Stance on furries?

If you don't know what a furry is, feel free to check the wikipedia page. I do not suggest you Google it.

I have been asked in YouTube personal messages about the seemingly ongoing pattern in the names in the credits in the past, as they all have something in common ... furries. Many have eventually started coming down to one simple question: Are you associated with furries? This was a question that needed much more elaboration than the FAQ could fit. I had an opinion of this for a good while that hadn't been updated blog-wise, but I only recently found the drive to give a new perspective, and as such, decided to clear the comments of the last post in hopes for some fresh ones consistent with this updated version.

For the longest time, I was rather naive to the concept of furries. I had it under the impression that it was a fandom that was rather subtle and often used for imaginary purposes, same as making elven characters for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign or something along those lines. I then thought it sprouted beyond that for many around the year 2000, but honestly, I was basing that theory off the fact that I've had friends who used furry characters in a simple manner and around Y2K, became a little more exposed to the more public aspects of the fandom. As time went on and furries became a lot more active in the Steam community, the stance on whether I'm with or against furries has become a very hard one to take.

Like I said before, I've had friends who are furries and still do to this day. My best friend of 10 years is considered a furry, but she's always had the mentality of "keep it behind closed doors, because it's not a lifestyle." For a time, my brief understanding was, people often made a kind of furry version of themselves known as "fursonas", they often used the character for escapist, imaginative purposes in certain themed games or art, and yes, some of them even make a suit of their character for themselves. Well, though that last one was rather strange for me, the bright side of it is, at least it was rather interesting to know people had the skills to make such a thing. I know I sure as hell wouldn't have the patience or the skill to do such a thing. I figure as long as they're not doing the suit thing in say, a restaurant or a public park, and just with other furries, it's none of my business and it's not disrupting anyone ... unless they read too much into it through Google, but that's just looking to get angry now and that's unhealthy.

This is where the furry fandom has hit the opposite snag for me. Lately the fandom has been getting harder and harder to accept. Enter, the furry "lifestylers." These are the ones that have gone too far with the fandom, making animal noises and flat out advertising their furry status right out in the open, and I don't mean harmlessly with just their furry avatar, I mean with full on personal details. These things range from "mate" status with other furries, sexual preferences and even a big list of "pets" and "masters" or even their kinks. This particular aspect of the fandom is what frankly pisses me off. We don't need to know this shit, so keep that to yourselves or at the very least, in a restricted realm specifically meant for that. Steam is NOT that place. What's worse is, after spouting their inner most hideous personal lives with everyone, they tell the disgusted people to go fuck themselves and then to respect them for who they are. Sorry, that's now how the world works. This is no better than a gay guy walking into work for his first day and advertises his sexual orientation, his boyfriend status and how he likes it in bed. Again, nobody needs to know that. As far as I've seen, you don't hear a straight person going on about that un-provoked, so frankly, knock that shit off, act like the rest of us when expected and maybe the rest of us can accept you a whole lot easier. Oh, and let's not forget the ones that honestly believe being a furry makes hate upon them racism. Furry is not a race and you know it, I shouldn't have to make points in my favor on this. This is a FANDOM, people. It may be amusing to escape every now and again to your character in the proper realm, but that does not make you a full-time animal and to think so is ludicrous. If a Harry Potter fan went around in public thinking they can blow people away with a wand, they will get a wedgie just as fast as those who think acting like a constantly, sexually frustrated animal in the improper realm is cute and acceptable.

As you can imagine, the furry fandom has become very hard to defend as of late, but for me, I haven't given up on the entire fandom and I certainly don't hate furries in general. It's true that the furry lifestylers have given the entire furry fandom a really rotten name, but I like to think I'm still optimistic. There's still plenty of cool furries who simply are in it as a fandom and not a lifestyle choice, who don't use the term "furry" as an excuse to be idiotic and a sexual nut job. There's crazy, over the top furries and then there's cool furries who know where the fandom belongs, just as there are crazy religious fanatics and religious people with their head on straight.

So in a nutshell, yes, I have no problem associating with furries as long as they're not taking it to extreme levels. The cool, level headed ones are out there, I know quite a few as friends already and they have helped immensely with the videos. 'Nuff said