The whole furry thing is stupid
1mon 24d ago by kopitalk.net/u/yottle in unpopularopinion
There seem to be some people on Lemmy who genuinely believe that they are an animal. They say they are an "unperson" or discuss conversing with "animals" who "happen to be born in human bodies". They see their struggle as on par with the struggle for trans people, and their right to be recognized as animals as a part of a broader societal struggle for queer acceptance.
Well, this is fucking stupid.
First of all, comparing "I'm a puppy uWu" to gender dysphoria trivializes what trans people go through. Furries are not struggling like trans people. They are simply mocking trans people (whether that mockery is intentional or not is besides the point).
Second of all, you're not a fucking animal bro ffs. Being an animal isn't a state of mind. It isn't a vibe. It isn't a social construct. It isn't something you're assigned at birth. It's about DNA. You have 50% of DNA from a human mom, and 50% of your DNA from a human dad, so you have 100% human DNA (granted maybe you have like 0.1% Neanderthal DNA but whatever). So you're a human. This shouldn't be a hard concept to grasp.
If you can speak a human language, and have the mental wherewithal required to use the internet, then you have a HUMAN MIND. And if you "just so happen to be born in a human body" then you have a HUMAN BODY. HUMAN MIND + HUMAN BODY = HUMAN. IT'S ALL HUMAN. YOU ARE HUMAN. Just because you have a bestiality fetish does not make you a fucking bobcat ffs
Furries don't believe they're animals. You're possibly confusing furries with therians. There's some overlap, but they're ultimately different groups and the latter are the ones that believe they're the animal in question. If you're going to object to a thing, the least you could do is get your facts straight beforehand.
Please forgive me for not doing in-depth research on the subtleties of furry culture
You spit out a 4 paragraph diatribe against furries and were off the mark because you couldn't be bothered to do the research, then got upset when you got called out on it. Do the work, show the receipts, otherwise you're just a blowhard, and no one likes a blowhard.
Sorry for having better things to do with my time then do research into the precise academic terms people with bestiality fetishes use to refer to themselves with. In everyday speech these people are "furries". No one knows what the fuck an "other kin" or "theradian" or whatever is. Let's speak English here bud
But see, you had the time to write up a hate pieice on something you didn't understand. Kinda makes you the asshole.
If I'm the asshole for pointing out that its stupid to literally think you are a zebra, then sure. Guess I'm an asshole
Correct. Glad we cleared that up.
Anyway, welcome to Lemmy. Hopefully you'll learn to check that Reddit attitude at the door and be more positive in your future posts.
The internet doesn't need to be a negative and confrontational place. It can be fun and diverse at the same time.
It can be fun and diverse at the same time.
Your idea of "fun and diverse" is enabling people with psychotic delusions by telling them that, yes, they actually are a zebra after all, when what you should be doing is encouraging them to see a psychiatrist
what you should be doing is encouraging them to see a psychiatrist
You admit you 'don't have time' to do any research about them, but you're ready to send them to a psychiatrist?
Here's a thought: if you don't understand something and you willfully refuse to understand it ... then just shut up about it and don't worry about it.
You say you 'don't have time', but you're really just refusing to learn. You've got time to argue here about it, and yet you're actively ignoring it every time anyone here tries to educate you.
Why do you care what harmless delusions someone else might have?
Did a hot furry turn you down or something?? You're making a total fool of yourself...
Kinda fucked up that what consenting adults for in private triggers you this bad. Get help.
It makes you an asshole for thinking they think of themselves as zebras, which is incorrect. And you keep refusing to accept otherwise. So yeah, YTA
You mean like bitching about things you're clueless about?
Just making sure my notes are accurate, here.
It would have been a better use of your time to not be mad about what other people do with their lives, but I will absolutely commend you on your work sharing an unpopular opinion. No sarcasm. I honestly think you would be better served by spending your time learning not to care about other people and instead focused on bettering yours, but I also appreciate you using the space as intended.
I mean, you didn’t have anything better to do than post here.
I mean if you’re going to dislike something you should probably know what it is.
No one knows what the fuck a "therian" or "otherkin" is. People do not use these terms unless they are already a furry. Everyone outside of the community just uses the word "furry". Is that less precise? Sure. But I'm not here to use technical jargon invented by a bestiality-centred internet community. Speak English
"everyone outside of the community just uses the word furry"
"Everyone I talked to says asians look all the same, so do I"
"People do not use these terms unless they are already a furry"
"People don't understand what all these LGBT letters mean unless they're already gay"
"I'm not here to use technical jargon invented by a bestiality-centered internet community. Speak English "
"I'm not here to use words invented by a pedophilia-centered community, you gays are all pedos, I am here to remind you of my superiority and any attempts at educating me are futile because I don't need to learn anything new, I'm not ignorant at all. Speak English"
So I think it's dumb for someone to think that they are literally a dog. And in your mind this is comparable to racism and homophobia? Get a life
Your reasoning is comparable to the reasoning behind racism and homophobia, because you are using misinformation as a basis for prejudice.
Being a hater of anyone with a non-human alter ego isn't comparable in terms of harm and moral severity to racism and homophobia, if that's what worries you.
Throwing a crumpled piece of paper at someone else isn't comparable to someone throwing a rock or a grenade at someone else, if your only metric is damage. In both cases the person throwing is an aggressor though. Different scale, same mechanism.
Those are English words. They are used in conversations held in English, between people who speak English. That's how language works. People come up with words to signify things that didn't have words before.
It's jargon. No one uses those words who isn't already a furry
I'm not a furry, and I use them and know what they mean. There you go, disproven.
You are an outlier
And yet I am part of "everyone", by definition of the word. You did ask that we speak English, no?
Once again, you are getting on my case because you take everything I'm saying hyper-literally. Do you have autism or are you just that literal minded?
Not diagnosed, to the best of my knowledge. I'm only trying to get you to think over words you're choosing to type.
Clearly you have more than enough free time to do a bit of research, since you care to type replies to everyone in the thread.
Clearly you have more than enough free time to do a bit of research,
Once again, you are taking my words hyper-literally. When I say "I don't have time to do research" I do not mean that I literally cannot set the time aside to research furries. It means that I would prefer to stab my eyes out with a fork than have to spend time reading psychotic dribble written by someone who thinks they are literally a rhinoceros (and no, I don't mean that I would literally prefer to stab my eyes out)
If we go on long enough, will it turn out that none of your replies are to be taken at face value? Is this whole post also not to be taken literally? Are you, perhaps, a closeted furry waiting to realise their preferences aren't a mental disorder?
Are you, perhaps, a closeted furry
They are 100%.
OP is about 2 steps away from their furry awakening, lol. Nobody who isn't a furry cares this much about furries.
I guess if you call everyone who disagrees with you autistic or mentally ill, that would explain why you're this ignorant and hateful. Or why you just spout off words without caring about their actual meaning.
ignorant and hateful.
So not enabling people's psychotic delusions is ignorant and hateful now? Got it.
Calling people who think differently from you psychotic is ignorant and hateful, yes. Glad you agree.
You realize that enabling people's psychosis is actually really dangerous right? This is why ChatGPT can lead to mental breakdowns
If the psychosis is actually existing, yes. You're just making shit up because you refuse to change your mind.
From Harvard Medical School:
Delusional disorder is characterized as having one or more false beliefs based on an incorrect interpretation of reality lasting at least one month.
If someone sincerely believes that they are a fish, and this belief persists, is this not (1) a false belief based on an incorrect interpretation of reality which (2) lasts more than one month?
The incorrect interpretation of reality here is you thinking furries identify as animals. I guess that also counts.
You went to great pains to correct me earlier that you were talking about "otherkin" or "therians" not furries. But now we're suddenly talking about furries again? Whatever word you want to use, I'm talking about the people who think they are literally animals
Ah, so you are capable of pretending to learn, when it suits your side of the argument. There might be hope for you yet.
But, as the other reply to your previous comment said, not only do you believe those people are "psychotic", you also exhibit such hatred for them because of their supposed mental health issues that it's difficult to see your arguments in any other lens than ableist at best. Would a person going through an actual psychotic break elicit as much hate from you if it wasn't about "identifying as animals"?
you also exhibit such hatred for them because of their supposed mental health issues that it’s difficult to see your arguments in any other lens than ableist at best.
So it's hatred to not affirm their delusions?
And what about you? Should I be patient with you, too, as someone who is enabling these delusions and, by extension, potentially harming people?
What you should do is reread what you've been typing all over this thread. If you don't think your post and replies are hateful, you might want to look into therapy.
I don't expect you to be patient with me or anyone else, since you haven't shown any capability for that. But maybe you can engage your allegedly human brain to see why every other reply is calling you out on it.
What you should do is reread what you’ve been typing all over this thread. If you don’t think your post and replies are hateful, you might want to look into therapy.
Wow you sure got me! Such a hero, looking out for the little guy by pretending that he's literally a puppy! Reread your comments. You'll find that what you're saying is absolutely absurd. You think defending people's delusions that they are literally an animal is some sort of social justice. Well, it's not. It's telling people what they want to hear, but that can be harmful, especially when someone is suffering from delusions. People like you make a mockery of the LGTBQ+ movement and give ideological ammunition to the right and discredit the transgender movement. You should be embarrassed for choosing such an utterly stupid hill to die on
People like you make a mockery of the LGTBQ+ movement and give ideological ammunition to the right and discredit the transgender movement. You should be embarrassed for choosing such an utterly stupid hill to die on
Nice projection there. Transphobic, ableist, willfully ignorant and hateful. Seeing you go around the same few incoherently jumbled points has ceased to be fun, so I think I'm going to move on from this thread. I can only hope that one day you will also be able to move on. Or isolate from society to minimize the harm you've done.
Transphobic, ableist, willfully ignorant and hateful.
So this is your final resort. When you realize you can longer defend your position you resort to name calling
I read the whole exchange and you got blown the fuck out.
If you actually believed they were suffering from a medical condition like "psychosis" or "delusion", you should be treating them with compassion, not contempt. No reasonable person would insult someone for having a broken arm or using a crutch. No reasonable person would make fun of a kid for being in a wheelchair.
Clearly, you do not actually believe the words you say. You know they are not actually delusional. You know they aren't actually psychotic. You understand that they are LARPing. You know they are enjoying their hobby, and causing you no harm in the process. Yet, you are using ableist language to denigrate them.
Your bigotry now extends to mental health as well as those simply pursuing happiness.
Yeah, because if you don’t know something then clearly nobody on earth could know.
You should really reflect on why you’re so dead set on hating a group you know next to nothing about.
Do you honestly think the average person knows furry technical jargon? Touch some grass
You're arguing on LEMMY dude. You're a statistically insignificant outlier already. And an asshole.
You're a statistically insignificant outlier already. And an asshole
Well you seem to want to opine like you know what you’re talking about; so don’t be surprised when you get called out when it turns out that you don’t and you’re just doing main-character bigoted shit
I mean, I don't blame you for not doing so... but your opinion is rather aggressive for being admittedly ignorant.
Most Furries are just folks in a subculture that formed around a fetish. Not really that different from the BDSM community in that regards. And, just like how in that subculture no one thinks they really are 'masters and slaves' and mean no disrespect towards actual enslaved people, Furries don't actually believe they are 'animals with species disphoria' and mean no disrespect towards people with gender disphoria.
If they're consenting adults and aren't hurting anyone, then like, who cares who and how they fuck?
What do you want me to do? If I had titled this "The whole therians thing is stupid" then no one would know what the hell I was talking about, because no one knows these terms who isn't already a furry
I don't really want you to do anything. Hate whoever you want, do so for whatever reason you like, idgaf, I'm not your therapist.
Just don't be surprised when folks inform you that you are kind of talking out of your ass. This is the internet you know?
Fair enough
You don't have to change the title. If you think being a furry is stupid, fine, that's your opinion and you have the right to that opinion. It's very hard to argue with that.
But you didn't stop at "I think furry is stupid". You went on to explain why it is stupid, from your understanding, and it so happens that your understanding is very poor, therefore it exposes your motivation as hate based on prejudice.
"I think this thing is stupid" is okay. "I think this thing is stupid because I don't understand it, I don't want to understand it, and I don't want to acknowledge I don't understand it" is very different.
“I think this thing is stupid because I don’t understand it, I don’t want to understand it, and I don’t want to acknowledge I don’t understand it” is very different.
And ironically enough, that attitude is, itself, stupid.
You talk in other comments how hard you have to track them down.
As a trans woman, who cares? Honestly, like, literally what difference does it make in your life if someone strongly associates themselves with pictures they draw of animals or wears a custom mascot outfit or whatever?
I don't think furries are remotely equivalent to trans folks or any kind of queer identity, except for one single and notable element. That being the inability of others to mind their own damn business when it comes to them.
Like seriously, the thought process that leads to posts like this is the similarity. The need to police others and write rambling screeds demonizing people who aren't doing anything that has any impact on their lives very much reminds me of the kind of people who spend their days freaking out about where I pee or what I've got under my skirt.
I would urge you to think about the impulse that made you want to make a post like this. What is it about strangers being a bit odd that makes you want to make a fuss about it? Because you may have decided that queer folks aren't on that list, which is great, but clearly there is still a list. Why? Where does the list come from? What makes it make your brain itch enough to scratch it?
We're in the middle of an upswing in dangerous and violent authoritarianism. People are being literally blown up in droves, the Gulf Stream is in danger of collapsing, and there are megalomaniacs in charge of some of the most significant human institutions on the planet. Why are you being distracted by people who draw silly cartoons of themselves and spend too much money on fursuits?
Because I guarantee that impulse is closer to the people who would love to see me off myself than you were thinking when you made this post.
oh hell here comes the fun police
if anything will make me reconsider my position it's being called the fun police
congratulation
"There seem to be some people on Lemmy who genuinely believe that they are an animal."
Well, taxonomically speaking...
You have GOT to worry less about people pretending and hurting no one when there is actual shit happening in the world.
Where are you seeing this and why are you not ignoring it?
IKR, I can count on 1 hand the amount of times I've bumped into furries online or in real life and I'm no hermit in either domain.
Not that I would care if I did, but this is a very Facebook-like, 'I heard about a thing that doesnt impact me in any way or form, but it's different and strange to me and that makes me extremely angry'.
"The furry bdsm crowd ruined the adults only furry event and now my gf thinks im wierd"
That it is based on a story I read but it also reads like a anime title nowadays 🤣
Humans have had concepts of "spirit animals" and have admired and taken on animal traits going back literally all the way to paleolithic times. The earliest form of human art is cave paintings of humans and animals. Many early cultures worshipped animals or deities with animal traits.
Humans just like animals, we think they're neat. Some people identify with animals more than others do -- humans always have, and they always will.
It's only really a problem when it gets in the way of living a healthy, fulfilling life. Most furries are just normal people with a hobby or interest that they enjoy, and some are more passionate than others. Some people, especially neurodiverse people, make their favorite hobby a significant part of their life. Again, as long as it doesn't impede them from living a happy, healthy life, there's nothing wrong with it.
Some people are obsessed with sports, anime, games, etc. and enjoy cosplaying or dressing up/painting their faces/etc to identify with their hobbies or characters they love. Furries are similar in that regard.
I would say the number of furries who believe they actually ARE an animal is almost 0% of furries, and is probably some rooted in some form of dysphoria or dissociative disorder, and if I was friends with someone like that, if I felt like it was causing them discomfort or leading them to have problems in life, I might gently try to encourage them to consider therapy. But if they're just having a happy, healthy life, socializing with others, and they just believe that they've got an animal soul trapped in a human body but it doesn't bother them much, then frankly, who gives a shit?
Ultimately, I guess what I'm getting at is, why are you so mad about this? Why do you care what hobbies people have, or how they identify? How does this impact your life?
I have had rather frustrating conversations with two different people, on two separate occasions, trying to explain to them that they are not, in fact, an animal. To me this is a rather absurd situation to be in. So that frustration probably comes through in my post.
I have had rather frustrating conversations with two different people, on two separate occasions, trying to explain to them that they are not, in fact, an animal.
Did those people actually claim to be animals, or were you putting words in their mouth just like you've been doing here?
If those conversations were online, show some (anonymized) receipts.
My sister has schizophrenia and pretty regularly has pretty severe delusions. Back before she was diagnosed and it was a new thing, I really struggled with feelings of frustration - I couldn't get through to her, there was no amount of logic or reason or explanations that could help her understand that the things she was experiencing weren't real.
Over time interacting with her, I eventually learned that delusions come from something real, some genuine fear or memory or whatever. Directly telling her that things she was experiencing weren't real got me nowhere. The best approach for me was to help her talk it out - what was she experiencing, how was she feeling, what situation led up to her feeling that way. Just talking, listening, and believing her - I know it sounds crazy, but just telling a delusional person that you understand and that you believe that their experiences were real to them - helps so much. A lot of the times the feelings of rejection and alienation are at the root of delusions, so validating their feelings helps them feel better. That would usually lead to her, unprompted, to realize herself that she was experiencing delusions, and then I can just validate it for her that yeah it probably was.
You're probably wondering, why am I telling you all of this -- it's not your job to be a therapist for random people on the internet, after all. You'd be totally correct to feel that way, it's not your problem to fix, and if you really want to help someone you feel is delusional, it takes a lot of empathy, understanding, patience, and mental flexibility.
Honestly, my advice would be to just not get into it with people you don't know well, let them live their lives. None of us are responsible for the dysfunction of others.
Over time interacting with her, I eventually learned that delusions come from something real, some genuine fear or memory or whatever. Directly telling her that things she was experiencing weren’t real got me nowhere. The best approach for me was to help her talk it out - what was she experiencing, how was she feeling, what situation led up to her feeling that way. Just talking, listening, and believing her - I know it sounds crazy, but just telling a delusional person that you understand and that you believe that their experiences were real to them - helps so much.
This is interesting, thanks for sharing (I posted this response earlier but it didn't federate for some reason so I'm trying again)
You're welcome! It's probably worth pointing out that that denying/rejecting delusions is a bad approach according to the broad consensus of mental healthcare professionals/resources too - you can find loads of resources online, but I'll share this random Australian government health website since there's not really a universal source - emphasis mine:
When supporting someone experiencing psychosis you should:
- talk clearly and use short sentences, in a calm and non-threatening voice
- be empathetic with how the person feels about their beliefs and experiences
- validate the person’s own experience of frustration or distress, as well as the positives of their experience
- listen to the way that the person explains and understands their experiences
- not state any judgements about the content of the person’s beliefs and experiences
- not argue, confront or challenge someone about their beliefs or experiences
- accept if they don't want to talk to you, but be available if they change their mind
- treat the person with respect
- be mindful that the person may be fearful of what they are experiencing.
I hope you can understand what I'm trying to get at, here - not only is arguing with people about their belief that they are an animal unhelpful, but might actually make the problem worse. I still think the best approach is to just leave them be unless they're actually your friend, but if you really want to help them, I hope you remember this advice.
Also, I hope you'll reconsider your views on furries! There are lots of intolerant people out there sadly who like to punch down on us underdogs (pun not intended) for being a little outside the norm, and there are those who try and make out that the furry fandom is really fucked up and engages in really heinous things that furries are actually completely intolerant towards in reality. We don't deserve half the abuse we get, we're good folks on the whole - there are definitely some oddballs, like with any fandom, but the furry fandom is very accepting towards people who are different, that's one of the things that makes it such a positive community.
Also, I hope you’ll reconsider your views on furries!
The person I was conversing said their belief they were an animal was a furry thing, so that's the word I used in this post. Since then have been a number of comments here explaining the technical terms used to describe the different subtypes of furries. If someone just likes art of anthropomorphic animals then I don't take issue with that
Yeah, some people consider Therians/Otherkin to be a subcategory of the furry fandom, some don't. The taxonomy isn't really that important, I think.
I think most Therians/Otherkin are basically just teenagers exploring their identities, choosing to identify as their favorite animals online for a bit of fun and maybe some form of escapism from what might be pretty shitty lives.
I just believe that people can and should identify however they like, as long as it's not causing people problems, it doesn't really matter!
Have you considered that they were fucking with you because you are easy to get a rise out of?
it's dumb but what can we do? furries control 99% of all digital infrastructure, mess with them at your peril
Recently was watching something with Andrew Callahan, and he brought up that most furries are completely misunderstood. He assumed the entire culture was a sex thing when he started interviewing at a convention, and was pulled aside by someone there. They explained that while yes, there are definitely some that are into it for the sex, the vast majority of folks are on the spectrum and use that suit to help them loosen up in social situations. Made a lot more sense to me hearing him speak on it.
They explained that while yes, there are definitely some that are into it for the sex, the vast majority of folks are on the spectrum and use that suit to help them loosen up in social situations.
And to 'the suit' point -- only ~15% of furries have ever worn a fursuit.
If you're only looking at the ones in the suits, then you're only looking at an outlier of an outlier population.
Wonder if because the suits are pricey. My old roommate paid pike 1000$ usd for hers and i heard they can go much higher.
That's one part, sure ... but also many furries have no interest in fursuiting and wouldn't do it even if it was free.
It seems more like you're describing a specific subset of furry called a therian.
But also: Where have you even encountered therians on Lemmy? Even the therian communities here are pretty dead.
They went extinct?
Where have you even encountered therians on Lemmy?
In this very comment section, for example
I do not see a single therian in the comments actually
There is at least one. If you read enough comments you'll find them eventually. I think it would probably be inappropriate to single them out specifically though so I won't do that
Humans do, in fact, belong to the animal kingdom. We are all animals here. Not plants or fungi, but animals.
"We're all wild animals, brother." --Jake the dog
It's endlessly both amusing and psychologically fascinating how you're seemingly getting progressively more and more angry while just sharing your opinion before anyone has even had time to engage with you. It's an objective fact that strong emotions cloud people's judgment, so I can only wonder what it is that's actually making you feel so emotional about it.
Clearly you're not just a passive, distant observer to this but you're somehow emotionally invested in it as well. It's not really that I necessarily even entirely disagree with what I believe you're saying - it's just the way you're saying it that makes me a bit suspicious about what's really going on in the back of your head, whether it's conscious or not.
It's a cliché, but I feel like more often than not this kind of strong reaction to something that in no way affects your own life probably tells more about yourself than it does about other people or about what's true in the world. I'm not sure whether you're trying to convince us or yourself.
Edit: Okay, I read your other responses and I see what's going on here. Bye.
Having read all the comments: you have the IQ of a french fry and yet regard yourself as somehow more intelligent than literally everyone in this post, while they are merely trying to inform you on what you are blabbering on about. You're like a Karen, but somehow like 3 rungs lower on the education factor. Without a doubt, Homer Simpson would regard you as an idiot.
I've known a couple therians, and they truly believe they are born into the wrong form. I don't share the feeling, but it's no different in my eyes than being straight, bi, gay, trans... Believe it or not, humans - not even you, it's shocking I know - possess all information possible regarding the world and our bodies within it.
It's alright though, the furry (and by extension, therian and otherkin) community will have the last laugh: I've been here 22 years, and time and time again, the people who bash these communities the hardest, are in denial the deepest.
Cya around soon~ ♥️
Wow, this entire comment section. As a transspecies therian myself (and also a furry, therian furs do exist!), thank you for not therian-bashing like so many of the other supposedly "pro-furry" people downthread.
("Oh it's not like real transgender people, that'd be ridiculous!" Bite me. :V Surprise, the supposedly made-up strawman actually exists and we're collateral damage.)
I don't know if OP's likely to be a closet furry/therian or not, they're deploying a lot of random cluelessness, but y'know... who knows, they could be. Don't have to be, though.
But yeah (and this bit is more for OP in case they're thinking "oh no I'm a failure for wanting to be an animal") – you can just, be an animal if you feel like it. It may be unusual, but it's not Bad Weird™, and it doesn't Hurt Real Transgender People™, or whatever. And also a surprising amount of furries aren't, and are totally human, and I honestly don't understand them at all (why would you say you want to be an animal and then not actually mean it at all?), but they're a thing too.
And you don't have to do anything special to count. Want to be an animal? Then you get to be an animal. We don't gatekeep. We don't go "you must have this much dysphoria to qualify!". Just like with transgender, if you want to be, that's all you need. 🐺
-- Frost
The only furry I've known is also trans, fwiw.
I mostly agree with you that I do not get the subcultures at fucking all, only to know that they are distinct. I don't think most furries actually think that they are actually spiritually that animal in any way. Thats otherkin; you're conflating two weird subcultures.
So the otherkin folk are really weird to me, but I dunno that they are clinically weird unless they truly believe their own shit.
Furries who like to get into suits and party, hey, do your thing, and sorry the real perverts make your existence harder. I don't wanna yuck anyone else's yum, just keep them at arms length.
I barely have enough spare cash for my hobbies. I can't afford fursuits even if I wanted them. It's weird! (Just mostly harmlessly so.)
I would guess that the overwhelming majority of furries don't own a fursuit or even a head/mask. Most furries participate in the fandom through media - art, fiction, and so on.
Everyone has their own reasons to be a part of the fandom, their own interests and things they enjoy. Personally I enjoy the culture of people not taking themselves super seriously, willing to act a bit goofy, engage in imaginative play, and thinking about silly what-if scenarios.
The best thing I can think to compare it to is like, if you're familiar with the Mistborn series of books, thinking about how different metals/powers might interact, what their traits could be, and engaging with art/fiction around that, like... if wolf-people had to build a functioning society with sheep-people, what would that society look like, how would it function, how would they interact, how would infrastructure and the world have to adapt for the differences in biology and physiology? It's kinda like fantasy/sci-fi.
So the otherkin folk are really weird to me, but I dunno that they are clinically weird unless they truly believe their own shit.
If they truly believe what they say they believe, then it very well could be clinical and they could benefit from seeing a psychiatrist. Anyone who earnestly believes that they are literally a zebra is suffering from delusions
Just gonna say that a century ago the same was said about people that believed themselves to be the gender different from assigned at birth. And then science caught up.
Haven't seen any studies on otherkin, but it doesn't mean there won't ever be any.
The struggle to exist as one’s authentic self in life is not related to the furry fetish, at all. Studies on the trans identity typically go towards the “let them live and be who they are” conclusions. Are you suggesting that 100 years from now, studies on otherkin would come to similar conclusions?
For all we know, they might. Unless there already are studies that prove the opposite that I don't know about.
That’s absurd. The societal struggle for gender minorities cannot include fantasy. I’m not anti-furry; to each their own. Anyone who wants to be associated with the LGBTQ+ movement should be encouraged to do so and be welcomed. There are challenges that we all face together, and others that we do not. Societal integration of gender minorities is weakened when non-human identities (fantasy, barn yard animals) are included. Supporting people’s freedom to express themselves how they like, such as being a part of a community of furries, is not related to the struggles gender minorities face.
I'm open to anything that has scientific studies backing it. If there aren't any, the only opinion I can form is blank, regardless of how "right" or "absurd" it might feel.
🙄
Furries are not struggling like trans people.
Goes on to trivialize and ignorantly misunderstand what furries struggle with.
Are furries struggling 'like' trans people? Nah, probably not. Everybody has their own different struggles. That's why we should help each other out, rather than dismissing and trivializing the others' struggles in a bid to win the Oppression Olympics.
Imagine not giving a fuck about what other people think or do as long as it doesn't hurt others...
Hard, I know, but it's how normal people should behave: what the hell does it change to you in your daily routine if someone likes to dress with a furry suit? Is there a furry near your house that keeps you from having breakfast every day? Or that keeps you closed in your house? Or that hits you when they see you?
Has a furry kidnapped your children? Has a furry stolen your job?
Every time I see someone minding other people's lives, I instantly believe they are worried that somehow they'll become that themselves. Are you furrychondriac?
I don't think this could be considered an unpopular opinion. This is basically what the whole world thinks, minus a minuscule outlying group.
You might be right in that it's popular, but that doesn't stop it from being ignorant.
The reason for my comment is because the name of this community is "Unpopular Opinion", not "Ignorant Opinion". I was pointing out that it didn't fit the community's entire reason for being.
You are right at that. I wasn't trying to argue with you, just add to it. I could have phrased my reply differently though, sorry.
its probably secretly popular but i think a lot of people would be scared to say it because they dont want to be labelled a bigot
LMAO thank god there are brave truth tellers like yourself willing to say the things everyone else is just to scared to say. No one has ever expressed a negative opinion of furries before.
its probably secretly popular
You think furry hate is secretly popular?
Ask 10 randos on the street what they think about furries. I really doubt they're going to keep it a secret.
I bet I'd get at least one "What the fuck is a furry?"
Don't tell them about the furry-hater to furry bottom pipeline.
Its a tale as old as time.
This probably varies depending on your location and social circles
lol
This is called "pursuit of happiness".
They are doing and saying things that make them happy. Things that have zero practical effect on you, dear OP.
When you see people enjoying things that confuse you, yet cause no harm to you or to anyone, the only acceptable course of action is for you to walk away.
Feel free to roll your eyes, but make sure you bite your tongue as you depart.
It could also be called "fursuit of happiness" :P
If someone is delusional, affirming that delusion is actively harmful. That is why ChatGPT leads to mental breakdowns. What do you want me to do? Say "you're absolutely right, you actually are a zebra fish"? Because I won't. Saying stuff like that is actively harmful. And I won't tolerate being called a bigot because I refuse to go along with an adult's game of make believe
If someone is delusional, affirming that delusion is actively harmful.
They aren't delusional. You said so yourself:
And I won’t tolerate being called a bigot because I refuse to go along with an adult’s game of make believe
You know they aren't delusional. You know this is a game. You know they are playing. They are LARPing.
What you are doing is roughly comparable to seeing a group of people playing a board game in a public park and deciding that you should sweep the board off the table. There's plenty of other tables available for you; they aren't doing a fucking thing to cause you any sort of harm. You could just mind your own fucking business and walk past them. You're free to silently judge them as you do so. But no, you're hell bent on interfering with other people just because you don't like the way they choose to enjoy themselves.
What the hell is wrong with you?
What do you want me to do?
I feel like I was pretty fucking clear on that point:
Feel free to roll your eyes, but make sure you bite your tongue as you depart.
They aren't doing anything to you. They are enjoying themselves. You're trying to interfere with their enjoyment. You're interfering with their pursuit of happiness with no justification.
And I won’t tolerate being called a bigot
You're pretending like you have some sort of agency in the decision. You don't! As soon as you opened your mouth and started spouting bigotry, you didn't just tolerate it: You invited the designation.
If you don't want to be called a bigot, you don't actually have to change any of your bigoted opinions. If you don't want to be called a bigot, you do have to keep your bigotry to yourself.
So, I'm just throwin' it out because I dont feel it's shown in the post a whole lot. Most furries are not like that. I'm pretty deep in the fandom, the 'head' of several communities, and hangout in it all the time. Throughout all that, I can count on one hand, the number of individuals I directly interacted with who associated with those thoughts.
I ain't gonna go in depth on the whole therian part, moreso just that furries as a whole aren't individuals who see themselves as animals.
Lol, we had this shit going on so long ago, and now it's circled back. Danithefox on 4chan will never be forgotten.
Never heard of this guy, guess I'll add it to the list of internet stuff to look up
I doubt you'll find anything. It was 20 years ago, give or take. Some dude would get on and scream and be screamed at for hours, saying that he wasn't a person, he was a fox in a human body. I am super surprised that this post made me remember the name, and sort of the pictures of the foxes that he would always upload with his posts.
its as legitamate as anything else and like anything it has a wide variation in how the people in the subculture view things. Im fine with people doing their thing as long as it does not hurt anyone else and they should not face discrimination but also not get exess. I don't see why someone who gets leopord spots put all over their body and surgically made fangs and claws with some hair weave is not going to feel as every bit the animal they want to be as a man surgically being made to emulate female parts or vice versa. Its for them to be who they are and likely share in their community. Do I think they are what they think they are. no. but why does that matter. In other words live and let live.
It's weird, but not something I really care about or would judge someone on, tbh.
It's weird. If people were just being weird by themselves, that would barely worth any comment. But when people co-opt the language of social justice to justify their weirdness, and accuse you of being a bad person for not going along with it, then things have gone too far
Really appreciate op making the sacrifice so that everyone can Unite and explain so much about the furry culture and its sub cultures. I legit didn't know some of these details. Very educational and fascinating.
um there seems to be a lot of misinformation in this post. main one being furries do not believe that they are actually cats/dogs...
also as a trans person i don't think it trivializes dysphoria? like feeling like you're living in the wrong body is incredibly distressful, whether it's a delusion or not. not only that but from what ive seen, there is a lot of overlap between gender queer and otherkin folks (and with autistic folks too). i think it mostly reflects the experience of feeling isolated and abnormal, to the point that you're not even treated as human anymore. that and also wishing for a simpler life experience, as having our level of intelligence does come with drawbacks.
i also find it odd that your response to something that you think is a delusion.. is anger? im not saying you should feel a certain way but like going on a rant like this just feels mean-spirited. if you truly believed it were a mental health issue, I'd assume you'd be more inclined to learn more about it and learn how to help these people instead of belittling them (i especially feel this as someone with a lot of BPD symptoms).
my final point is that i think we as humans distinguish ourselves from other animals way more than is realistic. animals are neat. other forms of life are just intriguing. idk its weird to me that people think its so absurdly weird and disgusting to even think about adopting any remotely animalistic traits
You should be fine since you didn't bring up dragon kin
If you're trying to say they're a troll, this meme template implies the opposite
Why do people find it so hard to believe that someone could take issue with trans-speciesism? Have you guys ever talked to someone irl before? Judging by the downvotes this is an unpopular opinion here, but 99.99% of the human population would agree with me about this
It hasn't been studied enough to be able to conclude species dysphoria is bullshit. The human brain is fucking gnarly, tho. Ignoring the possibility is more insane than assuming a human might have a mental disorder that gives them a sense of dysphoria not having fur and a tail.
The engagement bait works wonderfully
the internet does funny things to some people
People were weird as hell long before the internet.
but if they wanted to wank at cartoon animal porn they had to draw it themselves
Furries were around before the internet. Art was distributed in small pamphlets or zines. It originated in the 1970s and the term dates back to the early 1980s.
I guess what I'm saying is, people could look at non-self-drawn cartoon animal porn long before the internet. Just FYI. :)
And many did.
Downvote: this is a popular opinion
There seem to be some people on Lemmy who genuinely believe that they are an animal. They say they are an “unperson” or discuss conversing with “animals” who “happen to be born in human bodies”.
Really? I feel like I would have subscribed to this community already if I saw it
I see where you are coming from, here's a little tip.
- Install this extension
- On your Lemmy instance's front page, press "Create new style"
- Add
picture:has(.img-icon) {display: none;}, save
Whoah, suddenly furries don't exist anymore on the internet! That's insane. And if you see contentless garbage, regardless if it's a stupid reaction image, ragebait or (relevant here) meowing, just use the little "-" button that hides the post/reply.
I applaud your appeal to rationality.
But most human believe in God. Rationality is beyond our grasp. We’re fucked.
Well, if you say that people who believe they are animals are human, then you must also say that trans people are their gender assigned at birth. Or can you elaborate the difference with more informative words than "stupid"?
Wonderful day!
Well, I do not and never understood it, too, of me being ~40 years old...
I cannot imagine my children to wish being animals... it would damage me... permanently... I believe...
It feels like a disrespect towards and devaluation of myself a human, my race, my family and parents who gifted me a life of a human...
Absolutely... I do love to be a human... and I do love other individuals who adventure the infinitely magnificent world and share experiences to learn from each other...
And indeed... A human mind is so ineffably incredible that such is possible and this is how I do realize it. A person who considers themselves an animal may have desires more powerful and prioritized if compared to someone else who was raised differently and had a different life experience that did not develop such animal feelings in their mind that consume them to such a degree to stay focused on it, controllably or not.
And never I would ever consider myself anyone else but a human, and I am proud of being one! But I do also realize how incredible a mind can be, and a worldview of someone else is sure another world to discover...
There's no chance I would ever tolerate it enough to stay always in contact with a person who believes they are an animal, where I would also be afraid it may damage my own beliefs and my plans to raise my children; and I do fear that I will make an accidental but critical mistake in such a relationship due to my lack of proper understanding of certain traits of worldviews of such people, considering my years and subconsciously rules and already developed instincts.
Meanwhile, I do also realize that there's just 100 years maximum, and I haven't met anyone yet who actually know the reason we appeared here. There's a little knowledge of a human psychology and how certain life events affect people in long term to the point they find themselves better as animals. Perhaps they feel themselves safer or closer to the nature. It might be something deep that subconsciously suggests them animal desires to be into.
Not to mentioned that I do believe every single person is a whole another Universe, indeed... to always respect and celebrate their existence in the miracle known as life...
I just hope my children, and my friends' children will love to stay human, and will love other people... considering the media of constant suggestions to try alternatives...
To actually see it, one should see the world from the prism of life of another...
Hence, there's nothing "stupid" in it I believe... Weird? Odd? Awful? Awesome? Probably. But, in the end, it's just us, people, being miracles and live the way we see it, striving, believing, and trying our best...
We inherit the earth, we inherit the war
I inhabit the wound, I dwell in the harm
Oh, how far we fall: we're casualties of time
Oh, how far we fall: forgive existence~ Inherit the Earth - Silent Planet
---
So here I float in salt water
How many times will I tell myself I’m worthy?
As I soak the salt water
I feel it sting the places I need it most~ Salt Water - Portair
---
I’m holding out for something real
Something I can touch and feel
On the bright side of the moon
Looking for the bright side of the moon...~ The Moon - Cinders
Absolutely… I do love to be a human…
Ngl I kinda wanna just be a human mind in a body of a cat...
So I can look beautiful and also have intelligence
(also immortality so I don't just die in about a decade... I'd run around as a cat and mess with people till the end of time xD)
Like maybe like a werewolf (were-cats?) ability, but I can choose to activate it at will... I can just live another life in case my human identity is fucked up, then I can just fake my death and live life as a cat (or rather, a were-cat)
Sounds like a plan, you can enjoy cleaning your arse with your tongue 😛
Yummy 😋
I dunno man, tonguepunching someone you're into's fart box is fun.
Humans have a lot of sexual hangups lol.
If you enjoy imagining what life would be like as an animal person with intelligence... boy, have I got the fandom for you!
TIL I'm a furry 😳