A Furry Thing Happened...

7 views
Skip to first unread message

K. Xydexx Jorgensen

unread,
Jul 24, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/24/98
to
A Furry Thing Happened On The Way To The Dealer's Room:

Xydexx : "My, those are some big pants Nate Patrin is wearing."
ChicknLitl: "Someone could get lost in them. There ought to be a law."
Xydexx : "Hey, that's a funny picture of a fluffy pink bunnymorph
you drew. Good to see another new furry artist here."
ChicknLitl: "Well, I draw funny animals, but I don't call myself a
furry artist."
Xydexx : "Why not?"
ChicknLitl: "Because furry is all about sex."
Xydexx : "No it isn't. It's about anthropomorphics."
ChicknLitl: "I know, but everyone thinks it's about sex."
Xydexx : "Like you, for example?"
ChicknLitl: "No, I think it's about drawing funny animals."
Xydexx : "Then why did you just say furry is all about sex?"
ChicknLitl: "Because everyone thinks it's about sex."
Xydexx : "Does everyone include you?"
ChicknLitl: "Of course."
Xydexx : "So you think furry is all about sex."
ChicknLitl: "Right. I mean- no, wait.."
Xydexx : "Does everyone include me?"
ChicknLitl: "Of course."
Xydexx : "But I just said furry is about anthropomorphics."
ChicknLitl: "Well, everyone except you then."
Xydexx : "Everyone except me. And you, right?"
ChicknLitl: "Uh, maybe."
Xydexx : "C'mon, answer the question. Do you think furry is about
sex or not?"
ChicknLitl: "Uh, no... I guess not."
Xydexx : "Then why go around saying it is?"
ChicknLitl: "Because everyone else thinks so."
Xydexx : "Everyone except you and me, right?"
ChicknLitl: "Uh, yeah... I guess so..."
Xydexx : "So everyone else doesn't think furry is all about sex,
right?"
ChicknLitl: "Yeah, I suppose."
Xydexx : "I'd wager half the ones going around saying furry is all
about sex are just doing it to fit in and look cool, right? After all,
simply _everyone_ does it. Makes you wonder which is more important,
being like _everyone_, or being _yourself_..."
ChicknLitl: "As Winston Churchill once said, people would rather die
than think for themselves."
Xydexx : "Hey, can you draw a picture of me being friendly to Nate
Patrin and trying to shake his hand, and him being all grumpy and
grouchy at me?"
ChicknLitl: "Sorry, I don't do erotica."
Xydexx : "Oh, okay. I can be such a masochist sometimes."
ChicknLitl: "You must read alt.fan.furry a lot."
Xydexx : "Not lately. Been busy offline playing Transport Tycoon
until all hours of the morning, and watching old 1950s movies on AMC."
ChicknLitl: "Really? I find that hard to believe."
Xydexx : "Ever see Out-of-Towners? Some old movie with Jack
Lemmon. It was on last night. It's like a 1950s version of Clockwise
(starring John Cleese...)."
ChicknLitl: "I didn't know you liked old movies.
Xydexx : "Well, I haven't seen many, but I'm trying to see more."
ChicknLitl: "Have you seen Gone With The Wind yet?"
Xydexx : "Not yet, but I plan to. Like I said, I can be such a
masochist sometimes."

_______________________________________________________________
Rev. Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C. [ICQ: 7569393]
No-Longer-Obligated Former Ambassador To Furry Fandom
(But Still A Pretty Nice Guy If You Actually Get To Know Him.)
"Remember back when 'gay' meant 'happy'? It still does."

Syke

unread,
Jul 24, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/24/98
to

K. Xydexx Jorgensen wrote:

*Bunch of Gibberish*

Nice to see you still enjoy twisting things around to mean something
completely different.
*I* do not think furry is about sex, what I do think, is that there are a
lot of people
who are in positions that are important to me and other artists who DO think
this.
Therefore, I am not going to tell them I do "furry" art, instead, I'll say I
draw cartoons
and fantasy artwork. It's known as being SMART and knowing what to say.

> _______________________________________________________________
> Rev. Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C. [ICQ: 7569393]
> No-Longer-Obligated Former Ambassador To Furry Fandom
> (But Still A Pretty Nice Guy If You Actually Get To Know Him.)
> "Remember back when 'gay' meant 'happy'? It still does."

--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
That's Ms. Syke to you, Bud.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Homepage:http://www.FurNation.com/Syke/

My email is now PostPet friendly!

Places to Find Me Online:
ICQ:11325417
Transformers Genesis:mozzarella.wpi.edu port 2000
Quinn/Nightwatch/Darius/Syke
FurryMUCK:Syke, occasionally
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Jesse McIntyre

unread,
Jul 24, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/24/98
to

Syke wrote:

> K. Xydexx Jorgensen wrote:
>
> *Bunch of Gibberish*
>
> Nice to see you still enjoy twisting things around to mean something
> completely different.
> *I* do not think furry is about sex, what I do think, is that there are a
> lot of people
> who are in positions that are important to me and other artists who DO think
> this.
> Therefore, I am not going to tell them I do "furry" art, instead, I'll say I
> draw cartoons
> and fantasy artwork. It's known as being SMART and knowing what to say.
>
>
>

Ayep, well, time for me to pull myself outta the background and support Xydexx,
cause its me job. :)

Don't know what happened, don't care, don't want ta know. :) Not even saying Xy
was right 'bout whatever. Just supporting him. :) Go find 'nother scapegoat,
y'all. :) In fact... :) start a alt.fan.furry.xydexx.haters newgroup, and mail
it there. :)

Bye now. :)

Natchat-Riis. Offical Supporter of Xydexx Squeakypony, and general love
spreader. When he feels like it. :)

P.S. Syke, don't get mad bout this. :) It's my job, you might have been right.
:)


Ross Smith

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
K. Xydexx Jorgensen wrote:
>
> ChicknLitl: "As Winston Churchill once said, people would rather die
> than think for themselves."

It was Bertrand Russell: "Most people would die sooner than think. In
fact, they do."

--
Ross Smith ..................................... Wellington, New Zealand
<mailto:r-s...@ihug.co.nz> ........ <http://crash.ihug.co.nz/~r-smith/>
"Remember when we told you there was no future? Well, this is it."
-- Blank Reg

Nate Patrin

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
K. Xydexx Jorgensen <xydexx-the-...@spammy.aol.com> wrote in
article <35B92B...@spammy.aol.com>...

> A Furry Thing Happened On The Way To The Dealer's Room:
>
> Xydexx : "My, those are some big pants Nate Patrin is wearing."
> ChicknLitl: "Someone could get lost in them. There ought to be a law."

Ohh, phblt. You're just upset you couldn't get a clear view of my butt for
yer gawkin' pleasure. Perv.

> Xydexx : "Hey, can you draw a picture of me being friendly to Nate
> Patrin and trying to shake his hand, and him being all grumpy and
> grouchy at me?"

Heh heh. Sorry man, but I got a rep to uphold. I was wonderin' when you
were gonna bring that up.

> Xydexx : "Ever see Out-of-Towners? Some old movie with Jack
> Lemmon. It was on last night. It's like a 1950s version of Clockwise
> (starring John Cleese...)."

Actually, to th' best of my knowledge, it was released in about '70.

--
-Nate Patrin
======================================================
"Will I be drawing these damn rabbits forever?" -Matt Groening, 1990
n8r...@pioneerplanet.infi.net

K. Xydexx Jorgensen

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
Jesse McIntyre wrote:
> Ayep, well, time for me to pull myself outta the background and support Xydexx,
> cause its me job. :)

Thanks, hon. You get hugs. -:)

> Don't know what happened, don't care, don't want ta know. :) Not even saying Xy
> was right 'bout whatever. Just supporting him. :) Go find 'nother scapegoat,
> y'all. :) In fact... :) start a alt.fan.furry.xydexx.haters newgroup, and mail
> it there. :)

Heh. Don't give them any ideas. Besides, alt.fan.furry without people
flaming me is like a sabre-tooth tiger without sabre-teeth.

_______________________________________________________________
Rev. Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C. [ICQ: 7569393]
No-Longer-Obligated Former Ambassador To Furry Fandom

(But Still Proudly Calls Himself A Furry Fan Cuz Furries Rule.)

K. Xydexx Jorgensen

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
Nate Patrin wrote:
> > Xydexx : "Hey, can you draw a picture of me being friendly to Nate
> > Patrin and trying to shake his hand, and him being all grumpy and
> > grouchy at me?"
>
> Heh heh. Sorry man, but I got a rep to uphold. I was wonderin' when you
> were gonna bring that up.

Sorry to have kept you in suspense all this time. I don't read this
newsgroup that much these days.

> Ohh, phblt. You're just upset you couldn't get a clear view of my butt for
> yer gawkin' pleasure. Perv.

Yup. (Hey, I have a rep to uphold too, y'know?)

> > Xydexx : "Ever see Out-of-Towners? Some old movie with Jack
> > Lemmon. It was on last night. It's like a 1950s version of Clockwise
> > (starring John Cleese...)."
>
> Actually, to th' best of my knowledge, it was released in about '70.

Actually, now that I think about it, yeah, it did seem like it was later
than 1950s... that's odd. For some reason I tend to say any movie over
20 years old, be it 1930 or 1970, was released in "the 1950s". (And
usually I'm right --- give or take 20 years.)

_______________________________________________________________
Rev. Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C. [ICQ: 7569393]
No-Longer-Obligated Former Ambassador To Furry Fandom

(But Still A Demented 1990s Version Of Mark Twain.)

K. Xydexx Jorgensen

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
Ross Smith wrote:
> K. Xydexx Jorgensen wrote:
> >
> > ChicknLitl: "As Winston Churchill once said, people would rather die
> > than think for themselves."
>
> It was Bertrand Russell: "Most people would die sooner than think. In
> fact, they do."

Oops. My bad.

"Now art should never try to be popular. The public should try to make
itself artistic." ---Oscar Wilde

_______________________________________________________________
Rev. Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C. [ICQ: 7569393]
No-Longer-Obligated Former Ambassador To Furry Fandom

(But Keeps A Copy Of Bartlett's Book Of Quotations Nearby.)

K. Xydexx Jorgensen

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
Syke wrote:
> *I* do not think furry is about sex, what I do think, is that there are a
> lot of people who are in positions that are important to me and other
> artists who DO think this.

<REITERATE>


Makes you wonder which is more important,

being like _everyone_, or being _yourself_?
</REITERATE>

But never mind... rhetorical question at this point...

_______________________________________________________________
Rev. Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C. [ICQ: 7569393]
No-Longer-Obligated Former Ambassador To Furry Fandom

(But Still Thinks Furry Is About Anthropomorphics Anyway.)

ilr

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
>
> Heh. Don't give them any ideas. Besides, alt.fan.furry without people
> flaming me is like a sabre-tooth tiger without sabre-teeth.
>
>
AFF without Flaming is just a trivial version of Fur.Announce.

Just for fun, lets twist some more words.
Whaddaya mean furry ain't bout sex?, Life is
about sex [no offense directed at the "Happy's"]
But nooo, for the sake of all it's artists who's
entire existence depends on being taken seriously,
it has nothing to do with anything degrading like
sex. Of course my twisted logic would whine that
if it's apart from sex, then it's apart from life.
And will only grow old and extinct with no additional
generations evolving. [Yeah, this is turning into a stupid Rant]
The next generations would have been new younger artists
attracted by the more racy issues, rather than quality art
which they were not yet capable of. But the racy issues
weren't there, it was just a bunch of old humans happy
as hell that the fandom was cleansed of spooge, and it
eventually died with them. And no one said "Oh mah
God, They killed Furry Fandom!" because its few surviving
fans were raised on 1950's movies and hated smut.

And everyone has to decry smut every chance they get too.
Lets pretend that they all accepted what Picasso was doing
at his time. A lot of artists here(highly respected by me
unfortunately) like to act like they're creating classic-friggin
-art or something. Picasso would have died a no-name (with
the exception of his earlier work) if they accepted what he
did. They thought it was perverted, if not downright satanic.
In the Future when they're having death sex, body modification,
and a ton of other things we can't imagine, this "Smut" might
be considered classical.
Stop trying to wash the spooge out of my Fur
-ilr


================================
"What's a revolution without a revolt?"
i...@rof.net
Website: none, just track me down on yiffco
===================================

Don Sanders

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
In article <35B92B...@spammy.aol.com>, xydexx-the-...@spammy.aol.com wrote:
>A Furry Thing Happened On The Way To The Dealer's Room:
>
**** the dialog that was here was snipped to preserve it in the archives to
keep it 's orginal content (wow, such big words from a little chow;))****

Ya know I had to put m .02 cents in, cause I could not spend it at AAC.
Anywho, it seem strange that these days, folks equate furry with sex.
It seem like only yesterday, like 30 or 40 years ago, nah, lets say the early
to mid 70's, a lot of us who were into underground comixs saw a lot of furry
images. I can imagine back then, if there was a internet and a open fandom,
some folks would say, that furry equates to drugs. Hehehe, Right! I can now
imagine the next century when Furry equates to (add your own fears and self
doubt here).

Well, I had my say, guess I will return to the studio and draw some more naked
bunnies :) But I can say for myself, Furry is not all about sex, well, not
all about sex, er I mean only a little about sex, um... Nevermind, hehe .


>Rev. Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C. [ICQ: 7569393]
>No-Longer-Obligated Former Ambassador To Furry Fandom

>(But Still A Pretty Nice Guy If You Actually Get To Know Him.)

> "Remember back when 'gay' meant 'happy'? It still does."

Former? how about Ambassador without Porfolilo(sp?), it sounds better, more
important, and since the fandom has no defined bounderies, more less likely to
be recalled. have fun.

Don Sanders

Dsan Tsan on #furry and on FurryMuck
Valsen Tsan on Tapestries
Artist at Roll Yer Own Graphics
http://www.dreamscape.com/dsand101/dsan.htm
(my furry page) Email dsan...@future.dreamscape.com

Peter da Silva

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
In article <35B95749...@geocities.com>,
Jesse McIntyre <natcha...@geocities.com> wrote:
>Natchat-Riis. [...] general love spreader. [...]

I tried that new spreadable love, but it tasted just like margarine, so
I went back to the old stuff even if I do have to leave it out half an
hour before using it.

--

This is The Reverend Peter da Silva's Boring Sig File - there are no references
to Wolves, Kibo, Discordianism, or The Church of the Subgenius in this document


David Tapia

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
In article <01bdb780$655973e0$38db96ce@n8rich>,

"Nate Patrin" <n8r...@pioneerplanet.infi.spammers.smoke.crack.net> wrote:
> K. Xydexx Jorgensen <xydexx-the-...@spammy.aol.com> wrote in
> article <35B92B...@spammy.aol.com>...
> > A Furry Thing Happened On The Way To The Dealer's Room:
> >
> > Xydexx : "My, those are some big pants Nate Patrin is wearing."
> > ChicknLitl: "Someone could get lost in them. There ought to be a law."
>
> Ohh, phblt. You're just upset you couldn't get a clear view of my butt for
> yer gawkin' pleasure. Perv.
>

Too bad you didn't take a boom box to the con with you Nate. Anytime Xydexx
attempted to approach, you could have just blasted him with some Merzbow and
said "Keep away ya freak!" Of course you might have cleared up the entire
hotel if you had played Merzobw for 30 seconds. Next year Nate. Next year.

Hmmm...anybody up for watching 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' at next
year's con?


--
David Tapia

-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum

Chuck Melville

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
K. Xydexx Jorgensen <xydexx-the-...@spammy.aol.com> wrote in
article <35B978...@spammy.aol.com>...

> Syke wrote:
> > *I* do not think furry is about sex, what I do think, is that there are
a
> > lot of people who are in positions that are important to me and other
> > artists who DO think this.
>
> <REITERATE>
> Makes you wonder which is more important,
> being like _everyone_, or being _yourself_?
> </REITERATE>
>

Foolish question. She's already stated the answer. She wants to be
herself and not be inappropriately mislabeled with a misleading term,
especially if it could cost her a promising job or career.

--

-Chuck Melville-
"We'd like to buy a cat. Preferably one with a history of mental illness."

Elf Sternberg

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
In article <6pcof7$a...@bonkers.taronga.com>
pe...@taronga.com (Peter da Silva) writes:

>I tried that new spreadable love, but it tasted just like margarine, so
>I went back to the old stuff even if I do have to leave it out half an
>hour before using it.

Yeah, cold love just isn't any fun. It does take a little
warming up. 'Course, you could just use the Microwave o' Foreplay.

Elf

--

Elf M. Sternberg - www.halcyon.com/elf

I have looked into the abyss, and the abyss has looked into me.
Neither liked what we saw.
--- Brother Theodore


Peter da Silva

unread,
Jul 25, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/25/98
to
In article <6pd7pb$ukk$1...@brokaw.wa.com>, Elf Sternberg <e...@halcyon.com> wrote:
> Yeah, cold love just isn't any fun. It does take a little
>warming up. 'Course, you could just use the Microwave o' Foreplay.

Ack. MORE WORDS OUT OF CONTEXT!

I read that as "Microsoft Foreplay".

"Where do you want to go today?"

"Third Base!"

(cue Abbot and Costello)

Chuck Melville

unread,
Jul 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/26/98
to
K. Xydexx Jorgensen <xydexx-the-...@spammy.aol.com> wrote in
article <35B925...@spammy.aol.com>...
> One of the more fascinating paradoxes I've observed on this newsgroup
> over the past two years is how a lot of the folks who don't want to call
> themselves "furry" because "it's all about sex, et al." are quite often
> the same people saying furry is all about sex, et al. in the first
> place.
>

Well, shucks, Xxydex, a lot of the folks who don't want to call themselves
'furry' don't even -have- to say furry is all about sex... we have plenty
of other
folks out there gleefully pointing it out to the whole world at large. For
a point in example, try the latest issue of BIZARRE
(http://www.bizarremag.com/)
for an article on fetishes, with an excerpt on plushies and furries that
makes Confurence sound like a sleazy attraction on Times Square.

Elf Sternberg

unread,
Jul 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/26/98
to
In article <6pdhe4$g...@bonkers.taronga.com>
pe...@taronga.com (Peter da Silva) writes:

>In article <6pd7pb$ukk$1...@brokaw.wa.com>, Elf Sternberg <e...@halcyon.com> wrote:
>> Yeah, cold love just isn't any fun. It does take a little
>>warming up. 'Course, you could just use the Microwave o' Foreplay.

>Ack. MORE WORDS OUT OF CONTEXT!
>I read that as "Microsoft Foreplay".
>"Where do you want to go today?"
>
> "Third Base!"

Microsoft Foreplay? That's where they give the executives
money before they fuck the developers...

K. Xydexx Jorgensen

unread,
Jul 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/26/98
to
Chuck Melville wrote:
> Well, shucks, Xydexx, a lot of the folks who don't want to call themselves

> 'furry' don't even -have- to say furry is all about sex...

I know, they don't _have_ to. But they still do anyway. -:P

> For a point in example, try the latest issue of BIZARRE
> (http://www.bizarremag.com/) for an article on fetishes

Xydexx quickly dons his dark sunglasses and runs from the gathering
papparazzi.

"I have no comment on that at this time." -:)

_______________________________________________________________


Rev. Xydexx Squeakypony, K.S.C. [ICQ: 7569393]
No-Longer-Obligated Former Ambassador To Furry Fandom

(Only Grants Interviews If You Ask Him Really Really Nicely)

K. Xydexx Jorgensen

unread,
Jul 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/26/98
to

Chuck Melville

unread,
Jul 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/26/98
to
K. Xydexx Jorgensen <xydexx-the-...@spammy.aol.com> wrote in
article <35BAFF...@spammy.aol.com>...

> Chuck Melville wrote:
> > Well, shucks, Xydexx, a lot of the folks who don't want to call
themselves
> > 'furry' don't even -have- to say furry is all about sex...
>
> I know, they don't _have_ to. But they still do anyway. -:P

Sure. In order to point out the lie in your repeated claims that it
-isn't- about sex.

And before people start reacting in knee-jerk fashion, yes, I'm aware that
furry ostensibly -isn't- about sex... but what you always glibly avoid is
the concrete fact that the -perception- from outside -- and that includes
the reporters and/or journalists that write up the fandom -- is that it
-is-. And that's where the harm is. And that's why every outside article
about furrydom has centered squarely on the sleaze factor. And that's why
professional writers and artists looking for jobs in the animation field,
selling books to publishers, or what-have-you always have to contend with
stiff resistance from potential employers; because of the image problem the
fandom has obtained, and perversely clings to.

By saying only 'furries is about funny-animals', which is true, but
ignoring that it is perceived by others as being about sex -- and there
appear to be many here who feel that that -is- what it's all about -- then
you are making a sin of omission, and are only helping to perpetuate the
harm.
But then, considering how you are also mentioned and quoted in the
article, I guess you have your own interests to protect as well.

> Xydexx quickly dons his dark sunglasses and runs from the gathering
> papparazzi.
>
> "I have no comment on that at this time." -:)

Small wonder.

Dan Pankratz

unread,
Jul 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/26/98
to
In article <01bdb8b1$aab431a0$LocalHost@kathleen>, "Chuck Melville" <cp...@zipcon.net> writes:


> the concrete fact that the -perception- from outside -- and that includes
> the reporters and/or journalists that write up the fandom -- is that it
> -is-. And that's where the harm is. And that's why every outside article
> about furrydom has centered squarely on the sleaze factor.

Acknowledging that the "reporters and/or journalists that write up the fandom"
are almost always from publications that specialize in sensationalizing
sleaze should help put things in perspective. It's a bit of a biased sample,
don't you think?

> And that's why
> professional writers and artists looking for jobs in the animation field,
> selling books to publishers, or what-have-you always have to contend with
> stiff resistance from potential employers; because of the image problem the
> fandom has obtained, and perversely clings to.

Is it the /fandom/ that has the image problem, or the /genre/? Is it the
people, or the art? I'm convinced it's the latter. Every non-fur I've ever shown
furry art to has picked up on the fact that it screams sex- and I have yet to
show an outsider anything that would garner an NC-17 rating in the CF artshow,
or anything that wouldn't be accepted at the AAC artshow. Why is this? I'm
convinced it's an unavoidable byproduct of the genre... any time you draw a
halfway decent human physique with fur, ears, and tail, the first thing people
will cue on is the fact that it's a human physique, and a sexy one. The second is
of course the fact that this "human" is part animal as well, and there you have
it- furry = sex.

Granted, not all furry art is equally embedded in a sexualized context- a good
example of the latter, unsexed furry art is that recent ZU cover I mentioned by
Heather Riesen. But art like that is an exception, not the rule.

Who outside the fandom, in the animation industry, for instance, has ever heard
of Jim Groat? Or Steve Gallacci? Or more appropriately, Mark Merlino? I bet you
could count those who are familiar with these names on one hand. Ask this same
pool of people whether they've heard of furry art, and you'd get quite a
different response, I'm sure. It's not the people, and what we may or may not
have to say, it's the art. The art speaks for itself.



> By saying only 'furries is about funny-animals', which is true, but
> ignoring that it is perceived by others as being about sex -- and there
> appear to be many here who feel that that -is- what it's all about -- then

I'm not convinced that what we, the fen, decide furry fandom's about makes
much of a difference at all. It's how outsiders, who have no point of
reference, perceive it that matters, at least when it comes to issues of public
relations.

And all they have to do to form _that_ opinion is take a peek.

-Dan

--
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Repeat after me: us, them... uuuussss, _them_..."
-The Truth About Cats and Dogs

Chuck Melville

unread,
Jul 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/26/98
to
Dan Pankratz <rans...@au-au.extern.ucsd.edu> wrote in article
<6pfpco$ikh$1...@crucigera.fysh.org>...

> In article <01bdb8b1$aab431a0$LocalHost@kathleen>, "Chuck Melville"
<cp...@zipcon.net> writes:
>
>
> > the concrete fact that the -perception- from outside -- and that
includes
> > the reporters and/or journalists that write up the fandom -- is that it
> > -is-. And that's where the harm is. And that's why every outside
article
> > about furrydom has centered squarely on the sleaze factor.
>
> Acknowledging that the "reporters and/or journalists that write up the
fandom"
> are almost always from publications that specialize in sensationalizing
> sleaze should help put things in perspective. It's a bit of a biased
sample,
> don't you think?

Is it? Consider that the -only- publications writing about furry appear
to be sex mags. The only exception was the WIRED article of a couple of
years ago, and even that was slanted towards sex. Where are the more
mainstream press such as TIME or NEWSWEEK? Where are the more specialized
mags like COMICS JOURNAL or STARLOG? Why isn't there any interest from the
SF magazines like ANALOG, SCIENCE-FICTION CHRONICLE, or, more
appropriately, REALMS OF FANTASY? Granted not all of these publications
are going to have an interest in furry, and furry may not be appropos to
the title for reasons of timeliness or topic -- but -none- of them are
writing or publishing articles about furry, whether it be about the fandom,
the art, the stories, the people, etc. If you have only sex mags writing
about furry, then there is a definite bias at work, but it is one of
perception -- the perception that it is a sex fantasy.

> > And that's why
> > professional writers and artists looking for jobs in the animation
field,
> > selling books to publishers, or what-have-you always have to contend
with
> > stiff resistance from potential employers; because of the image problem
the
> > fandom has obtained, and perversely clings to.
>
> Is it the /fandom/ that has the image problem, or the /genre/? Is it the
> people, or the art? I'm convinced it's the latter

Both. Quite often, the two are indistinguishable to outsiders. One
follows the other, in their estimation.

>Every non-fur I've ever shown
> furry art to has picked up on the fact that it screams sex- and I have
yet to
> show an outsider anything that would garner an NC-17 rating in the CF
artshow,
> or anything that wouldn't be accepted at the AAC artshow. Why is this?
I'm
> convinced it's an unavoidable byproduct of the genre... any time you draw
a
> halfway decent human physique with fur, ears, and tail, the first thing
people
> will cue on is the fact that it's a human physique, and a sexy one. The
second is
> of course the fact that this "human" is part animal as well, and there
you have
> it- furry = sex.
>

Why does that naturally follow, unless you show a picture with a detailed
rendering of humanoid aspects? Do you get that reaction, say, from showing
an OZZY AND MILLIE strip to a non-fur? Or a KEVIN AND KELL? There are
several artists who tend more towards broader cartoon characters; I doubt
many of those would garner the same reaction. (At least, I hope not!)
I do gather your point, though, as there is a lot of material that skirts
along the edge, in portraying furry morphs (or similar); there's no
escaping that. But those portrayals shouldn't of themselves lead to the
kind of exclusive interest we seem to garner among the sleaze mags. What
other genre or sub-genre is -only- written up in sex mags, outside of
sexually oriented interests?

> Granted, not all furry art is equally embedded in a sexualized context- a
good
> example of the latter, unsexed furry art is that recent ZU cover I
mentioned by
> Heather Riesen. But art like that is an exception, not the rule.

If art like that was an exception, I'd have had -no- covers for ZU. Or
interiors. Neither would FURRLOUGH.

> Who outside the fandom, in the animation industry, for instance, has ever
heard
> of Jim Groat? Or Steve Gallacci? Or more appropriately, Mark Merlino? I
bet you
> could count those who are familiar with these names on one hand. Ask this
same
> pool of people whether they've heard of furry art, and you'd get quite a
> different response, I'm sure. It's not the people, and what we may or may
not
> have to say, it's the art. The art speaks for itself.

It's not just the art that garners the attention, though. It wasn't art
that attracted the attention of LOADED, but the fetshism. It wasn't the
art, but the extreme behavior of a small segment of con-goers that drew the
focus of BIZARRE.

> > By saying only 'furries is about funny-animals', which is true, but
> > ignoring that it is perceived by others as being about sex -- and there
> > appear to be many here who feel that that -is- what it's all about --
then
>
> I'm not convinced that what we, the fen, decide furry fandom's about
makes
> much of a difference at all. It's how outsiders, who have no point of
> reference, perceive it that matters, at least when it comes to issues of
public
> relations.

Yes. Exactly so. But if those perceptions are continually validated by
the more visible and outrageous factions, then the perception will never
alter, and furry will continue to play damage control into perpetuity.

William Haskell

unread,
Jul 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/26/98
to
David Tapia wrote:
>
> In article <01bdb780$655973e0$38db96ce@n8rich>,
> "Nate Patrin" <n8r...@pioneerplanet.infi.spammers.smoke.crack.net> wrote:
> > K. Xydexx Jorgensen <xydexx-the-...@spammy.aol.com> wrote in
> > article <35B92B...@spammy.aol.com>...
> > > A Furry Thing Happened On The Way To The Dealer's Room:
> > >
> > > Xydexx : "My, those are some big pants Nate Patrin is wearing."
> > > ChicknLitl: "Someone could get lost in them. There ought to be a law."
> >
> > Ohh, phblt. You're just upset you couldn't get a clear view of my butt for
> > yer gawkin' pleasure. Perv.
> >
>
> Too bad you didn't take a boom box to the con with you Nate. Anytime Xydexx
> attempted to approach, you could have just blasted him with some Merzbow and
> said "Keep away ya freak!" Of course you might have cleared up the entire
> hotel if you had played Merzobw for 30 seconds. Next year Nate. Next year.
>
> Hmmm...anybody up for watching 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' at next
> year's con?

That depends whether it runs before or after 'Meet The Feebles.'

David Tapia

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
In article <6pg8du$lg$1...@news.hal-pc.org>,
"forban"@[204.52.135.1] wrote:
> David Tapia wrote:

<snipped a lot>


> >
> > Hmmm...anybody up for watching 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' at next
> > year's con?
>
> That depends whether it runs before or after 'Meet The Feebles.'

What would necessarily be the difference for you if 'Henry' were show before
or after 'Feebles'?

Now that I think about it maybe a Peter Jackson festival would be a nice to
have (all his films except for 'Frighteners'- bleech!)

The following day the films to be screened could include (not necessarily in
this order): 'Trainspotting', 'M', 'A CLockwork Orange', 'Welcome to the
Dollouse', 'Martin', 'Apocalypse Now', 'Man Bites Dog' (French Film), and of
course 'Henry'.

Any additional suggestions to add to the festival?

Dan Pankratz

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
In article <01bdb8c5$0dcdc860$LocalHost@kathleen>, "Chuck Melville" <cp...@zipcon.net> writes:

> > Acknowledging that the "reporters and/or journalists that write up the
> fandom"
> > are almost always from publications that specialize in sensationalizing
> > sleaze should help put things in perspective. It's a bit of a biased
> sample,
> > don't you think?
>
> Is it? Consider that the -only- publications writing about furry appear
> to be sex mags. The only exception was the WIRED article of a couple of
> years ago, and even that was slanted towards sex. Where are the more
> mainstream press such as TIME or NEWSWEEK? Where are the more specialized

I don't know. I don't have many very good ideas as to why we're not covered in
the mainstream press, but I'm not convinced that it's because of some sexual
reputation which we may or may not have among the press corps. I think it has
more to do with our size. YMMV, of course... this is very subjective territory.
Any evidence one way or the other would be much welcome.

> the title for reasons of timeliness or topic -- but -none- of them are
> writing or publishing articles about furry, whether it be about the fandom,
> the art, the stories, the people, etc. If you have only sex mags writing
> about furry, then there is a definite bias at work, but it is one of
> perception -- the perception that it is a sex fantasy.

As I suggest above, I'm not convinced that it immediately follows that just
because furrydom is only treated and publicized by the exploiters of sex that
furrydom is necessarily nothing but sex. I'm not even convinced that this is a
perception that these magazines are attempting to portray. All I think it
suggests is that folks who are looking for a new sexual fantasy have a good
chance of finding something of interest to them in furrydom, and that the editors
and reporters of these sexually-targeted magazines have shrewdly picked up on
this element of furry fandom. This doesn't necessarily mean, however that
furrydom is exclusively about sex. It's like a magazine that caters to collectors
covering a civil war convention... sure, for some folks, collecting civil war
memorabilia is the reason for their involvement in the "civil war commmunity",
for others it might be the rendezvouses (!) or the reenactments or the general
historical interest of the thing that holds the appeal. Granted, it may in fact
be a very small percentage of the participants of a civil war convention who are
there to collect memorabilia, but they are there nonetheless and outsiders who
like to collect may enjoy taking advantage of the opportunities their presence
affords. That doesn't mean that's all there is to a civil war convention,
though... and I don't think most folks reading such an article would necessarily
assume such right off the bat, either.

Yeesh. Here's hoping the analogy holds... :)

> > Is it the /fandom/ that has the image problem, or the /genre/? Is it the
> > people, or the art? I'm convinced it's the latter
>
> Both. Quite often, the two are indistinguishable to outsiders. One
> follows the other, in their estimation.

Granted, a self-identified furry artist choosing to bring erotica to a job
interview paints an unflattering portrait of not only the furry genre but the
producers of it as well. But still, most outsiders when exposed to something
like a genre of art for the first time are going to generate opinions about the
genre first, long before they generate opinions of the purveyors of said genre.

I'm sure folks have much more fully formed opinions about pornography than they
do about the people that produce it... I'm sure folks' opinion of the latter
would definitely be open to interpretation on an individual basis, and dependant
upon some first-hand knowledge or experience dealing with a particular
individual.



> > or anything that wouldn't be accepted at the AAC artshow. Why is this?
> I'm
> > convinced it's an unavoidable byproduct of the genre... any time you draw
> a
> > halfway decent human physique with fur, ears, and tail, the first thing
> people
> > will cue on is the fact that it's a human physique, and a sexy one. The
> second is
> > of course the fact that this "human" is part animal as well, and there
> you have
> > it- furry = sex.
> >
>
> Why does that naturally follow, unless you show a picture with a detailed
> rendering of humanoid aspects?

I don't know! All I'm saying is that from an empirical stance, it seems to.
Maybe because the pairing of human physical sexual cues and animal esthetic
elements is so unusual.

> Do you get that reaction, say, from showing
> an OZZY AND MILLIE strip to a non-fur? Or a KEVIN AND KELL? There are
> several artists who tend more towards broader cartoon characters; I doubt
> many of those would garner the same reaction. (At least, I hope not!)

Can't say I've done that experiment. I like pinup, the stuff that Michelle Light
and Wookiee and Terrie Smith do a lot of, and it's my collection of (mild!)
color prints that I'm most likely to show off to an outsider curious about all
the stuff on my walls. Maybe that's the problem, maybe I've biased it from the
outset. Maybe I should be handing them all a stack of PawPrints. :)

> I do gather your point, though, as there is a lot of material that skirts
> along the edge, in portraying furry morphs (or similar); there's no
> escaping that.

You're right, there is no escaping it. Once we admit to ourselves
that that there is sex in furrydom, we can then /move on/ and figure out how to
best present the sexualized aspects in as positive a light as possible, without
creating the impression that this is all there is to furrydom.

/This/ is how we're going to solve the "image problem", not by burying our heads
in the sand and shouting "furry is not about sex!!". We need to fess up, say
"yeah, there's sex in furrydom, quite a bit, but that's not all there is to it...
in many cases, it's just an unfortunate byproduct of the genre. Please look past
it if it bothers you; there's a lot of good stuff here to be found if one
can come to grips with the sexual element."

> > Granted, not all furry art is equally embedded in a sexualized context- a
> good
> > example of the latter, unsexed furry art is that recent ZU cover I
> mentioned by
> > Heather Riesen. But art like that is an exception, not the rule.
>
> If art like that was an exception, I'd have had -no- covers for ZU. Or
> interiors. Neither would FURRLOUGH.

I'll take your word for it. Maybe I'm a bit too immersed in the pinup ghetto. :)

I for one would love to see more art like that cover.



> > different response, I'm sure. It's not the people, and what we may or may
> not
> > have to say, it's the art. The art speaks for itself.
>
> It's not just the art that garners the attention, though. It wasn't art
> that attracted the attention of LOADED, but the fetshism. It wasn't the
> art, but the extreme behavior of a small segment of con-goers that drew the
> focus of BIZARRE.

Yes, but this focusing happened after the fact. It did take place, but that's
because it makes for good sleaze, and only after we had first been called to
their attention. As many others have said here in months past, it happened
because it was sensational, not because it was representative. It's unfortunate
that it happened this way, but it's to be expected given the nature of the
publications doing the coverage. It still doesn't mean that this is all we're
about, though, and it could be argued as to whether these publications /really/
create the impression that this /is/ all we're about.

*hic!* Pardon me... I'm on my second hefeweizen. ;)

> > I'm not convinced that what we, the fen, decide furry fandom's about
> makes
> > much of a difference at all. It's how outsiders, who have no point of
> > reference, perceive it that matters, at least when it comes to issues of
> public
> > relations.
>
> Yes. Exactly so. But if those perceptions are continually validated by
> the more visible and outrageous factions, then the perception will never
> alter, and furry will continue to play damage control into perpetuity.

Hmm. I'm not so sure that it follows that these "outrageous factions" have that
much power to make or break our image when it comes to the personal context.
Anyone with half a brain showing up to a convention or a furmeet or a furry
room party will be able to figure out that it's /not/ all about sex, even if
there are some elements in the fandom that appear to fixate on those elements.
As for the need to play damage control, well, I think that would be a bit easier
if we'd all just admit that the element is there in the first place, rather than
denying it outright like a bunch of two-bit politicians. At least then we'd be
leaving the PR starting blocks on the right foot. Or paw, as the case may be.

Okie, I've lost my eloquence for th' evening. Off to the showers with me. :)

Doodles

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
On 26 Jul 1998 18:41:10 GMT, "Chuck Melville" <cp...@zipcon.net> wrote:

>Where are the more specialized mags like COMICS JOURNAL or STARLOG?

I can't speak for any of the other mags you mention, but the Journal's
website did make mention of their opinion of the fandom not very long
ago. With a very small number of exceptions, they find development in
the genre moribund and uninteresting, an assessment I'm hard pressed
to challenge. Face it, furry has one hell of a lot higher goals to
strive for compared to the typical spandex action. All one has to do
is hold up a copy of MAUS...

Tom Spurgeon [Editor in Chief for the Journal at the time] posted a
couple of messages about their opinion on the subject here on a.f.f.
A brief search of Deja News should find them.

Unca Spooge, watching things progress.

Doodles

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
On Mon, 27 Jul 1998 08:00:52 GMT, David Tapia <tap...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Now that I think about it maybe a Peter Jackson festival would be a nice to
>have (all his films except for 'Frighteners'- bleech!)
>
>The following day the films to be screened could include (not necessarily in
>this order): 'Trainspotting', 'M', 'A CLockwork Orange', 'Welcome to the
>Dollouse', 'Martin', 'Apocalypse Now', 'Man Bites Dog' (French Film), and of
>course 'Henry'.

Keeping things furry, how about "Silence of the Lambs?" =};-3

Unca Spooge, with some fava beans and a /nice/ chianti...

Ron Orr...& Tirran

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
Peter da Silva <pe...@taronga.com> wrote:

> Ack. MORE WORDS OUT OF CONTEXT!
>
> I read that as "Microsoft Foreplay".
>
> "Where do you want to go today?"
>
> "Third Base!"
>

> (cue Abbot and Costello)

After waiting an hour or so to let my sides heal... that is
_the_ funniest thing I've seen on Usenet in months...

Ron
A&C fan

David Tapia

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
In article <35be0ba8...@news.primenet.com>,

doo...@cheezies.primenet.com (Doodles) wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Jul 1998 08:00:52 GMT, David Tapia <tap...@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Now that I think about it maybe a Peter Jackson festival would be a nice to
> >have (all his films except for 'Frighteners'- bleech!)
> >
> >The following day the films to be screened could include (not necessarily in
> >this order): 'Trainspotting', 'M', 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Welcome to the

> >Dollouse', 'Martin', 'Apocalypse Now', 'Man Bites Dog' (French Film), and of
> >course 'Henry'.
>
> Keeping things furry, how about "Silence of the Lambs?" =};-3

Nice film but a bit too 'safe' (i.e. Hollyood-ish) in comparison to the other
films I suggested. And if you looked at the list carefully, there is the
French film 'Man Bites _Dog_' if you want to keep things furry. Thanks for
the suggestion anyway. Shouldn't this discussion be splitered off from this
thread now?

Richard de Wylfin

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
In article <01bdb8c5$0dcdc860$LocalHost@kathleen>, "Chuck Melville"
<cp...@zipcon.net> wrote:


~to be sex mags. The only exception was the WIRED article of a couple of
~years ago, and even that was slanted towards sex. Where are the more
~mainstream press such as TIME or NEWSWEEK?


Maybe you don't remember the brief bit in the New York Times Magazine
a while ago, showing James Firmiss in his skunk suit. No mention of
sex whatever.

^ ^
o-o
+
richard de wylfin http://i.am/a.furry.fox

Locandez

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
In article <01bdb8b1$aab431a0$LocalHost@kathleen>, "Chuck Melville"
<cp...@zipcon.net> wrote:

> By saying only 'furries is about funny-animals', which is true,

Not all furry characters are _funny_ animals...


Locandez


--
Blank Furvey: http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/lyndale/home/surveys/furvey.txt

My email address has been deliberately modified to prevent spam. If you would
like to send me mail, replace the 7 random letters in the address with the
word 'lyndale'.

"Canine, feline; Jeckle and Hyde. Wear your fake fur on the inside" - "A Change Will Do You Good"


Mutt

unread,
Jul 27, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/27/98
to
> By saying only 'furries is about funny-animals', which is true,

I wouldn't say that. There's lotsa serious & realistic animals too.
--
^v^
Blessed be,
Mutt the Pagan Fur
http://www.flash.net/~kitsune


Chuck Melville

unread,
Jul 28, 1998, 3:00:00 AM7/28/98