Since Trump’s Election, we have been deluged in reports about fake news in the media. As a Republican and a Fury, this is not new to me.
Fake News and the Furry Fandom
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Tag Archives: Furry Fandom
My Low Spoilers Review
We had our furry meet up on Friday on opening night to see Zootopia at a local Portland area theater on March 4. We all enjoyed the movie. Normally I never see a movie on the opening weekend, I wait a few week before seeing it or wait until redbox has it. I am also amazed how Zootopia has taken the furry fandom by storm. I do not believe at no time a movie that was seen by the fandom in mass. Many fur groups organized meets at theaters, some groups rented the entire theater for a private showing. Over all I enjoyed the movie. The message of tolerance was there but it was not preachy. What the media has missed is not Judy Hopps experienced bias but how she deals with, and it not like your typical liberal response, she went out and her best and 100% more instead of protesting for an entitlement.
What really works for me was the details. Most furries scale animals to human size, what animators of Zootopia did was to draw the animals to natural then scaled the world around them. For example rodents have their own neighborhood and homes and transportation are scaled to rodent scale.
In other news I am very skeptical of buzzfeed and the claims that Disney is marketing to the furry fandom. After all we are relatively still a small fandom. It more like both Disney putting out a movie and our furry interest has intersected. I also doubt the legitimacy of the so-called leaked letter. First of all it was not Disney but a third party promotion firm. I also been to the furlife site and have seen only one post about the letter.
If one thing anybody should know about the furry fandom is we are fans of anthropomorphic animals in art, literature, role-play and cosplay. Zootopia does represent the fandom in this; We create anthropomorphic characters them speculate the world like and they live in and how they react in this world through art, literature, fursuiting and role-play.
Sexism in the Furry Fandom? Not by the Numbers
There been a debate between Patch and JM at [adjective] [species] over women in the Furry fandom and sexism. On the onset, let me say sexual harassment for those the opposite sex and straight orientation (i.e. the slur breeders) is a problem in the fandom in some corners. This is not where I want to look at. I am more focused n that the supposed sexism in the fandom is a sweeping generalization on faulty or insufficient data. [adjective] [species] would point to a high ratio between men and women in the fandom as indicter of sexism. I want to look at fandoms on the whole including Science Fiction, Anime (in the United States), Furry, and Brony (My Little Pony) believe that large ratio of males to females in the Furry fandom number s has more to do with human nature, the differences between men and women rather than sexism. Guys like to gather with men in mass what women in small company with other women or men like football and women like shopping.
Steampunk Epiphany
I just got back from Gear Con, The Steampunk convention in Portland Oregon. I was very curious about the Steampunk community but I missed last year’s Gear Con because I got the dates wrong. For the uninitiated, Steam Punk is both a genre of retro speculative /alterative historical literature, art and a community of creative persons. The main premise is what if Victorian industrial technology was much more sophisticated; think indusial revolution and 19th century science on steroids.
My epiphany is the strong similarity between furry and steam punk communities: we both highly creative and fans of our own creation. Because we are fans of our own creation both fandoms are more open and freer for self expression. Both furries and Steampunk fans are free to explore our own characters and aesthetics without the fear of violating the cannon. Both furries and Steampunk differ to Anime and Science Fiction fans in that both anime and Science Fiction fans what other created.
I think Steampunk can teach furries a few things like being open generationally; this one area I am very critical of furry fandom the lack of openness and family friendliness. Part is a problem with the 20-30 year old generation; their lack of ability to work with those outside their peer group.
I can see me crossing both furry and Steampunk communities
Musing on Furry and the Media: News Media is not you Friend.
March has been the usual bad news month for furries. It started with The Dependent Magazine piece on Vancoufur answering the age old stereotypical over generalized question:
“1. They are a community who enjoy dressing up as, acting like, and celebrating anthropomorphized animals (read: animals with human characteristics).
2. It may also be a sex thing.”
Next came Adult Swim’s “Check it Out” where the much misinformed main host came out with, again usual stereotypical “anatomically incorrect fursuit” . Finally we have a from New Zealand comes “Fur fetishists ‘just nature lovers ‘” a fine example of press bias I have seen sine the Bush 2004 elections and miss-coverage of the tea party.
What one need to know the articles I listed above are just a sampling what is out there and should be an example what wrong with the media. There are a few areas of observation I would like to make, first how the media reports the story and furries weakness in dealing with the media and what can we do.
A lot what I have to say come from my own experiences as somebody who is an orthodox Christian, Pro Life, former Fundamentalist now reformed Christian and political volunteer. I see similar methods the reporter employs when reporting on furries to many political groups and causes I supported. It was my study media bias in reporting of furries that eventually drawn me into the fandom.