Why furries creep me out - a theory

[tongodeon]

dr_strych9 once told me his wife "really, really doesn't get how furries are supposed to be so damned creepy" about furries.

I've got a few explanations. I'm not trying to argue that this makes it morally justifiable to ridicule or discriminate against furries, this is a tentative theory for how and why people are inclined to do this.

In my problem with

Comments

[tongodeon]

There's a difference that I tried to define but apparently didn't do a very good job at.

Take Saint Patrick's Day. It's an event that requires specific dress (something green, something shamrock-y) but there's no "saint patricks day dress-up contest" vibe in effect. The red-haired, red-bearded guy wearing an authentic Irish-tailored head-to-toe leprechaun suit will not get more free beer than the guy wearing a $10 t-shirt saying "kiss me I'm irish". The guy wearing the leprechaun suit will probably be shunned for being a little weird, putting in too much effort, and getting the idea wrong because the event is about drinking and camraderie, not costume.

In contrast, the person showing up at the fetish event wearing a fully ponyboy outfit, wearing en-pointe-toed thigh-high patent leather boots with matching 8" waist corset, or trundling around Dalek-style in a rolling hand-welded iron maiden *will* be given more positive attention and free alcohol because fetish events are costume-intensive events and it's all about public display of formal costumery.

Santarchy is much more of the former than the latter, at least the way my friends and I do it. If you show up wearing a dirty $15 santa suit you will fit in a lot better and enjoy the event a lot more than you will if you show up wearing the full wig and beard, a red riding coat trimmed with white wolf-pelt, and carrying an authentic norse-plaited reindeer-whip. If you *really* overdo it and show up riding an antique sleigh pulled by reindeer we'll almost certainly send you home. That's because, like Saint Patrick's Day, it's a drinking event with a minor dress code rather than a costume-centric event with a drinking component.

[glaucon]

that makes much more sense.

reminds me of my idea for goth hiking. it involves picking a nice summer day and hitting a moderately difficult (5 mile, moderate grade), fairly crowded hiking trail. you wear full goth regalia - pvc vinyl pants, corset or straitjacket or other fetishy top, black eye liner, shiny boots, or something along the same lines, maybe a black parasol. then you hike the regular trail - as best you can anyway - making sure to greet everyone using your most "normal" trail greeting: "hey dude!" "nice day, huh?" "how much further to the top?" etc.

then later that night, you show up at the goth club wearing hiking boots, cargo pants, maybe some goretex, and a floppy hiking hat.

compare people's responses.

[tongodeon]

I like Wumpskate for the same reason. There's a vague costume requirement, but goths can't get very serious about themselves when they're on roller skates.