Furries - Not Entirely Human?

[Freechoice]

humanity is a state of mind, as well as matter. if they see themselves as more than human, then all credit to them for having a healthy mind and imagination.

No, there's a fucking genome that says you're human. If you don't think that, congratulations, you have a personality disorder.

you dummy. it's ROLEPLAY. if you had an RP guy, would i say YOU had "problems"? NO!

so pack that **** in and don't take everything so literally.

I'm not talking about you, I'm making a hypothetical using swear words.

I do that a lot.

Actually, I'm probably one of the more tolerant people I know when it comes to furry, but I still have boundaries. Legoman [http://i44.tinypic.com/2cn8oxt.png] sums it up pretty well here.

 

[lord.jeff]

With the furries that think there more then human, it's not so much that they believe they are physically part animal, they tend to explain it as either being born in the wrong body or a strong connection to a spiritual animal or sometimes them just wishing for it way to hard, most of them will have more of a definition for that but it boils down to one of those most the time. Hope that clears up how that idea works for someone. I can't say I have that ideal myself I do understand not wanting your own body at times, as I think everyone has at some point, and having a tail as well as a few other traits would be fairly bitching.

 

[xPixelatedx]

Furries - Not Entirely Human?

I am going to be blunt and honest. I think most (not all) furries are full of crap. Regardless of what they claim, what furries are is often more human then.... well, human. Furry is an entire culture of admiration for the human form. I have seen furry comics and most often then not they take place on earth, with anthropomorphic animals still using things designed for humans even though they have weird animal hands (which is funny as hell). And what they do and say is still all incredibly human. I have a few furry friends, and I always ask them questions that make them uncomfortable. One of the long running inquiries is concerning why most furries put breasts on their reptile characters. Their every retort comes down to "Look up the definition of anthropomorphism, hurrr" and I just smile and nod, saying "Yeah, that's my point exactly."

The entire point of anthropomorphism is to make something more human. If you truly identified with say, lizards, and you wanted to be less associated with humanity by being a lizard creature, then wouldn't you welcome the differences that come with being a lizard? Wouldn't female reptiles not having breasts be a good thing? I would think that the added 'distance from humanity' it would bring would be comforting.

However I have seen some exceptions to this rule. These few and abnormal individuals can't even really be called furrys by this point, as what they are dealing with is more alien then anything else. But furrys as a whole? They can believe they want to be "less then human" until the sun collides with the earth, but that doesn't make it true, and it won't be as long as they stick to the most basic principles of anthropomorphism.

 

[Worgen]

That's...interesting.

Of course, any furry who considers him/herself not human is delusional, because biologically, he/she is indeed human. You can't think away your species.

I'm not sure about that, I mean for most of human history we worshiped animals and had ideas about being possessed by animal spirits, its weird but people are farken weird.

 

[dyre]

That's...interesting.

Of course, any furry who considers him/herself not human is delusional, because biologically, he/she is indeed human. You can't think away your species.

I'm not sure about that, I mean for most of human history we worshiped animals and had ideas about being possessed by animal spirits, its weird but people are farken weird.

I'm not aware that we worshiped animals for most of human history...I mean, maybe we worshiped gods with animal-like features, but straight up worshiping bears or tigers? I hadn't heard about that.

Besides, none of those people thought they were animals (that is, non-human members of the animal kingdom), or if they did think so, they were wrong.

edit: I'm probably being a little harsh on any animal-spirit religions that might have existed. I guess if they believe there are animal spirits, more glory to them. But I'm pretty sure these people still believed they were humans, and heck, it beats thinking you're not human simply because you wear a fursuit or like pictures of wolf-like humans :\

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

The entire point of anthropomorphism is to make something more human. If you truly identified with say, lizards, and you wanted to be less associated with humanity by being a lizard creature, then wouldn't you welcome the differences that come with being a lizard? Wouldn't female reptiles not having breasts be a good thing? I would think that the added 'distance from humanity' it would bring would be comforting.

You just blew my mind. I never actually thought of it that way.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

That's...interesting.

Of course, any furry who considers him/herself not human is delusional, because biologically, he/she is indeed human. You can't think away your species.

I'm not sure about that, I mean for most of human history we worshiped animals and had ideas about being possessed by animal spirits, its weird but people are farken weird.

I'm not aware that we worshiped animals for most of human history...I mean, maybe we worshiped gods with animal-like features, but straight up worshiping bears or tigers? I hadn't heard about that.

Besides, none of those people thought they were animals (that is, non-human members of the animal kingdom), or if they did think so, they were wrong.

We did actually worship animals for most of history. It is only very recently that humans by and large have stopped this. Remember, we were around for a LONG time before we started living in buildings or even speaking a language. In most cultures they still do actively worship some form of animals, actually, especially in Asia.

EDIT

It makes sense when you think about it; we were a weak species, very young compared to most, so when we saw something like a tiger or a pack of wolves, they must have seemed amazing. The idea that these beasts could kill so easily and seemed to possess super-natural powers to see in the dark, run super fast, climb trees and push massive boulders made them godlike.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

"Furry" for me is just a label given to us by those outside the fandom in order to categorise something they don't understand.

I am a furry, I consider myself a human who simply enjoys the idea of anthropomorphic animals. I like animals in general as well. I don't own a fursuit nor go to cons but I have a character that I like to identify as sometimes. I did not choose to be a furry, nor do I do it for attention or to fulfill some sort of animalistic desire. I simply am furry, there's no other way to explain it. I think the furry experience is very personal and certainly different for everyone. For me it really is more of an interest/hobby than a lifestyle but I still consider my furry nature a significant part of who I am.

Would I become an animal given half the chance? Why hell yes! But is that something that only furries could admit to? Surely many people would welcome a chance to be something other than themselves at times, furry or not.

It turns out a considerably large portion of the furry fanbase describe themselves as bisexual or homosexual and a small fraction (1-9%) admitted to zoophilia, with most (about 80%) of furries being men.

This is an interesting topic and I can't even begin to imagine why it is so. I think furries in general are just more open and accepting people. I'm not sure how that is connected to animals or the fandom in general but my experiences within the fandom certainly support this statement. I'm not entirely sure what I would classify my sexual orientation as, I haven't had that much in the way of sexual experience, but I certainly wouldn't rule out bisexualism.

 

[dyre]

That's...interesting.

Of course, any furry who considers him/herself not human is delusional, because biologically, he/she is indeed human. You can't think away your species.

I'm not sure about that, I mean for most of human history we worshiped animals and had ideas about being possessed by animal spirits, its weird but people are farken weird.

I'm not aware that we worshiped animals for most of human history...I mean, maybe we worshiped gods with animal-like features, but straight up worshiping bears or tigers? I hadn't heard about that.

Besides, none of those people thought they were animals (that is, non-human members of the animal kingdom), or if they did think so, they were wrong.

We did actually worship animals for most of history. It is only very recently that humans by and large have stopped this. Remember, we were around for a LONG time before we started living in buildings or even speaking a language. In most cultures they still do actively worship some form of animals, actually, especially in Asia.

Damn, that's weird. Worshiping the same stuff you hunt and eat. What if you ran into one of those animals, and it wanted to eat you? In any case, that still makes more sense than furries thinking they're not human.

I hate to ask for a source (because it's mostly assholes who ask for sources), but do you have any source for that?

edit: regarding your edit, yeah, that makes some sense, though I can still see a lot of problems coming up with interaction with those animals

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

That's...interesting.

Of course, any furry who considers him/herself not human is delusional, because biologically, he/she is indeed human. You can't think away your species.

I'm not sure about that, I mean for most of human history we worshiped animals and had ideas about being possessed by animal spirits, its weird but people are farken weird.

I'm not aware that we worshiped animals for most of human history...I mean, maybe we worshiped gods with animal-like features, but straight up worshiping bears or tigers? I hadn't heard about that.

Besides, none of those people thought they were animals (that is, non-human members of the animal kingdom), or if they did think so, they were wrong.

We did actually worship animals for most of history. It is only very recently that humans by and large have stopped this. Remember, we were around for a LONG time before we started living in buildings or even speaking a language. In most cultures they still do actively worship some form of animals, actually, especially in Asia.

Damn, that's weird. Worshiping the same stuff you hunt and eat. What if you ran into one of those animals, and it wanted to eat you? In any case, that still makes more sense than furries thinking they're not human.

I hate to ask for a source (because it's mostly assholes who ask for sources), but do you have any source for that?

We mostly worshiped the animals we didn't hunt, because they were the ones we were scared of. Read my edit for an explanation. But we also worshiped the ones we ate, as they were seen as magical beings, whose existence seemed to be in service of us--so that we could eat them. It would have seemed very amazing that a moving, living thing could be eaten and it would make you live.

I could find sources, but just look around the world; they worship Elephants in many Asian countries, cows in many too, wolves were an iconic creature who were seen as demi-gods and spirits by many primitive tribal people. Tigers were gods of strength and power who are still killed today because they are believed to posses magical cures within their body. The list goes on and on. Other animals played a huge role in our existence.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

edit: regarding your edit, yeah, that makes some sense, though I can still see a lot of problems coming up with interaction with those animals

You don't interact with them--that's the point. Take the lion, for example. Here you have this powerful, massive beast that sees in the dark and hunts large animals. It's very voice spooks all other life for miles around. You don't know what it is. All you know is it's much better than you. No one ever goes near them and anyone who comes into contact with one dies. They tell stories about them and their existence takes on an almost mythical air.

To primitive man, that's something to fear, to respect and to learn from. Warriors want to look like them, they channel their spirit to strike fer into their enemies and to give them bravery. All the hunters want to hunt like them and catch the big animals. When something goes bump in the night, the children don't think it's the boogeyman, they think it's a lion come to kill them.

 

[ccggenius12]

I just can't shake the impression that 46% of furries admit to believing that they are less than human.
I find the second statistic about wanting to be 0% human ambiguous though. Are anthropomorphic animals 0% human, or somewhere in between? I guess what I'm getting at is that that statistic doesn't tell me whether they want to be a dog, or a talking bipedal dog. If it's the former, those people are just weird. Why would anyone give up fully realized sentience...

 

[dyre]

edit: regarding your edit, yeah, that makes some sense, though I can still see a lot of problems coming up with interaction with those animals

You don't interact with them--that's the point. Take the lion, for example. Here you have this powerful, massive beast that sees in the dark and hunts large animals. It's very voice spooks all other life for miles around. You don't know what it is. All you know is it's much better than you. No one ever goes near them and anyone who comes into contact with one dies. They tell stories about them and their existence takes on an almost mythical air.

To primitive man, that's something to fear, to respect and to learn from. Warriors want to look like them, they channel their spirit to strike fer into their enemies and to give them bravery. All the hunters want to hunt like them and catch the big animals. When something goes bump in the night, the children don't think it's the boogeyman, they think it's a lion come to kill them.

Pretty cool stuff, I guess. I forgot how weak we used to be as a species

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

edit: regarding your edit, yeah, that makes some sense, though I can still see a lot of problems coming up with interaction with those animals

You don't interact with them--that's the point. Take the lion, for example. Here you have this powerful, massive beast that sees in the dark and hunts large animals. It's very voice spooks all other life for miles around. You don't know what it is. All you know is it's much better than you. No one ever goes near them and anyone who comes into contact with one dies. They tell stories about them and their existence takes on an almost mythical air.

To primitive man, that's something to fear, to respect and to learn from. Warriors want to look like them, they channel their spirit to strike fer into their enemies and to give them bravery. All the hunters want to hunt like them and catch the big animals. When something goes bump in the night, the children don't think it's the boogeyman, they think it's a lion come to kill them.

Pretty cool stuff, I guess. I forgot how weak we used to be as a species

If not for our brains, we're pretty much right down there with earthworms XD

 

[Worgen]

That's...interesting.

Of course, any furry who considers him/herself not human is delusional, because biologically, he/she is indeed human. You can't think away your species.

I'm not sure about that, I mean for most of human history we worshiped animals and had ideas about being possessed by animal spirits, its weird but people are farken weird.

I'm not aware that we worshiped animals for most of human history...I mean, maybe we worshiped gods with animal-like features, but straight up worshiping bears or tigers? I hadn't heard about that.

Besides, none of those people thought they were animals (that is, non-human members of the animal kingdom), or if they did think so, they were wrong.

edit: I'm probably being a little harsh on any animal-spirit religions that might have existed. I guess if they believe there are animal spirits, more glory to them. But I'm pretty sure these people still believed they were humans, and heck, it beats thinking you're not human simply because you wear a fursuit or like pictures of wolf-like humans :\

Even today we tend to use animal terms for things, you call a guy a stud and its a compliment, we have animal mascots for countries. We are still very caught up in animal worship, we just don't call it that. And one thing that allot of people forget, is that humans are still animals.
I always got the impression the suits was more about wishing you could be something else, instead of thinking you are something else.

 

[Jamash]

I can see their point, I mean humans as a whole do kind of suck. I mean Polar bears do not hat Black bears, they do not go to war, they rarely if ever kill out of spite.

That's only because Polar Bears and Black Bears never encounter each other in the wild.

If they shared a common territory, the Polar Bears would totally eradicate the Black Bears, killing them because they're competitors for food and territory (and killing them for food).

Polar Bears (and other animals) often kill their young, both for food and to deny the presence of another male.

They don't do this out of hate or spite because those are human emotion and it would be anthropomorphism to put those onto animals, but that doesn't mean they don't kill each other for territory and resources like humans do, the only difference is that we attribute negative emotions as reasons for our actions.

Animals, especially carnivores in difficult environments, aren't any less murderous than humans, the only difference is that they haven't evolved the intelligence and technology, nor have the organisation and numbers, to wage large wars beyond their natural habitats. If all the animals in the world shared a common territory, eventually there would only be one Apex Predator, the rest would be food or extinct.

I'd even say humans are better than animals because we have the concept of morality and can acknowledge that killing is wrong. We often use our free will and morality to contradict and deny our base animal instincts.

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

Oh Christ. The Otherkin. A group of people so freaking weird even most furries don't want to be involved with them.

Just write them off as the nutjob splinter group that they are and move on. Nothing good can come from this.

 

[Bertylicious]

Not that surprising really. I mean Furries are pretty 'other' so I'm not surprised they'd feel a disconnect from "humanity".

I imagined your avatar saying it in his or her doggy voice. Made the comment so much more awesome.

Roast Beef is a cat:

http://achewood.com/

 

[Freechoice]

It turns out a considerably large portion of the furry fanbase describe themselves as bisexual or homosexual and a small fraction (1-9%) admitted to zoophilia, with most (about 80%) of furries being men.

This is an interesting topic and I can't even begin to imagine why it is so.

Because it's about furries and it isn't being accusatory?

You familiar with Lil' Miss Rarity? The creator, Lil' Miss Jay, talked about the furry community on FA and why he left it. I can't fucking find it though. GODDAMMIT.

 

[Daverson]

I realize there's been a lot of movement among civil rights campaigns to "take back" previously derogatory terms, though... I don't think "subhuman pride" is such a great idea.

Wait, am I bigoted to considering myself superior to animals? Because I mean, giving cows equal rights would really complicate beef dinners... though, done correctly, you could easily justify farming "the other white meat", so... maybe not such a bad idea?