I'd like to share my thoughts with the board, one that I've had a fair amount of time to ponder in trying to define my interests.
I have a particular problem with the word "Furry" and I think it is an abused word and many people use it very incorrectly. Furry should not be used to describe a genre, a theme, or even be used to describe anthropomorphic animals. This might be a bold statement to make, but I hope you'll read on and consider my argument.
I think the problem with the term 'Furry' is the word 'Furry' itself needs a proper definition. I think the need to have a proper definition and applying that word properly is quite paramount to the fanbase as I believe a huge problem with the word Furry is people trying to use the term Furry on just about anything in any way they please to try and bring that item in to the cultural sphere. People will describe Bugs Bunny as Furry, Madagascar as Furry and a host of other anthropomorphic creatures or things that have anthro creatures in them as Furry. This I believe is an incredible abuse of the word.
For purposes of making my argument I offer the following as what I think is a pretty all encompasing definition of Furry: "Furry is term for a person or group of people who have a deep appreciation of anthropomorphic creatures". We certainly could nit-pick finer details of the definition but I think at the core this is a rather encompassing definition. What this means is that Furry is the act of an entity appreciating anthropomorphs at a deep level. This appreciation can take the form of a person drawing art, writing, costuming, going to conventions, or whatnot, but this requires an appreciative entity performing an act.
Now, by defining it as an act a person take automatically strips anthropomorphic creatures of the label of furry. An anthropomorphic animal isn't an act, it is a type of creature. The appreciation of this type of creature is furry, but being an Anthropomorph is not Furry. Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Star Fox, these things are not Furry, they are anthropomorphs. Also, they (probably) aren't even made with anthropomorphs in mind, making it farther from Furry; Bugs Bunny was made more for conveying a social commentary and dark humor to the public in a light hearted way; The creator of an Orangina commercial did not create a piece of media about scantily clad animal creatures splashing around in their drink as an appreciation of anthropomorphic creatures, they made it to sell Orangina; but I'll touch on the creation aspect next.
When one creates a piece of art, they create an inanimate object on a surface like a piece of paper, or text on a screen or form from bits of fabric. This material and created item does not have any appreciation of its own, it has no emotions, no feelings, no opinions and no thoguhts (we hope). A costume of an anthro creature is a costume of an anthro creature. A drawing of an anthro creature is a drawing of an anthro creature. Art can have a meaning tacked on by it's creator and even meaning tacked on or altered by the viewer, but the piece itself is void of any affinity or thoughts. The art may be made by a furry, the act of making it may be furry, the act of viewing it may be furry, but the art itself is an anthropomorphc creature in some genre of some theme and should not be called Furry.
Furries are one of a very unique set of fans of having a label attached to them. Most forms of fans are just that, fans. A person who likes Star Wars is a Star Wars fan, a person who likes anime is an anime fan, a person who likes comics is a comic fan, etc., etc. The term Furry should be used like the term 'Trekkie' or 'Gamer', both terms also for a type of person who enjoy a certain thing to a deep level. When a Trekkie makes some Star Trek art, it is Sci-fi, with a theme of Star Trek with their (or other) characters. This is because a genre is not defined by the author, but the content of what is being made. A genre is all similar styles, such as rock in music, or dub step. Also, a theme is not defined by the author, it is instead the context of the story. If you are making a story about people who like anthros, the theme might be furry, but if you are making a story about an anthro going on an adventure, it is an adventure theme. In general, one should be saying a Furry is making a piece of art of X genre, with Y theme that has anthros in it, not a furry is making furry art in a furry universe with a furry in it (furry furry furry). Even without my definition argument, can it be seen how silly that sentence sounds?
If furry as a fanbase wants to mature, we need to have a proper definition of what we are and ensure that defintion is properly applied. Any term for any group or object that can't properly be defined has a hard time existing because more structured definitions take place. The same goes for a group or sub-group. If you can't define what you're group is about, you can't draw a boundary to be a group.
These are just some thoughts I felt I should share and would love comment on them.
I happen to like the way the word furry is used, perhaps it would be confusing for someone outside the community who is just learning about furries, but the versatility of the word makes it more useful, and sure you can get sentences that are similar to "fuck the fucking fuckers" with all the ways you can use the word furry, but that doesn't make it a worse word to use for any of the contexts.
You shouldn't look at the furry community the way you do, it's not just people who appreciate anthropomorphic animals, there are many furs that don't even like anthros! and it's not really a fandom either, some people call it that, but it's more than just a fandom, it's a community, it's a way of life, it's an artstyle, it's people who identify with animals or as different than normal humans, it's people who believe they ARE animals, it's people with a particular taste in porn, and it's many more things, it's not a fandom it's... something different, it's.... furry.
wasnt able to read much of the post as i am falling asleep.
But i wanted to say, that ia gree with you on the "people using the word furry in the wrong context."
The reason why "furry" is such a negative conotation is because of people using it wrong. I agree that it should not be used to describe parts of the fandom or even the widely used misconception of things that are outside or -above- just the fandom. like anthropomorphic creatures. When i hear people comment on art going "I really like your furry!" I'm like *CRINGES*. NO. It is an anthropormorphic character. its not a "furry"... "Furry" is used to describe a person who is involved int he fandom. not things that are outside things but are interests to the fandom. It irks the crap out of me when people use the term furry for EVERYTHING. I wish i could slap people with a dictionary and embed the knowledge of the english language into their heads -.-'
Anthropomorphism, in simplest terms, is giving non human creatures or objects, human characteristics. (not humans with animal characteristics. ) thus, by definition, 'anthro' is the primary term. not -furry-.
I get really anal retentive when it comes to telling people off when they comment on my art as "nice furry"
Anyways. when i am less tired, i will read the rest and comment. just needed to get this little part out XD
@sevrin
Even simple things such as talking quadrupeds, animals given human emotions or expressions, is considered anthropomorphism. I have seen people with just plain animal characters but they are put into human related scenerios or are given expressions that animals do not have. That is still anthro. As basic and simplistic as it may be, it still is.
Anthro does not mean biped or entirely human. it just means something given human characteristics. I have yet to see someone who is portrayed as just an animal. An animal with no human thoughts, expressions, feelings, etc. Even when a person roleplays as an animal, thoughts and human actions are given to said animal. That is still anthro.
The word furry is versatile, yes, but the reason why "furry" is such a negative word to outsiders is because of this!
Not saying your oppinion isnt valid. Just stating the fact that saying the wrod furry in public is like asking for people to give you the highschool bully treatment. And the reason that is is because of people using it in ways it shouldnt be used. Ways that arent not correct when it comes to actual definitions of words that -should- be used instead of "furry" which already has such negativity associated with it in our society.
There are reasons why outsiders dont know what furry is or are misinformed. it is because furry is attributed to things in and out of the fandom that are questionable and shouldnt actually be using that word to describe. They have proper terms and phrases that would explain them better then "furry". Such an open ended word allows for too much outside interpretation and is part of the reason why we have such a bad name.
@Sevrin
Fanbases are a community, a group of like minded people. While people who are Furry do have a different range of reasons why, the common factor between them all is that they have a deep appreciation for anthros in my opinion. All the things you mentioned a Furry could be can be summed up as a form of appreciating anthropomorphic creatures. We are a close knit fanbase, but we are just that.
Furry is not a way of life. It might be encorporated in to a lifestyle, but it is not one itself. Appreciating anthros doesn't affect the way you live in any profound way, and all people who enjoy anthros do not live in a certain manner so it cannot be any defined style of living.
I'd personally be curious to know of any example of someone identifying as a Furry who does not like anthros in any form.
The broad usage of the word is a detraction in my opinion because, as I mentioned, it causes it to be ambiguous in what a person means. If you tack on a whole bunch of unlike definitions for a single word, then people are going to seek better words to describe it, which leads to the word being a little useless.
Also, associations that should not be made can be made because of the loose rules of the word as Temrin also noted. I think a lot of negative connotation with the word furry could be dropped if we adhered to a more strict usage. The individual acts are no longer "Furry" but rather personal acts of appreciation. Right now, when someone sees art of anthros that is offensive they most likely will say "OH, that's some deranged furry art" because the term is abused thus. This allows people to associate "Furry" with things that are a particular individual's form of appreciation rather than the broader interest of the community. Now, take another example, if we see some deranged Star Trek art made by Trekkie, it's called deranged Star Trek fanart. It isn't Trekkie art even if it was made by a Trekkie. The association with the group of fans just doesn't happen in the same way had it been referred to as Trekkie art.
Well this is a new take on it, I honestly came in thinking it was going to be something along the lines of "gaah furry is such a bland blanket term, what about those with scales or feathers? we don't call it the scaly fandom or the feather fandom!" ;D
But here is the thing about the furry label, its intentionally broad and vague so it can encompass everything the fandom is. Otherwise would be over segregating like some of the knobs out there going "well im an avian, im not furry" or "Im a dragon, I am not even related to these people *snooty snoot*" I have to strongly agree with Servin on this matter though. Fandom is a rather bland and dumbed down term, I know I use it all the time, but only because its a easily understood word in which to describe things. I consider us more of a community because we do a lot of things that general fandoms don't do that often, we are far more physical and open, WE are the creators, we are not here simply buying someones product, we revolve around creating our own identity's rather than just leeching vague association with something like a TV, novel or video game character. My last and most favorite one would be the types of people this community encompasses. We got far more than just the typical fan types, we have those who enjoy furry so much that their daily life always has something furry going on, art, socializing, furry hangouts, second life, role play. We even have those who are anywhere from slightly spiritual to deeply spiritual with their identity who believe themselves to be their defined creature on the inside.
The only real thing I could agree on with the term furry being mutilated is when someone says words like fursicution, furvert, fureinds, popufur or any other word where "fur" is just crammed into it. Or when someone just claims anything animal wise to be furry because its got animals. BUT when someone comes along and tries to "re-invent" furry, it never goes over too well cause it always falls into the one category of just trying to split hairs, if your goal is trying to prove one isn't furry while doing things that encompass what furry is, then I would suggest that who ever these people are should maybe just not call themselves furry and hide in the closet again till they are not so ashamed of who they relate with? The last notion of the fandom maturing I find actually a bit silly, this community sure seems to be doing just fine with the current terminology, I don't see how having some conservative description is gonna be the deal breaker in this situation. People are always gonna think what they want of us all, and the more we go on about it and go "no no no im not Furry, im furry furry" just gives people more reason to pick at us because now they see we are ashamed and embarrassed about who we are, if this is the case than people should just do what they have been doing since the fandom first came to be, just leaving it. People do grow out of the fandom, it happens, but trying to change the fandom to look like some professional group of people isn't really the logical answer as that's not what furry is about, furry is about fun, not reputation and ego. A lot of furs have already figured this out, its called not giving a shit what the uptight mundane population thinks.
But Drake, taking on the definition of furry as an anthropomorphic creature in no way segragates any other other types of anthros. Heck, you can be an anthro chair and you'd be accepted under the definition I proposed. An anthropomorphic creature is any non-human creature that has been given human traits.
Also, I think it is a bit pretentious to claim we are tighter knit than other fandoms, or to downplay the creativity, or even the involvement level of any of the other fanbases out there.
All fanbases hold a tight knit community simply due to the fact that it's easier to identify and relate to people who share common interests. There are charity auctions in nearly every fan base, get togethers, socials, and events that bring individual members together. Some fanbases even have scholarships, mentoring and many do community outreach work as well. A good example would be the local Steampunk fans. They share materials between each other, get together to discuss ideas and help build their costumes, and go out in to the world to do caroling and just having fun with each other and share something with the world.
Also, while our characters may seem unique mixtures of beings, they are just that, unique mixtures of beings that already exist. We pull influences just like any other person in any other fandom from both the real world and fantasy. There are countless people who are influenced by video games and cartoons in the creation of their identity. I would argue creating a a hybrid of three beings is no different than creating a character named Jantha Boon, the dark raider of the fourteeth planet who has a hankering for peanuts and Zoozoo juice from Darthmoore bars.
We certainly also consume just as much as the next fanbase, maybe even more since to somtimes to realize our characters we need another to draw it. We purchase art, both comissioned and prints, we purchase items with logos and slogans, we buy comics and stories, and purchase other trinkets and baubles related to the fanbase.
For your last point, there are people in those other fanbases also just as involved as all of us. There are those who have their entire income based on fashioning armor for various genres, those who have klingon weddings, or identify on the census their religion is Jedi.
If you look at an anthro as being something that has anything at all that could in any way be construed as an anthropomorphic quality, then yeah you're right that everything furry is anthropomorphic, but I was talking more about some people prefurring things that are basically just humans, to things like art or characters that are entirely animals, at least physically.
I still believe that being furry is more broad than just a typical fandom, and that telling people it's a fandom is misleading as to what it really is. I don't see us as being the same as trekkies, because they are star trek fans, where we aren't really anything fans, certainly many furries are fans of certain things, but being furry in general isn't really the same as being a fan of something, perhaps it could be like we are a generalized fandom that spans across several fandoms, but I still think that would be inaccurate, I think it's more like if you took a fandom and crossed it with a religion, but that's still a really bad example, this is why nobody really knows what to call it. A cat's eyes can be yellow, lemons can also be yellow, this does not make a cat's eyes lemons, cat eyes certainly have some similarities to a lemon but that does not mean they are in fact lemons, that's sort of how I see calling "furry" a fandom or fanbase.
How is it misleading to call the appreciation of anthros a fandom? How are we any different than any other fans? We draw appreciative art, we roleplay as the thing we enjoy or build things to represent it. We go to meetings and gatherings to talk about the thing we appreciate. We do fan like things. Take a walk in any other fan base and you will see the exact same things that happen in this fan base.
If you're going to claim otherwise, you're going to need to provide evidence that we are more than a fandom. Saying Furry is more just because it feels more could just be the result of a natural psychological tendency. We, as humans, tend to elevate the in-group we area part of to make it seem more just than any out-group. You find this in all fan bases, where people say "It's more than just a fandom, it feels like my place, like I belong."
: Pat The Fox September 10, 2012, 09:32:59 -06:00
If you're going to claim otherwise, you're going to need to provide evidence that we are more than a fandom. Saying Furry is more just because it feels more could just be the result of a natural psychological tendency. We, as humans, tend to elevate the in-group we area part of to make it seem more just than any out-group. You find this in all fan bases, where people say "It's more than just a fandom, it feels like my place, like I belong."
The problem with this notion is that in the way its presented that means not a single group out there is nothing more than a bunch of like minded people just "nerding" together, fandoms, clubs, religions, pretty much any group of people doing something they enjoy or feel something about has been reduced to the lowest common denominator which in this case is described as a general fandom. Sure there is a degree of truth to it, but only in the cold hard scientific sense which has removed a lot of elements of what it means to be a part of something in favor of just comparing very bland base similarities.
It's hard to argue my point when there isn't a word for what I think of the furry fandom, but I firmly believe it's more than just a fandom.
There are people who like anthropomorphic animals but are not furries, there are also many kinds of furries with many different ideas of what furry is, probably because furry isn't just one thing it's many things and many people with similar interests grouped up into one word. Furry is just furry, it's not a fandom, it's for lack of a better word "furry"
I think the main point that was trying to be said was the fact that using the word furry in other contexts, for things that are anthro or an interest of the fandom, wrong. Not referring to the fandom/community itself. "furry" is a more appropriate word and something used to describe people in the fandom, but it should not go farther then that imo. Furry should not be used to refer to anthro creatures or things that are of interest to the fandom. As you mentioned above, "There are people who like anthro's and arent furries" there for the word furry shouldnt be used to describe an anthro. It shouldnt be crammed into a plethora of other words and used in that way. (Furdom, furiend, furever, etc) unless you are in a discreet private setting. and even then it grinds my gears.
as said in Pats post
For purposes of making my argument I offer the following as what I think is a pretty all encompassing definition of Furry: "Furry is term for a person or group of people who have a deep appreciation of anthropomorphic creatures".
And this definition -is- the wide spread definition used for the fandom and IS how this community began years ago with the first people who decided to come together with their interests. So. That is all relevant. -because- the fandom is so widespread, the one, true definition is as stated above honestly. Its no different then the anime fandom is people who like anime. And it also includes your "not all people who likes anthro's are furries". Not all people who like anime consider themselves part of the anime fandom. I dont. I used to be, but i dont consider myself apart of that world anymore. Just like how people i know personally like fantasy (including anthro creatures) but do not consider themselves part of the fandom. Its the choice of the person weather or not they take part, and using the term "furry" for everything is only stuffing it in peoples faces when they dont want to be a part of it. Thats a problem and shouldnt be happening. Its another reason why people are so uncomfortable with us is because people throw around words incorrectly and in my opinion, makes us look like illiterate nerds with no respect for the outside world when we shove it in peoples faces without giving them a choice.
The definition of furry is and always will be a group of people who have an appreciation for anthropomorphic creatures. If a person doesnt want to be a part of it, thats their choice. People can have an appreciation for something and not be apart of the fandom. There is no "you are furry by association" BS. The problem with using the word furry is when its used beyond the context of it referring to people involved in the fandom. Furry has the ability to be an all encompassing word, but i really dont think it should be used as such. its confusing and as i said, it shoves it in peoples faces and only makes us look bad in the publics eye. The word should be used what it was meant for, describing people int he fandom, not for things that are interests to the fandom. (calling sonic a furry, and star fox a furry, makes it sounds like you are saying they have sentience and are part of the fandom -as a person- when its a character. an imagined creation and is its -own- thing. not a -furry-. )
: Pat The Fox September 08, 2012, 10:38:27 -06:00
If furry as a fanbase wants to mature
Define "mature"? I'm not sure what you think the fandom is being held back from, I guess. It's a pretty well-established fandom that's been around for 30+ years.
The question of whether I agree with you or not aside, I think changing the majority opinions of a large and diverse group of people who've been using the word in a number of different senses for that long would be difficult at best. "Herding cats" doesn't begin to describe it.
I do agree silvermink, that stopping people from using it in diverse ways is pretty pointless. It wont work.
Eh, i will still express it when people do it though. I've saved a lot of butts from troll fires and arguments due to warning them about using it in confusing ways. (Ahah, some people will pretty much yell and scream at people for calling them or their characters furry when they arent associated with the fandom. )
mickey mouse, donald duck, daisy mae, goofy, pluto et al are all furries. oops .... anthropomorphic caricatures. but for those that cannot say those $20 words such as anthropooo, oops. antsathro oops, damm it. i know it is anthropic oh crap. DAMM IT -- THEY ARE FURRIES!!!!!!
@tokar i definitely do not expect people to say anthropomorphic or anthropomorphism every time. Its why the short form "anthro" exists. just as easy to say as furries.
anthro sounds much like 2 drs talking short form words where furry et al sounds more like fun and everyone can say it.
anthro, anthropomorphic, furry, furries, etc. do they all not mean the same thing? one word is technical and the other isn't. some people are technically challenged, and some aren't. put on your suit and go have some fun.
Actually, Furry and anthro do not mean the same.
Furry is a term used to describe people in the fandom. Members of the fandom.
Anthro is the term used for non human objects or creatures given human characteristics.
There are people who are not part of the "furry" fandom that draw fantasty or anthro creatures. Many do not wish to be called a furry or their characters to be either. They are not part of the fandom for their own reasons.
Furry is not a term that should be used when referring to things that are interests to the fandom and causes a butt load of confusion and misinterpretation when used for -everything else-. Its another reason why a lot of people do not understand who we are, what we do and think we are nothing but perverted deviants. Thanks to people referring to everything as furry it not only causes that confusion but causes a lot of grief for people both in and out of the fandom.
You all can do what you want, just dont feel butt hurt when someone gets upset for you referring to things in a way that it shouldn't be referred too -shrugs-
Silvermink, when I say mature, I mean become a more well defined fanbase. The Furry fanbase has certainly been around a good while, but it has always struggled with identity. I believe part of that problem is due to the ambiguity.
Also, while I do agree that causing this change will be walking in to the wind, for there to be a change it has to start somewhere. Why not here in our own community?
: Pat The Fox September 12, 2012, 01:35:37 -06:00
Silvermink, when I say mature, I mean become a more well defined fanbase. The Furry fanbase has certainly been around a good while, but it has always struggled with identity. I believe part of that problem is due to the ambiguity.
Hmm. I guess we don't agree on whether it's a problem that there are people on the fringes of furry, if that's what you mean.
It's less of who is considered a furry, but more how do you explain it to another. Right now, when someone is aked what is a Furry, there is no one singular answer. Some people will go off on tangents about the art, about conventions, about suits, etc. Since everything is called furry x, it can create a lot of confusion when trying to be concise.
: Pat The Fox September 12, 2012, 06:11:40 -06:00
It's less of who is considered a furry, but more how do you explain it to another. Right now, when someone is aked what is a Furry, there is no one singular answer. Some people will go off on tangents about the art, about conventions, about suits, etc. Since everything is called furry x, it can create a lot of confusion when trying to be concise.
So what is the problem with simply saying "I am a Furry, but I am more here for the art/ suiting/ community"? you know, just be more descriptive with yourself and where you stand in the fandom. I would think that would be easier than trying to make the entire fandom change due to comfort issues. The point of the blanket definition of Furry is so that one can go "I am a furry, but man I really love just being one of the writers out there" or "yeah im a furry, but I really just more so enjoy getting out there and meeting other animal lovers" if you just say "im furry" then of course you are gonna get a lot of people making wild assumptions, just like if you use any other label out there.
If someone goes "hey I like computers" but doesn't define that they like say.. just building them or customizing them, then people are gonna go "hey you must be one of them hackers who downloads torrents and sends off e-mails about Nigerian princes who have billions of dollars!" The key point of what I am saying is being a lill descriptive about yourself goes MILES when you are trying to explain who you are, simple phrases and terms will always be subjected to wild fantasies and assumptions cause you leave the door open to them.
But there is more to it than that, Drake. It is far less the problem of comfort, but far more the abuse of a term. The term is for the group of people who enjoy anthros. Using it any other way makes one sound juvenile, like one cannot properly associate definitions to their proper use.
As Temrin and I touched on, calling everything under the sun furry also brings a lot of contextual cues that should not be. When all the action a furry takes is also called Furry then the definition must now bear the weight of everything called furry, even if the individual person does not partake of it.
Calling items and creatures furry also many times incorrectly suggests that the intention of the object creation was in some way to a product of the furry fandom or belongs to it as well. Again, to use Bugs Bunny, calling Bugs Bunny a furry is just plain wrong. Bugs bunny is an anthro. It was not created with the appreciation of anthros in mind (probably), nor does it in any way belong to the people in the fan base. People in the fan base can enjoy it, but they don't enjoy it because it is furry (Bugs Bunny is not appreciating anthros, it is a character on paper), they enjoy it because it is an anthro and they appreciate anthros.
It's also wrong in any way to try and muscle Furry in as a genre or theme, because it just isn't that (wth the exception of a theme if someone is writing about the experience of appreciating anthros). Not only is that a bit brazen and makes furry seem like it is trying to be more important than it is, but also doing this with art or stories muddies the water terribly. Everything becomes indistinguishable since furry is used for all things, from G to X rated, from normal and cute to explicit and vulgar, from a piece of well thought out literature, to the trolling post on a board. It's all lumped under one tag, so it has to carry the definitions of the unintended and be considered with all that.
The way everything even remotely having to do with the fandom is called furry makes it sounds like we are trying to bring it in to our realm and some how take possesion of it. It makes us sound undefined or having an identity crisis. It can be offensive to those who do not wish their work or items associated with the appreciation of anthros.
Your computers point is a bit disjoint of an example. You don't call a group of people who like computers computery or such. The usage of the word is not parallel to the usage of the term 'furry'. You can like a computer because it is a single concrete object and most people are more specific about their interests with them. On the flipside, Furry is not a concrete object, it is a tag for a group of people with like interests.
Hm. I guess I see what you're getting at, but don't think of it as a big issue.
: Pat The Fox September 12, 2012, 09:30:54 -06:00Your computers point is a bit disjoint of an example. You don't call a group of people who like computers computery or such.
...I might start.
I think my example is rather apt to be honest, just not in the way you have interpreted it. It was never about one defined word or description, it was how ever about how someone who identifies with something on such a vague level is bound to have all sorts of bad things assumed about them because they used such a blunt and vague term to describe themselves by Instead of making an effort to define themselves.
The furry fandom has simply become too big and vast to go through some miracle image change in the worlds eyes, at least not without a unanimous effort to try and look professional and normal to a bunch of people we could care less about, all those of us who can't stand the current status quo can do is really work towards making ourselves stand out more and not use labels like a crutch. For example, I fit in with a good few groups of people, some that rather heavily parallel the furry fandom. I use to use some of their terminology and even the big labels. Naturally I got "looks" and questioned and yes I wasn't really ready for that so it made me feel awkward like I was with a group of weirdos. But I learned that you can be a part of just about anything, as long as you can be yourself and stand on your own, labels mean nothing and terminology becomes an after thought because you don't really require them to feel like you belong somewhere. Though another part of this is simply being tactful of when and how you use such words and terminology, saying "im a furry" at work, when you work around a bunch of uptight office worker types is never ever going to go over well, you just can't present the fandom in ANY light or any revised, clarified, reduced or conservative term that is going to go over well.
Silvermink, I guess I am a bit of a stickler for terminology just because I can see how proper teminology can bolster a certain interest group, give it structure and validity as well as help its concepts be conveyed to the broader audience.
Drake, but people don't use computer in that ways that furry is. When I say I like computers, most people assume I like the machine, computer, because if I specificly liked an aspect of computers I would be more precise and say that. Some small amount of people do use the term wrong, but it is not the general social norm. Yes, any term can be corrupted in this way, but that does not make it okay so I am not sure what the point is you're trying to make.
The furry fandom is hardly too vast or large to make a change. If we are, we are certainly doomed to evaporate as we'd never be able to keep up with the times. There are much larger fields of interest that go through radical teminology changes in their time, some with even more terms to change and properly enforce than a single term. The best example would be the field of Game Design. In the last few years alone there has been a huge push toward standardizing terminology and using those terms properly.
This standardizing and enforcing of proper terminology allows people to communicate ideas more clearly both to the group and to others outside it. When one is able to communicate better, they are able to spread and share ideas and ideals better and help people outside the circle of knowledge to come in to it and embrace it. If furry was more clearly defined, I think the fanbase would have an easier time growing and accommodating because we wouldn't have such a hard time explaining what it is. Currently it's more along the lines of The Doctor explaining what time is rather than a pointed declaration of what furry is.
: Pat The Fox September 12, 2012, 11:43:09 -06:00
Silvermink, I guess I am a bit of a stickler for terminology just because I can see how proper teminology can bolster a certain interest group, give it structure and validity as well as help its concepts be conveyed to the broader audience.
Furry seems pretty successful to me, I guess - I'm still not really convinced that it lacks validity or needs more structure than it already has. But we may just have to agree to disagree on that. I don't think there's any reason to worry about helping furry grow - it looks pretty big from where I'm standing, and there's still plenty of fresh blood coming in.
: Pat The Fox September 12, 2012, 11:43:09 -06:00
The furry fandom is hardly too vast or large to make a change. If we are, we are certainly doomed to evaporate as we'd never be able to keep up with the times. There are much larger fields of interest that go through radical teminology changes in their time, some with even more terms to change and properly enforce than a single term. The best example would be the field of Game Design. In the last few years alone there has been a huge push toward standardizing terminology and using those terms properly.
Game design seems like an odd comparison to me, mostly because that's a professional field and I would think people would correspondingly be much more motivated to standardize terminology and use terms properly. I think one of the biggest barriers you'd find to trying to do the same in furry would be people like me saying, "This is something I do for fun in my spare time. I'm not going to spend a lot of time stressing about exact terminologies and nomenclatures."
On the other hand, I would be super-cool with putting this "furries all wear costumes" (http://t.co/uL4Dzw3A) myth to bed.
...it's really among the least of the stupidities in the linked article, mind you.
To agree with what Temrin was saying before, it is true that a label can mislead people to believe that something else is just automatically associated with it.
Take the term "gamer" for example. Now from my understanding a gamer either plays a lot of games, or happens to be a fan of video games in some shape or form. What's interesting, is that a lot of people nowadays are getting in to playing social games or casual games on their phones or Ipads or Facebook or whatever. Now if you were to ask them "Are you a gamer" they are more then likely going to tell you know, regardless of the fact that they play games everyday. Why? Because they associate the term gamer with people who play console games, shooters, basically whatever they've seen or heard in the media. Most of it being negative. ((Like the nerd playing games in his mothers basement with nothing but the glow of his computer monitor lighting the room.))
The point I'm making is that furry is in the same bin. People just assume what the term is associated with and make judgements based on those assumptions accordingly. I also agree with Silvermink that it's far too late to try and change how the term is being used now. I don't know if the furry community is as big as the gamer community, but I know that it's certainly big. A universal change is out of the question. I think the best thing we can shoot for is to just do our best to prove people their perceptions are wrong by being decent and good willed, while also encouraging it within our own community.