That-just-ain’t-right-ism
I have precious little tolerance for the intolerant. When people get all judgmental and sexist, racist, heterosexist, cisgenderist, vanillaist, or any one of a number of other kinds of “ist”s I haven’t made up yet, my hackles tend to raise. But then I realize that, to a point, I’m talking about the man in the mirror. Because I’m not immune to being judgmental myself, and not just against the judgmental.
You see, I’m really kind of a dick about furries.
I’ve recently learned, through the mystery-annihilating magic of multiple social networking sites, that a few of my friends and acquaintances are attending a furry convention. I’ll say it again. They are going to a furry convention.
I don’t know why, but furries are that thing for me: the thing that strikes my “that just ain’t right” reflex in that oh-so-special way, to the point that if I learn that you like to dress up as an anthropomorphic animal to get your kicks, I’m going to start thinking less of you. It’s something I’m trying to grow past, but for now it’s the truth.
I understand that not all people within furry culture consider it a sex thing. I guess for some it might just be an extension of cosplay/dressing up/costuming. Or something. But it seems like many argue that it’s not just a sex thing. Which means, correct me if I’m wrong, that it partly is.
This prejudice against furries is not sex positive, open-minded, or even rational of me. In fact, the rational side of me is happy that they’re having their fun. But at the same time, another side of me is thinking “Ew. That’s…it’s…that just ain’t right.” I definitely don’t have a particular distaste for any other costuming hobbies. I also wouldn’t have this reaction to most sexual fetishes, even though I share–as far as I know– none of them. Do you like to pee on each other? Glad you’re enjoying yourselves. You want to coat yourself in liquid latex? Have at it. Beat each other with lit sparklers while climaxing? Can I watch? Oddly enough, I think pony play is kind of cute. Weirder still, if you’re a zoophile all I really care about is that you’re not abusing your animal sex partners, and that you honor consent inasmuch as you actually can. Hell, if I eat a hamburger and you let a bull fuck you, who’s doing more harm?
But furries? That’s, inexplicably, my line. In my book, it’s just slightly less appalling than scat. Why? I don’t know!
Well, I kind of know. For some reason, animals that are too anthropomorphic have always creeped me out. Beatrix Potter and Winnie the Pooh characters are fine, but anything approaching Hanna Barbera or team mascot level distortion unsettles the hell out of me, actually gives me goosebumps. I have no idea why that is, but it’s been true for as long as I can remember. So furries work that particular hypersensitive nerve for me, and sexualizing something that’s already creeptastic makes it even more troubling. This is why most of us don’t like to picture people we find repulsive having sex.
However, I suspect I’m also buying into the social stigma against furries, the “let’s all make fun of the plush-fuckers because it’s easy” crap that we all seem to get away with and don’t even bother to examine. And even now, my brain is serving up all these excuses, like “But it’s icky! And you know some of them are into some really weird shit.” (because of my terrible bias I have no idea how disturbing these links actually are, but I think very, so take care) But so what? That’s their fantasy world. I don’t want to be a part of it, but do I have to go out of my way to judge it?
Shame on me and my that-just-ain’t-right-ism.
…But still, ew.
Confession: I actually think a lot of furry art is adorable. Not really sexy, but aww, look at the widdle fox-peoples, awwwwww.
But then I see the furries in person and… it’s not my thing. I have to admit, I don’t get a visceral “that’s-not-right,” I just don’t want to be a part of it myself. (It doesn’t help that most of the furries I’ve known in person have been painfully socially inept. I’m not so smooth myself but people who really can’t socialize appropriately just give me a nails-on-chalkboard feeling, that’s my own intolerance.)
I never got into the fur-hate meme, though. They’re weirdos, but they never struck me as more offensive than any other kind of weirdo.
I think part of okay-with-ponyplayism is that it really is generally nonsexual. I mean, it can be _sexy_, but in most cases there isn’t sex _happening_, if you take my meaning. My fiancee is the trainer to a woman who loves being a pony, and it’s just about the cutest thing in the world, but they have no plans to ever actually have sex. And that seems to be the norm with ponies. The pony play itself rarely has anything to do with sexy parts interacting with sexy parts, while we generally expect furries to start yiffing their brains out with whoever they’re sitting on when the Rescue Rangers theme ends.
I don’t quite _get_ furries; I mean, I kind of understand where they’re coming from, academically, but it’s hard to get past how silly the costumes are. But hell, it isn’t the first time somebody else has had a higher tolerance for melodrama than I do, and furries outside a sexual context are kind of adorable. I think you’re right: furries are just a designated target, which is nine kinds of fucked up, regardless of whether their fetish turns you on.
Whip each other with lit sparklers while having sex. You do realize that the logical extension of that particular fetish would be to shoot roman candles at each other while having sex? Which is actually a hilarious image now that I really think about it. Probably really hurt though, seeing as they still hurt a bit from 40 feet away with a thin shirt on.
From that does-it-count-as-paedophilia-if-it’s-also-zoophilia place, “I am currently at about 22% of my goal. So, only another 68% to go.”
I tend to agree with Holly on this one – I can kinda see where the’re coming from and some of the art is cute, but it doesn’t do anything for me. I know a couple of people online who are in the less-socially-awkward end of the furry scene and I get the impression there are definitely some weird depths to it.
So, I just discovered your blog, and I am procrastinating by meandering around the archives because they are awesome.
I just had to comment on this post because I know exactly what you mean. Not about furries because they fall into my personal “eh, have fun with that” category, but with animals that are too anthropomorphic. Yick.
There is a whole, surprising developed theory out there called the Uncanny Valley that is mainly used by people who develop realistically humanoid robots or very real looking animations. Basically they think that when something is really close to looking human, but not quite right it creeps people out.
I don’t know if there is any good research to back this up as a universal human response, but personally when I read about it, my response was pretty much, “Holy shit! That explains so much.”
Clearly furries fall into your uncanny valley.
P.S. For me it is apes. I don’t wish them ill or anything. They are just so almost human…but not. Ick. They creep me out every time.