should sell all their possessions - much less their computer - immediately.

How is this different from a pervert removing this inhibition from, say, an actual animal? How is this natural?

And I do hope I can assume you find that perverse.

A normal animal cannot consent; a humanoid/anthro/whatever term you prefer animal can(if we are to assume they are sentient as an extension of their humanoid form). So I do find bestiality perverse, as it makes no sense; there can be no consent on one party's side to our knowledge, and therefore it's safe to assume it's basically rape but with the victim having fur.

What specific characteristics do you find attractive in an anthropomorphic animal?

This isn't trollish, so I'll actually answer it.

Non-sexual: Pretty much any character who is cool or just comes across as cool to me. Sonic, Shadow, King Kazma, Crash Bandicoot, Ashworth the Wombat, etc. all ring this bell with me. And countless more. I even find myself liking Mickey Mouse more these days. Anybody cool/friendly in appearance or personality tends to have my liking immediately.

Sexual: The same physical/emotional qualities I'd find attractive in a human being. I'll leave it at that; this is not a thread to discuss what I find attractive, but to discuss the Furry Fandom as a whole.

I imagine that for both cases, many furs are the same. But as I have said, we are very diverse. Many, as part of the distinguishing between fantasy and reality, surely have different preferences for furs vs. humans. I know some furs actually DENY their human sexuality and focus exclusively on their furry side.

Where do you find these peeps?

Same way I meet CFCers. It just happens.

To clarify, what I mean is, you say that Furries remove a certain inhibition. How is this different from a pervert removing this inhibition from, say, an actual animal? How is this natural?

It's natural if "natural" is taken to mean wanting a consensual relationship with someone else. Having fur doesn't automatically make them non-sentient, and so if actual sentient, anthropomorphic animals existed, wanting to be friends/lovers with them would be just as natural, in my thoughts, as wanting the same with humans.

But there is an inhibition in that in a man is not attracted to his mother or daughter. And I don't think it's culture specific to be honest. Therefore, my statement is that removing that inhibition would be unnatural.

Incorrect. I'm not approving of incest by any means, but some people DO feel that attraction. It might not be common, but how do we prove not common = not natural?

But what is natural? In the most basic, narrow sense, human sexuality is to have sexual intercourse between a male and a female in order to procreate.

And where is the line drawn for natural extensions of human sexuality? Is oral sex natural? Anal sex? Simultaneous sex with more than one partner? Are sex toys (vibrators, etc) natural? Are fetishes for certain parts of a human body natural?

And furthermore in media: Is porn natural? Is the human interaction leading up to sex in most porn movies examples of natural human behaviour, or is it simply human (predominantly male) sexual fantasies?

Assuming you find all or most of the previous examples natural, why then do you draw the line at sexual fantasies involving human(oids) with "special features".

Nobody is attracted to ink on a paper (at least I've never heard of that fetish! ).

What furries are attracted to, as I have understood it, is the idea of an anthropomorphic character.

Makes sense?

I really like this post. It explains a lot how muddy the term "natural" in terms of sexuality is in general. Does natural mean wanting to mate with a person of the opposite sex? What about all humans in general? What about, not stopping at humans, anything sentient, capable of returning the feelings of affection you show it, capable of reasoning just as easily as you?

 

[useless]

Why do furries equate their strange fetish's persecution to that of the blacks or the gays

 

[Traitorfish]

Why do furries equate their strange fetish's persecution to that of the blacks or the gays

The same reason that gays compare (compare, not equate; the two are rather different) their sexuality's persecution with that of blacks: It's a convenient analogy which demonstrates the folly of aggressively inflicting narrow-minded cultural absolutism upon others. Case in point, you call it a "strange fetish", which, apart from being an implicit slur, demonstrates an grand lack of understanding of the subject. Certainly, no other "strange fetish" is quite the universally accepted punching-bag that furrydom*, and I have never in my life heard a legitimate explanation for this.

*Noting that paedophilia is a mental condition, not a sexual fetish.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Why do furries equate their strange fetish's persecution to that of the blacks or the gays

The same reason religious people would equate their persecution to it.

It's a key part of our identity(when you all out join the fandom, at least; I'm talking hardcore furs and not just someone with a passive interest in furry characters), even if it is a choice.

Not that I'm saying furs are horribly persecuted; by no means is it the same as what Jews faced or what gays face now. There is a great deal of social dislike and disapproval. "Soft persecution", if I had to call it something.

 

[Ekolite]

To be honest does this persecution actually exist in the real world? Until I came across this thread I'd never even heard of it, and if I haven't heard of it then I would assume that the vast majority of the population hasn't either.

Hardly comparable with the persecution of the blacks, gays, jews, etc etc.

So yeah, my question; do you actually experience ''persecution'' irl or is it just online?

 

[Cheetah]

To be honest does this persecution actually exist in the real world? Until I came across this thread I'd never even heard of it, and if I haven't heard of it then I would assume that the vast majority of the population hasn't either.

Hardly comparable with the persecution of the blacks, gays, jews, etc etc.

So yeah, my question; do you actually experience ''persecution'' irl or is it just online?

If this fetish exists, and you haven't heard of it, why do you think that is?

Or aren't gay people persecuted unless people know they are gay?

 

[Zack]

I hadn't heard of it until I saw TaniciusFox post on here.

 

[Tani Coyote]

To be honest does this persecution actually exist in the real world?

Well, I don't think it's really persecution.

Until I came across this thread I'd never even heard of it, and if I haven't heard of it then I would assume that the vast majority of the population hasn't either.

Many people haven't, but the moment they do some - mainly religious from my understanding - quickly go crusading.

Hardly comparable with the persecution of the blacks, gays, jews, etc etc.

I'm all too aware it's not on par with those. But persecution can be soft, from simple insults, to hard, ranging from beatings to legal actions. Is calling a gay person any various slurs not social persecution, simply because it's not chaining them to a fence and stoning them to death?

So yeah, my question; do you actually experience ''persecution'' irl or is it just online?

Myself? No. I haven't gone out and about with that; the most "persecution" I ever had was due to bullying for normal reasons(kids being jerks).

The fandom? Depends. I've heard a lot of stories about furry conventions and peoples' reaction to them.

The media's also made fun of the furry fandom twice(1000 Ways to Die and one of those law shows(too many to keep track of!)), but I consider that to be mostly RL trolling and a natural path to social acceptance.

Thankfully, most "persecution" is limited to the internet. But there are a few nutcases who seem to have taken it upon themselves to crusade against the fandom from what I've heard... Even if people don't outright persecute, however, there stills seems to be a general sense of "OMFG that's weird!!!" whenever people hear about furryness.

Or aren't gay people persecuted unless people know they are gay?

That's what Don't Ask; Don't Tell's reasoning is.

I hadn't heard of it until I saw TaniciusFox post on here.

Many people haven't heard of furs, but many people also take the wrong path when exposed to new things. Many will see fursuiters and automatically assume them to be something far more diabolical and malicious than somebody simply dressing up as an animal... That's not to say all people become intolerant asses IMMEDIATELY upon discovering new things, but some do. Fortunately, they aren't everywhere.

 

[Ekolite]

If this fetish exists, and you haven't heard of it, why do you think that is?

Or aren't gay people persecuted unless people know they are gay?

What I mean is that the vast majority of people know that gay, black, jewish people exist and so will have some opinion on them. Sometimes negative and often pre-conceived and baseless. If people haven't heard that this orientation(?) even exists then they won't have that opinion, and so society as a whole could not be hostile towards it.

I'm not talking about individuals but the group as a whole.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

The only time I ever encountered someone mention furries offline was when he called it the most disturbing thing he could think of.

 

[civ_king]

Well, I don't think it's really persecution.



Many people haven't, but the moment they do some - mainly religious from my understanding - quickly go crusading.



I'm all too aware it's not on par with those. But persecution can be soft, from simple insults, to hard, ranging from beatings to legal actions. Is calling a gay person any various slurs not social persecution, simply because it's not chaining them to a fence and stoning them to death?



Myself? No. I haven't gone out and about with that; the most "persecution" I ever had was due to bullying for normal reasons(kids being jerks).

The fandom? Depends. I've heard a lot of stories about furry conventions and peoples' reaction to them.

The media's also made fun of the furry fandom twice(1000 Ways to Die and one of those law shows(too many to keep track of!)), but I consider that to be mostly RL trolling and a natural path to social acceptance.

Thankfully, most "persecution" is limited to the internet. But there are a few nutcases who seem to have taken it upon themselves to crusade against the fandom from what I've heard... Even if people don't outright persecute, however, there stills seems to be a general sense of "OMFG that's weird!!!" whenever people hear about furryness.



That's what Don't Ask; Don't Tell's reasoning is.



Many people haven't heard of furs, but many people also take the wrong path when exposed to new things. Many will see fursuiters and automatically assume them to be something far more diabolical and malicious than somebody simply dressing up as an animal... That's not to say all people become intolerant asses IMMEDIATELY upon discovering new things, but some do. Fortunately, they aren't everywhere.

I continually get called racial slurs and I deal with it, why can't you deal with it?
The people can't even do it right, how would you feel if because you are a furry people keep calling you things like pedophile? People frequently think I'm a terrorist because I'm a rag head because I'm Muslim because I'm Arab, I'm Indian and I don't wear a turban!

You aren't being persecuted!

 

[useless]

FURSECUTION! Furries can be so damn whiney at times


Moderator Action: Warned for trolling.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Mad Man]

The only time I ever encountered someone mention furries offline was when he called it the most disturbing thing he could think of.

Dumping babies in to an industrial shredder is the most disturbing thing I can think of at this moment in time so hes got a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Tani Coyote]

Before I begin, I'd like to politely request you just snip out the relevant part of the post rather than bolding it... it makes posts much shorter.

I continually get called racial slurs and I deal with it, why can't you deal with it?

I do deal with it; I've had experiences with RL bullies, so these online panzies have nothing. It doesn't make it any less wrong/ignorant/stupid on their part, however. An insult isn't the same as assault, but it's still pretty wrong when nothing has been done to deserve it.

The people can't even do it right, how would you feel if because you are a furry people keep calling you things like pedophile? People frequently think I'm a terrorist because I'm a rag head because I'm Muslim because I'm Arab, I'm Indian and I don't wear a turban!

You aren't being persecuted!

I'm sorry, would being "mass insulted" be a better term? How about being socially rejected as freaks? How about being grossly misunderstood?

Simply because it's moved online doesn't make it a non-issue; it may not be on par with the Holocaust by any means, but I don't think severity makes prejudice any more correct or wrong.

Let's not forget that there are RL anti-furry crusaders based on all I've heard, but thankfully most anti-furries are just trolls. But as furries come more into the public light, some ignorant minority will continue to bash us in reality, instead of online, as being Satanists, as being perverts, as being bestialophiliacs, as being pedophiles, as being just about anything horrid. It's not a stretch to assume this will happen, as being rejected is the first step of acceptance in most cases, ironically enough.

Furthermore, plenty of online people do call us that. It's when it branches into IRL we have to worry. And it likely will as furries move more into the open and less online or in tight-knit communities.

The only time I ever encountered someone mention furries offline was when he called it the most disturbing thing he could think of.

Dumping babies in to an industrial shredder is the most disturbing thing I can think of at this moment in time so hes got a lot of catching up to do.

A million times this. It's a sign of immaturity if furries are the worst thing you can think of... forget mass murdering millions of people! People having an interest - sexual or non - in cartoon animals are the Antichrists' disciples!

 

[Ekolite]

What do you mean by an ''interest'' in these cartoon animals? If it's not sexual then in what way are you interested in them?

 

[Tani Coyote]

What do you mean by an ''interest'' in these cartoon animals? If it's not sexual then in what way are you interested in them?

The same way people are interested in Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter or any fictional series. We just like a fictional concept rather than any particular series. And from that, we tend to like multiple series.

Of course the interest can turn sexual, but there are plenty of furs with a taste for SFW art. This is why there's a "tame" section in the FurAffinity galleries; indeed, there's one or two furry sites that have banned sexual content entirely.

 

[Ekolite]

I don't see how you can have an ''interest'' in Harry Potter either. It's a film. You might like a film, but its hardly an interest.

I think we must work to different definitions of the word.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

Dumping babies in to an industrial shredder is the most disturbing thing I can think of at this moment in time so hes got a lot of catching up to do.

A million times this. It's a sign of immaturity if furries are the worst thing you can think of...

It was from someone who listens to extreme death metal all the time.

 

[nonconformist]

If furries stopped being so goddamn agressive with their perversions, and kept it to themselves, instead of wearing it for all to see, as a sign of pride, like a JEwish yellow star, they wouldn't be so hated.

No other group goes so out of their way to single themselves out, and certainly noone else publicly screams their perversions from the rooftops.