Well, I read the Vanity Fair Article....
Justin
online. When I read the cover, my exact words were: "OH MY GOD!!! OH GOD OF
GOD OF GOD!!" When I gained my composure the only words I could think of
were "This is a dark day for Furry Fandom...." I read the rest of the
article trying to discern how much was lies and how much was bullshit. I've
never been to a con, but I think Vanity Fair was, exaggerating for the
least.
What are cons really like? This is the only source of info I've seen
describing cons, and I think it's safe to say that if anyone wants info, VF
is NOT the place to seek it.....
Evan Hammerman
I had sort of heard about the furry community before, having come across
references to it here and there through over five years reading Usenet,
especially alt.binaries.nospam.toons.
Being a member of various alternative communities myself, it was interesting
reading about another one (even though you use two words, vanilla and
mundane, that belong to some of those communities).
How often do you have your cons? Can people show up who aren't into the
lifestyle or the attraction just to find out?
Also, how many of you are into the cartoon thing also? If you do a google
(formerly deja) search on me, you will see that is one of my areas of
interest.
Also, how many of you have overlapping interests?
Finally, just how realistic was the article? From what I am reading, it
seems it wasn't that accurate.
Thanks for putting up with all of my questions.
Evan
--
From there to here,
From here to there,
Funny things are everywhere.
-- Theodor K. Geisel (1904 - 1991)
Cerulean
>In fact, that is why I am posting to this newsgroup now.
>
>I had sort of heard about the furry community before, having come across
>references to it here and there through over five years reading Usenet,
>especially alt.binaries.nospam.toons.
>
>Being a member of various alternative communities myself, it was interesting
>reading about another one (even though you use two words, vanilla and
>mundane, that belong to some of those communities).
I've never even heard "vanilla" used as any kind of slang term in
furry fandom. "Mundane," obviously, is borrowed from SF/F fans, in
turn borrowed from the English language, and has seen a lot of
distortion along the way. A lot of people don't realize that "spooge"
as a word for ejaculate (noun and verb) didn't originate in the fandom
either. I first heard it at my college newspaper, where the editor
used it to refer to any piece that was overlong and/or could otherwise
be characterized as "mental masturbation," i.e. of no use to anyone
but the writer and his own ego. A good description of the Vanity Fair
article, in fact.
>How often do you have your cons? Can people show up who aren't into the
>lifestyle or the attraction just to find out?
There are annual cons in various locations. Admission must be paid
for, and basic rules of decent conduct must be followed, but beyond
that it's up to you. People into "lifestyle" and "attraction" tend to
be treated as pariahs within the fandom because of press like this, so
you'll be more welcome than many longtime attendees. If you really
want to avoid encountering rampant excess, try going somewhere that
isn't in California (a good rule in general).
>Also, how many of you are into the cartoon thing also?
"The cartoon thing" is kind of the core of the fandom. Walking talking
animals, be they in art, literature, animation, or what have you, is
what it's about. Everybody has their own reasons for liking them and
their own ways of appreciating them.
>Also, how many of you have overlapping interests?
Everybody's got overlapping interests of some kind. Life would be dull
if you were only interested in one thing in the whole world.
>Finally, just how realistic was the article? From what I am reading, it
>seems it wasn't that accurate.
It was a smear. Practically nobody is happy with it. Even Foxwolfie
Galen, who is being figuratively tarred and feathered here for his
involvement, is shocked at the article and says the writer made up
half the words and actions that were attributed to him.
Which is not to say such practices don't exist. But the fandom is
really about more things than fetishism.
If you want to find out more about "furry lifestyles," look into
alt.lifestyle.furry, where you'll find that most the article (and even
a lot of the stuff people here in a.f.f. will tell you) is still well
off the mark. And it's still, at its root, not really about sex, as
much as some of us actually enjoy orgasms and don't feel guilty for
having them now and then.
>Thanks for putting up with all of my questions.
Questions are good. They are always better than assumptions.
--
___vvz /( Cerulean = Kevin Pease http://cerulean.st/
<__,` Z / ( DC2.~D GmAL~W-R+++Ac~J+S+Fr++IH$M-V+++Cbl,spu
`~~~) )Z) ( FDDmp4adwsA+++$C+D+HM+P-RT+++WZSm#
/ (7 ( 7aof - ,,'a7jjeM ay+ Jap!suo),,
Charles Melville
Evan Hammerman wrote:
> In fact, that is why I am posting to this newsgroup now.
>
> I had sort of heard about the furry community before, having come across
> references to it here and there through over five years reading Usenet,
> especially alt.binaries.nospam.toons.
>
> Being a member of various alternative communities myself, it was interesting
> reading about another one (even though you use two words, vanilla and
> mundane, that belong to some of those communities).
>
> How often do you have your cons? Can people show up who aren't into the
> lifestyle or the attraction just to find out?
Frankly, I take exception to it being thought of as an alternative
lifestyle. It's not; it's a fandom. Specifically, it's a fandom for folks who
enjoy or create funny-animal cartoons, comics or stories. (Or just general
anthropomorphic material, for that matter.) That's all. The 'lifestyle' stuff
is another matter altogether, and a completely different group who tend to use
the same name, and some folks in both camps tend to blur the borders in order to
suit themselves.
The cons tend to be a kind of neutral ground for both groups, more or less,
though each individual con has its own leanings one way or the other. Each one
is an annual event. I believe the next one up is Confurence in just a couple of
months.
> Also, how many of you are into the cartoon thing also? If you do a google
> (formerly deja) search on me, you will see that is one of my areas of
> interest.
If you're a furry fan, odds are better than average that you're into
cartoons.
>
> Also, how many of you have overlapping interests?
Which interests, specifically? Or do you mean between the two Furry's?
That depends on who you ask and who you believe.
> Finally, just how realistic was the article? From what I am reading, it
> seems it wasn't that accurate.
The article was pure bs. At least one of the two people interviewed has
already posted here with an apology, and an explanation that he was largely
misquoted, and mirepresented.
--
-Chuck Melville-
http://www.zipcon.net/~cpam/index.htm
Doodles
> The cons tend to be a kind of neutral ground for both groups, more >or
less, though each individual con has its own leanings one way or >the other.
Each one is an annual event. I believe the next one up is >Confurence in
just a couple of months.
No, Furry Spring Break comes up first. In fact, Saturday the 17th is the
deadline for reserving a room at the con rate and the con is 3/2 - 3/4.
Darrel L. Exline
> If you really
> want to avoid encountering rampant excess, try going somewhere that
> isn't in California (a good rule in general).
No, that'a a really bad rule, that overgeneralizes a LOT... if not being
blatantly wrong.
There are over a dozen Furry conventions worldwide, and they are all very
diverse... only three of them are held in California (ConFurence,
FurtherConFusion, and CritterConDiego).
Why don't you just try not labelling any groups, eh?
> Which is not to say such practices don't exist. But the fandom is
> really about more things than fetishism.
The "fandom" is not about fetishism at all. People's individual lifestyles may
include that, and those people may also be in the fandom, but the fandom is not
about that.
--
Darrel L. Exline -- Director, "The ConFurence Group"
http://confurence.net dar...@confurence.net
The ConFurence Group, PO Box 84721, San Diego, CA 92138-4721
619-523-9814 (Voice/Fax)
! ConFurence 12: April 19 to April 22, 2001, Burbank Hilton !
! Pre-registration form: http://confurence.net/pre-reg.pdf !
Cerulean
>Cerulean wrote:
>> If you really
>> want to avoid encountering rampant excess, try going somewhere that
>> isn't in California (a good rule in general).
>
>No, that'a a really bad rule, that overgeneralizes a LOT... if not being
>blatantly wrong.
Sorry, I succumbed to my sense of humour momentarily.
_Southern_ California. :=}
But, to be frank, do you remember the party crashers at Confurence
that were being labeled "lifestylers" before alt.lifestyle.furry was
newgrouped? People who, according to accounts, had never heard of
"furry", but walked in off the street because they had heard there was
wild group sex to be had? We generally wouldn't get that on the east
coast. The tabloid journalists don't seem to be so thick over here
either. I bet if you told me the cost of your rent, I'd call that
"rampant excess" too.
It wasn't a generalization, really, it's a statistical description of
the place. I could say "If you don't want to encounter old people,
don't visit Florida." I wouldn't be saying everyone in Florida is old.
It would still be pretty accurate advice.
Atara
<3A8CBCD6...@confurence.net>:
>There are over a dozen Furry conventions worldwide, and they are all very
>diverse... only three of them are held in California (ConFurence,
>FurtherConFusion, and CritterConDiego).
Well, out of a dozen furry conventions - about 25% are held in California.
Compare that to, say, 8% that are held in Pennsylvania. =)
--
Atara
"I've got a pantheon of animals
in a pagan soul..." -Rush
http://www.FurNation.com/Atara/
Brian Henderson
wrote:
> What are cons really like? This is the only source of info I've seen
>describing cons, and I think it's safe to say that if anyone wants info, VF
>is NOT the place to seek it.....
That's what some cons are like. It's really the reason that I stopped
attending ConFurence (and considering I was on the concom from
CF0-CF8, that's saying a lot).
-Brian
Brian Henderson
>But, to be frank, do you remember the party crashers at Confurence
>that were being labeled "lifestylers" before alt.lifestyle.furry was
>newgrouped? People who, according to accounts, had never heard of
>"furry", but walked in off the street because they had heard there was
>wild group sex to be had?
Well, if the convention hadn't advertised ConFurence in alternate
lifestyle magazines, they never would have attended.
Now how fucking stupid is that?
-Brian
Evan Hammerman
"" If you're a furry fan, odds are better than average that you're into
cartoons.""
I am not a furry fan (at least I don't think so), but I am into cartoons.
But of my favorite cartoons, (the Cartoon Cartoon Fridays lineup on Cartoon
Network), the only animals are a cowardly dog, a cow who is a seven year old
girl, a chicken who is an eleven year old boy, and a sheep who is a sheep
named Sheep. Sometimes there is also a weasel with the voice of Michael Dorn
and a baboon.
But if you draw, say, Fifi La Fume or one of the Chippettes with the curves
of a female homo sapiens, you have my attention.
>
> Also, how many of you have overlapping interests?
"" Which interests, specifically? ""
Various permutations of my friends and I are into bdsm, polyamory, the SCA,
bbws, and listening to Art Bell. Any overlap here in the furry community?
One last question - I realize I can probably find this information
somewhere, but are there any cons held within driving distance of South
Florida?
One a similar note, is there a furry contingency attending Gay Day at Disney
World?