A Golden Age before the spooge?
RBasler1
the hate-email wears off, I notice that the tone of many fur's posts has
changed from simple outrage and fingerpointing to a far more constructive
discourse. Thank you.
In the earlier stages, however, there was a trend among some furs to refer
to some time in the 'glorious past, before the spooge-mongers started ruining
it for decent furs everywhere; when a fur could proudly state "Yes, I am furry"
and not have people say "Ewwwww, You're one of _those_?". <humorous
exaggeration intended> I think that some people's memories have gotten too
convenient; that this halcyon age never actually existed, and thus would like
to relate a personal tale. I realize that I will probably take a lot of
flammage for my effort, and after checking the current price of nomex underwear
(and the wincing thereof), here we go:
Waaay back in in the days of Reganomics and Orwell, 1984, I had the
privilage of going to the WorldCon when it was in Los Angeles (though it was
_actually_ held in Anaheim....go figure). I was the guest of several friends,
who had purchased extra 'guest of...' memberships two years before when LA won
the vote. Since it was my first big con, they were busy filling me in on all
the info/jargon that I would need to survive Worldcon with a minimum of
bewilderment. Eventually, the term 'Fringefan' was dropped.
"Fringefan?" I asked innocently, "What is that?"
"Groups at the fringes of fandom," they replied, as if that explained
anything, "Like the Anthropomorphics."
Anthropomorphics? Mind you, I was a good student in those days, nose to
the grindstone and all that, doing as well in English Comp as physics, so I
knew the _meaning_ of Anthropomorphic ("The ascription of human form or
characteristics to non-human objects or entities"), but still hadn't the
faintest clue what it meant in this context -
"OooooooKay, what is an Anthropomorphic?" I asked, taking the bait.
"Well, they draw pictures of animals" they explained after a long
hesitation.
.....and what is so bad about that? The odd thing about this evasive
reply was that they were getting _very_ uncomfortable with the line of
questioning. I, being a typical, socially inexperienced sci-fi fan (and yes, a
virgin), caught the unmistakable hint of something risque, and wanted to know
more - but more was not forthcoming; they were so embarrassed about the
subject, all I could get out of them was that the 'Anthropomorphics' were a
very weird bunch and people to definately stay away from.
In retrospect, I wish that I _had_ found the furries, as I might have been
introduced to things like Albedo and the rest ages ago, instead of scouring
comic book stores over half the state looking for back issues. Wonderful art
and clever stories, and yes, some of the most heart-wrenchingly attractive
female creatures ever to flow from a pen.
The point of this long-winded (sorry) tale is that _fifteen_years_ago_,
almost a half-decade before CF0, the term 'Anthrpopmorphic' was known by sci-fi
fandom and ALREADY had distasteful connotation for fandom at large. I would
offer the hypothesis that we always have had that reputation, but in the days
before organized furrycons and the internet, the number of people who _knew_
about furry or our reputation were fewer, so one was more likely to get the
response of "What's that?" than "Ewwwww, you're one of _those_?"
I now return you to your regularly-scheduled brawl.
Thorulf (Rod Basler) - [happily awaiting CF10]
AllanGldmn
(RBasler1) writes:
>
> The point of this long-winded (sorry) tale is that _fifteen_years_ago_,
>almost a half-decade before CF0, the term 'Anthrpopmorphic' was known by
>sci-fi
>fandom and ALREADY had distasteful connotation for fandom at large. I would
>offer the hypothesis that we always have had that reputation, but in the days
>before organized furrycons and the internet, the number of people who _knew_
>about furry or our reputation were fewer, so one was more likely to get the
>response of "What's that?" than "Ewwwww, you're one of _those_?"
In The Erotic Art of Reed Waller, he talks about a story published in Vootie
#5 back in 1977.
"Member reaction was so strongly divided that a schism was created. Little
did I imagine how popular anthropomorphic erotica would become years later"
That takes us back 22 years, and still no sign of a furry Golden Age.
anybody for the Vootie era care to comment?
Al Goldman
Kah'Serrith
There never was a true golden age of fandom, much as some people would like to
believe there was. And one thing I would have to point out is that fandoms do
change over time, all things change.... Attempts to return to a so-called "better
time" inevitably lead the fandom stagnating and dying as newer fans are forced OUT
by those who claim they are polluting their dear fandom.... ~Sighs, ruffles wings,
flipping them to his side~ Right. I've said my piece. I've been active in the
fandom for a year or so now, and I'm sure there are those of you out there who are
going to merrily jump down my beak about this and tell me I don't know what I'm
talking about... I'll just point you back to the previous lines of this post. Fair
Winds, Clear Skies.
~Kah'Serrith
The Black Gryphon.