If the pride parade causes a problem, then lets have our own parade. One or two suited furries at a game doesn't quite do it, or the furry hug a homeless, same.
Someone mentioned helping with animal rescue in fur suit ? Never heard about it, only reason I know about the hug a homeless was because someone close to me was involved.
So lets have our own parade, yes I am repeating myself, I will start the collection now.
It will cost tens of thousands of dollars to do, maybe even more. Permits, closing of streets, people to spend all their free time getting it set up. Not to mention the fact that we will need other groups with us for support, others to be in the parade with us. Any ideas of who we could get ?
Lets see about government funding, we have our own diverse lifestyle, separate and apart from any other, no intermixing with any other groups or organization.
Any ideas how we can accomplish this, lets hear some ideas. Maybe there is a very well to do benefactor furry out there who will foot the bill. We can start all on our own, we don't need any infrastructure that is already out there.
Not all furries have fur suits out there, so we will have to see what we can do about that, instead of a small contingent in a much larger group. We can print thousands of pamphlets to hand out, just cost a little (cough it up) we can get corporate sponsors.
This isn't any better than the last thread.
if you haven't noticed we have only about 50-70 odd active members.
and quite few of those have fursuits
even less will agree to/be able to go to it.
so pretty much everywhere its not going to be want.
If one does not want to be in a parade or any other public event, that is their choice, It is not for me to tell them what they can or can not do, nor is it their right to tell me what I can or can not do.
There are furries out there that do not know there is a sub culture known as furry, they have a right to find out about it if they want and if that means an event of furries so be it. Ones who are not ashamed of who and what they are have a right to be out there, the others who want to keep it closeted in back room meets and dinner parties, they can.
And if they stay to the back rooms like they want then who will know they are furries, hence no association with the ones who do not mind letting people know they are furries. As for the gay connection, I may be gay and a lot of others are gay, furries or not, but because there are drag queens in the gay community, does that mean you think I dress in drag and wear girls clothing, afraid not I don't do drag.
As for your fur suit, is it not unique, one of a kind, yours something that no one knows who is in it and never seen. So how does you panda suit look like my wolf suit or anyone else's ? I think not, so how do they equate with you the fact that a furry wolf is in the pride parade ?
I agree with that panda guy. Given the cost, lack of bodies, logistics, and general malaise of most furries of being out in public, I can't see this being any more than idle fantasy. Personally, I don't see a point. I can't imagine that most people care or want to know what a small subgroup of people are interested in, and the contingent of actual "lifestylers" is much too small to make any sort of parade a reality.
/thread.
It is not a matter if this thread going anywhere. As you can see in one comment here about it being such a small community, that getting any other type of support is slim to none to hold our big event. So why try there is an opportunity to use something that is already set up.
this thread is just repeating what you suggested in the last one now.
can we just let this die its too much work for something which really isn't going to help break the steriotype.
And so is how the furfag stigma remains
: ThanatosPanda January 14, 2011, 06:35:41 -07:00
can we just let this die its too much work for something which really isn't going to help break the steriotype.
Because breaking the stereotype is clearly the only reason to ever do anything like this.
why do we have to make the public know who we are? and learn more about us? why should any of us care what public opinion is. just live your life and deal with it, if your furry, be it, and if not, then who cares? public opinion may be bad, but that dosent change who we are.
Public opinion of homosexuals is why I try to stay in the closet.
Because we are hated by some small minded dumbasses in some places? Hell no, that makes me lol.
Because I don't want to be equated to anybody that would march down a street in broad daylight chanting stupid things in leather gear or bright orange dresses? Bingo.
Public opinion of furs is horrible, in many places worse than that of homosexuals (the exception likely being places that have never heard of us). That is simply something we are going to have to deal with. Time and time alone can change public opinion of us, because they won't listen or give a damn, they will just have to slowly get over us and stop caring. And in the mean time... I'd just as rather not have to worry about what some wonderfully well intentioned furries are portraying me as when they do what they think will help our image...
Just try to remember, whatever does or doesn't happen, the second your infront of a non-fur, god forbid one with a new camera, you are no longer representing and speaking for yourself, no matter how many times you say you are or how much you think you are, you are representing me, and every other furry out there... The well-meaning of a handful of furs has lead to more trouble for the fandom than anything else, and you don't have to say anything wrong, your words can always be twisted, and likely will be.
Also, please try to remember that fursuiting is not what being a furry is about to the vast majority of furs... Infact, most furs I know would never put on a suit at a con, let alone in public. There are countless artists, musicians, writers, crafts-people, event organizers, and everything else under the sun on this vast and diverse fandom, perhaps shaking the fursuiting, perhaps the most controversial and media-nightmarish part of our fandom in people's faces at the front and center of trying to help public understanding of us is a poor idea? Maybe the furry artists painting wonderful works of art, the animators making wonderful little videos (or sometimes full movies), the writers working on everything from short stories to poems to novels, and the artists making everything from Techno to rap to rock and everything else inbetween... should be pushed front a center, rather than the people in costumes that get the media in a storm and freak people out?
Or... would all that be too sensible?
End of bunnyrant.
I have a simple alternative for a idea to spread the furry ways to others... why not just have a lot of picnics or outside parties in the spring and summer ? its much easier to get permits for using parks for simple BBQ's and such... and it could give us the chances to show the non furs that we do the same stuff they do.
I mean.. does anyone remember how in school there were days of games, food and fun for kids ? potato sack races.... rally games .. all that sort of stuff... but outside !
that's my idea. just throwing it out there.
Excellent idea velvetkitten. I actually started this thread as a Jab, hence the cheesy smile. That to have our own event would be quite costly, but the idea of picnics and bbq's is great. Again it is the cost and time required to set a public one up, know one seems to want to cough up what is required.
And I do remember very well when the schools us to have the other events you mentioned, do they still have them? It's been so long.
As for the comment that kell made at the beginning of his posting. Yes there is still a lot of that happening, and in the area you are in, not the best place to be gay. There are places where even I dare not show I am gay, but I must admit a lot has changed since my generation started standing up for our right to be gay.
No offence but pretending or completely hiding the fact of who and what you are, doesn't work I know from experience. If it wasn't for the generations before you and the work your generation is carrying on. There would be no gay marriages, no public gay community and still more killed and jailed for being gay. Not to mention the support that is there now for not only gay rights but other human rights.
Never let anyone totally strip you of who and what you are, been there done that not wanting to go back. (huggs) stay strong
Sorry, but equating gay persecution to furry persecution just doesn't add up. If anything it belittles gay equality.
If you want to draw a closer line, then I think the BDSM subculture is a closer line to compare to. Both bDSM and furry were essentually demonized by the media. And while the BDSM culture has managed to dig it's self mosty out, thanks to tiress effort and promotion, the Furry side keeps getting shoved back in by retards.
The media loves making spectecles of people, "look at the freaks" will always sell to the public, and furry certainly has no shortage of people that are willing to flaunt that for the media. CSI, Judge Judy, Vanity Fair, the list goes on, where the media encouarges people to be outlandish so people can point and laugh at them.
Any human rights persecution, if you need to take such narrow view of things that should broaden it up. As for the BDSM subculture, straight, bi or gay all sexual denomination, they attend pride be they straight or otherwise. And yes furry side does keep getting shoved back, as did gay and the BDSM culture not to mention numerous other groups, until someone was strong enough to take the push and say so. When the media didn't get the response they want from what ever group it was, they let it go. Kind of like the school bully, then there were those who like to instigate the bullies for their own needs.
Then there are those who finally stand up and unite saying that's enough, even with those in the group still stirring the pot.
It's rather arrogant to compare human-rights issues to Furry.
Furs aren't getting lynched, executed, or hiding in abject fear for their lives.
I'm not tryin to equate gay rights to furry's standing in the media, I was just pointing out my problem with going around showing off the fact I'm gay, and my problem with saying I'm furry.
People will hold their views on things, if somebody wants to hate me becuase I'm not straight, that is their problem, and as somebody that feels fully able to look after themself, I'm not much worried about people finding out. I don't care what they think of what I do in private. What offends me far more than ANY gay basher, is people trying to tell the world what I am.
Fighting for gay rights is great, fighting to make laws and the world at law treat us like people is vital. Doing it by equating me, or any of gay person, to somebody that marches around in parades in leather gear, pisses me off.
Now, I know, lots of NORMAL people show up at gay pride, its a very few that go over the top (or all out, depending on how you view it) and show just how difrent they have every right to be. That WOULD be fine, if the media was gone. Will the people in the background, the people you work with every day ever be noticed? If I tell my (rather liberal and accepting) family that I'm gay, and when I did, do you think the first thing they thought of was an every day person, me and my boyfriend holding hands? Or do you think the first thing that came to mind was hairy men in leather gear?
That, is what offends me.
By flaunting such things, you set that as the public perception, ALL groups are judged by the lowest, loudest, or 'worst' members, all groups will be equated to the most unpleasant members. Look at political groups, religions, other fandoms, gay rights, the furry fandom, or ANY group in the public eye. Do we think of the every day members, or the hard right republicans and the crazy trekies? Its the same thing with the furry fandom, we will be equated to what we show, and not by the best, but by the 'worst'.
Furrys don't NEED to be accepted. How many of us are being jailed, abused, or actually attacked (in real life, e-drama is only a problem for those far too thin skinned)? How many of us just don't want to be seen in a bad light because of something harmless we enjoy that is misunderstood?
So, looking at things in the light of that, how likey is it that going around the place in fursuits is going to win us any hearts? The media will lie, the goons and 4channers will say what they will say, people will see the bad not the good. How did trekkies get accepted? They hung around until people just gave up over reacting and started shaking their heads, same goes for every other missunderstood subculture and internet culture. It doesn't matter if it is BDSM, Furries, startrek or anime, it will take TIME for people to get over it, and flaunting the very things they hate in their faces will do nothing more than make those that dislike us dig in their heels.
Gay rights moved forward because it HAD to, but at the same time, even with how accepted we are today (in comparison), and with how vocal many people have been for years, you still see in the media the bad. I'd put money on people having the balls to come out and simply causing their friends and family to realize they ARN'T freeks, more people have come to accept homosexuals than any gay pride event has ever convinced, They are demonstrations, they are important for political and social changes, but I have heard of very few people's minds changed...
So it comes down to this. Do a few people have any right to, if they think about it, set the public opinion of a group of people? A large and diverse population, is effected in some way, most often negitively, by every public fursuiting event and every time furry is thrown infront of the media. If you honestly think our fandom is able to out-do the mindwashing of the media, your insane, but go on with trying to change the public opinion...
Or, you could just sit back, laugh at the trolls and lol at the haters, and let people get over it... We are not being locked in jail or stoned for going to FA, we are being trolled and loled at. We will be trolled and loled at till the end of the internet, and why anybody but fellow furrys needs to know you have a fursuit is beside me, they likely just don't give a damn.
Ok so lets stop the bickering, lets deal with the mater at hand and that is other ways to let people know what furry is and not what the "others" think it is. If you want to keep furry and gay quite for yourself, I am not saying otherwise. If I offended then I apologize, if you do not want to take part that is fine. No one or should I say I hope no one will say "Kell is a gay furry" at least not I. So once again I will say sorry if I offended.
Now lets look at the alternatives to pride parade and look for some other good ideas like Velvet suggested A furry bbq in a park. One I suggested a furry auction open to the public, with things like furry art, fur suit show and any ideas you can come up with.
*sighs*
People are wonderful at totally missing people's meaning.
I would love for people to say I'm a gay furry, I'd welcome it, I'd put it on a shirt.
The day that somebody sees 'Furry' and thinks somebody that likes animated characters or anthropomorphic, rather than people having sex in animal costumes...
If you want to, and insist on, trying to raise furry awareness, your best bet would be to have a lot of people for a bbq talking about art and maybe drawing, acting like normal people, not running around in animal costumes flaunting the most known and 'worst' part of our fandom in people's faces.
But then, where is the fun in it if nobody is offended or mad or mean?
: Master Coal January 17, 2011, 08:28:34 -07:00
Ok so lets stop the bickering, lets deal with the mater at hand and that is other ways to let people know what furry is and not what the "others" think it is. If you want to keep furry and gay quite for yourself, I am not saying otherwise. If I offended then I apologize, if you do not want to take part that is fine. No one or should I say I hope no one will say "Kell is a gay furry" at least not I. So once again I will say sorry if I offended.
Now lets look at the alternatives to pride parade and look for some other good ideas like Velvet suggested A furry bbq in a park. One I suggested a furry auction open to the public, with things like furry art, fur suit show and any ideas you can come up with.
Start reading ALL of what people are saying. instead of going about three words in and then disregarding the whole thing.
Thanks Ixiah, I hate having to tell people that myself...
i dont want to step on anyone's issues but.. isnt this thread for alternatives for furry outing.. not... the .. thread for... all the upset of being gay or furry ? I added my idea and its like I wasted my time so people can be upset... that makes me upset. :(
: velvetkytten January 18, 2011, 07:59:56 -07:00
i dont want to step on anyone's issues but.. isnt this thread for alternatives for furry outing.. not... the .. thread for... all the upset of being gay or furry ? I added my idea and its like I wasted my time so people can be upset... that makes me upset. :(
I think the concept is so charged that anything in this direction is going to be hard-pressed to avoid the politics.