Steampunk Convention...and comments about Furry

[kuddlepup]

Had a blast yesterday at a new Steampunk event in Daytona.  I put together a little outfit with some things that I already had...nothing elaborate, and certainly not anything expensive...created a character that was, for lack of a better idea, a dirigible attendant.  White shirt, black vest with my silver pocketwatch, khaki slacks, and black shoes

Comments

[crocodile]

No discussion would be complete without pointing out that besides the socially adept furries who form their own friends groups, you have those who are not socially adept who end up either forming smaller groups with each other, hanging onto or trying to break into a more established social group, or just basically being loners. I think there's been this myth perpetuated by some that the furry fandom is (or should be) this huge come one come all thing where outcasts are welcomed with open arms for who they are, some kind of unconditional love and acceptance, and I think anyone can see that's mostly inaccurate. Do people deserve a chance? Absolutely. Does anyone owe the socially inept a debt past giving them a chance to win them over? Absolutely not. This is still real life, and furry is just a loose group of individuals, some of which share interests. But even among those who do share interests, the specifics can differ wildly. All fursuiters do not share the same motives and values (understatement), nor do all artists or writers.

Point being, some of the viewpoints about furries that outsiders have, may have some basis in the truth. Poking fun at furries as a whole genre is one thing (and I think even healthy if coming from a furry), while mocking specific, by name furries is obviously a lot more personal and less good-natured, but no less common. Again that's nothing furries can claim exclusivity to, and while some would like to think being part of this fandom would make someone above that, it's unfortunately naive. Being labelled as part of a group out of convenience because you share a relatively uncommon interest is one thing, but such terms as "furry" and "fursuiter" hold only the most shallow commonality when it comes down to it, and anyone who pays attention to furry (or pretty much any other subgroup) will realize that once you take away those few common interests, most of us are not very different from anyone else out there, both good and bad.

Investing your time in a handful of friends that you've determined have real personal interest in you, to me at least seems more wise then any sort of obligation to fulfill some kind of outside expectations of you as to what others think being part of a fandom ought to be. It's a long cycle, new and young people are more likely to be more into con events, and trying to be out in the midst of large social groups, at least if they aren't in suit for much of the time. The more friends you already have and are trying to reconnect with at a con, the less time you're probably going to dedicate to things that would have been more interesting or enticing before you did. If you get to see someone you like once or twice a year at a con, that's usually going to take precedence over most anything else.

Sorry for the long winded response, but if there's anything being in the fandom for 20 years has taught me, it's that furry is merely a microcosm of society in general once you strip away our "strange" interests. We are no more altruistic, or cruel as a group than any other. To assume that a label ascribes responsibility or inherent behavior similarities is unwise. As a group, we are not worthy of special treatment or scorn, as individuals, our behavior dictates which we deserve.