Are You A Furry?

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Do you consider yourself a furry?

No
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25%
Yes
261
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Total votes: 348

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TheAdamBo
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by TheAdamBo »

This is kind of a weird subject for me. I don't consider myself a furry, but the fact remains that I have a great appreciation for furry comics and books. Comics like this one draw me in more than ones based on humans do. Still, I think that's because I like the diversity in the cast that a furry comic brings rather than the fact that they're actually furries. Even the stories I write and publish could even be considered furry if you were inclined to look at it that way- a couple have even gotten fairly positive reactions when i uploaded them to SoFurry. So no, I don't consider myself a furry, but I guess *technically* I could still be labeled one. Whatever floats ya boat :)
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by matthew Wolf »

if you have a fursona i think your a furry <3
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Hlaoroo »

I don't think having a fursona is essential to being furry. I've met a few furries in my limited experience of the fandom that don't have one.
The definition of furry that we've always used here is "one whose enjoyment of media is caused or enhanced by the presence of anthropomorphic or animal characters". But really furry can be whatever you want to make it and really it all boils down to whether you think you're furry or not. If you think you are then you are but if you think you're not then you're not. Simple as that. ;)
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Cesco »

Hlaoroo wrote:I don't think having a fursona is essential to being furry. I've met a few furries in my limited experience of the fandom that don't have one.
Can be, but IMHO it's an important thing because it creates your identity in the fandom, where people present themself in that form constructed as they want. I don't have one, so simply I don't define myself a furry and part of the fandom...
I think that the time dedication and addicting counts a lot too: if they're high, you can define yourself a furry.
Hlaoroo wrote:The definition of furry that we've always used here is "one whose enjoyment of media is caused or enhanced by the presence of anthropomorphic or animal characters".
It's pretty so in my case.
Hlaoroo wrote:But really furry can be whatever you want to make it and really it all boils down to whether you think you're furry or not. If you think you are then you are but if you think you're not then you're not. Simple as that. ;)
Right, this because the meaning of being furry or not it's not defined. It's subjective, based on the personal opinion, experience and own feeling of being such or not.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Sleet »

You don't need a fursona to be part of the fandom, you don't need a fursona to be a furry, and you don't need to be part of the fandom to be a furry...
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Duster »

Sleet wrote:You don't need a fursona to be part of the fandom, you don't need a fursona to be a furry, and you don't need to be part of the fandom to be a furry...
But that begs the question, can you be labeled a furry?

For instance, lets say you don't have internet access and you live out in the country with nothing for "entertainment" but a portable dvd player and some old books. What if you have quite a few items pertaining to anthropomorphized media, like certain anthropomorphic characters or stories involving human-like animals? Again, no one has ever introduced you to the fandom and you have never heard of furries. Would you still be categorized as a "furry" or is that simply a broad moniker that we tote around to relate to our subject matter of personal interest?
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Hlaoroo »

Can you be a Trekkie or a Whovian without belonging to the fandom? You don't have to belong to the fandom in order to like something.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Obbl »

Since our definition relies on a self assessment, only you can call yourself a furry.
But not being a furry doesn't exclude you from liking furry works, and being a furry doesn't mean you have to be active in the fandom.
It's all your opinion of your interests.
Of course I would tend to assume that person is/would be a furry if they knew what the term meant.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Nyaliva »

Hlaoroo wrote:Can you be a Trekkie or a Whovian without belonging to the fandom? You don't have to belong to the fandom in order to like something.
I'm a Whovian in the sense that I love and know a lot about Doctor Who - I have a larger collection of DW DVDs than my step-father who grew up with DW and considers it a massive part of his childhood - and yet I haven't even spoken to many other people who like DW as much as I do, let alone been involved in any kind of fandom.

I think a better term to use for things like that is 'anorak' which I recently learnt of. It's apparently British slang for someone who has a very strong interest in a niche subject. It's meant to be somewhat mocking but it's a lot softer than a lot of other nasty things people say about enthusiasts of different things, including furries. But yeah, as Hlaoroo said, you're only furry if you want to be, no-one can say otherwise. I think the biggest problem is the derogatory manner with which the term furry is used. People literally can't call themselves furry because other people recognise it immediately as a bad thing, when what they're thinking doesn't apply to that person.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Sleet »

I'd say I'm probably a Whovian but I involve myself zero with the fandom.
Duster wrote:For instance, lets say you don't have internet access and you live out in the country with nothing for "entertainment" but a portable dvd player and some old books. What if you have quite a few items pertaining to anthropomorphized media, like certain anthropomorphic characters or stories involving human-like animals? Again, no one has ever introduced you to the fandom and you have never heard of furries. Would you still be categorized as a "furry" or is that simply a broad moniker that we tote around to relate to our subject matter of personal interest?
I would say that person could still be very much a furry.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by tychoaussie »

Duster wrote:
Sleet wrote:You don't need a fursona to be part of the fandom, you don't need a fursona to be a furry, and you don't need to be part of the fandom to be a furry...
But that begs the question, can you be labeled a furry?

For instance, lets say you don't have internet access and you live out in the country with nothing for "entertainment" but a portable dvd player and some old books. What if you have quite a few items pertaining to anthropomorphized media, like certain anthropomorphic characters or stories involving human-like animals? Again, no one has ever introduced you to the fandom and you have never heard of furries. Would you still be categorized as a "furry" or is that simply a broad moniker that we tote around to relate to our subject matter of personal interest?
That sounds like me , up until late 2009. I never heard of furry fandom. Yet I was writing, drawing, and dreaming this genre off and on since, ohman... 1978?

so, I take it back... Im not a furry, I'm an anthropomorphic genre enthusiast.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Sleet »

I thought that's what a furry is.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Duster »

Sleet wrote:I thought that's what a furry is.
Pretty much!

The only stigma I have is that the furry fandom Is often seen in the public eye as something perverse and reprehensible. I say I'm furry or that I like furry related things and suddenly I'm "that" guy. Kudos to those of y'all who are brave enough, but I just hate that a lot people cast our lot as a pariah group.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by matthew Wolf »

i have bean showing my furry side a little more recently ... i tnink i might just dress as a wolf for hollowean if that doesent say something nothing will X3
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by tychoaussie »

Duster wrote: The only stigma I have is that the furry fandom Is often seen in the public eye as something perverse and reprehensible. I say I'm furry or that I like furry related things and suddenly I'm "that" guy. Kudos to those of y'all who are brave enough, but I just hate that a lot people cast our lot as a pariah group.
The stigma you experience is unfortunate. Some of us are trying to change that. It takes a lot of people who can stick to morals honor, and integrity, and live the talk. Unfortunately it only takes a few who cannot do so to ensure that the stigma remains.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Nyaliva »

tychoaussie wrote:so, I take it back... Im not a furry, I'm an anthropomorphic genre enthusiast.
Yay! Someone else who's started using the phrase! :D

If anyone asks if I'm a furry, I either ask what their definition is first and then say yes or no based on that or, if I already have a pretty good idea of what their definition is, I say "no, I'm an anthropomorphic enthusiast".

Because really, those furries who just like the art style shouldn't have to be differentiated from the kinds of people that like Impressionism or 17th century sculptures or what have you.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by 0404 »

I've been to a place where everyone tires to define "Furry" and make their theory and argue it over immensely.
It's like hell.

Leaving someone to decide what "furry" is, but not when they simply think furry = sexually provocative things, and if they are furry or not is the best and safest way to go.

But I often tell Jeff to be "one of us" as a joke XD
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Cesco »

Nyaliva wrote:
tychoaussie wrote:so, I take it back... Im not a furry, I'm an anthropomorphic genre enthusiast.
Yay! Someone else who's started using the phrase! :D

If anyone asks if I'm a furry, I either ask what their definition is first and then say yes or no based on that or, if I already have a pretty good idea of what their definition is, I say "no, I'm an anthropomorphic enthusiast".
I agree. Since there isn't a clear definition of the furry term, because it's based according to the own and people's different opinions, it's better say to be an "anthropomorphic genre enthusiast", it goes right to the point. There's an huge confusion in this argument, anyway...
Nyaliva wrote:Because really, those furries who just like the art style shouldn't have to be differentiated from the kinds of people that like Impressionism or 17th century sculptures or what have you.
Right, the category it's the same. This is can be considered an artistic movement like the others that there have been.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by JeffCvt »

texascat018 wrote:But I often tell Jeff to be "one of us" as a joke XD
By some definitions, I guess I am a furry.

I follow 6 furry webcomics and moderate a forum that is about 80% furry. I think that counts enough to say I'm into the furry fandom.

The real reason I don't call myself one is that furry stuff has absolutely no draw for me over non-furry stuff. I enjoy seeing well done pieces of furry art, but I also enjoy seeing well done pieces of art that have nothing to do with humanized animals. I prefer to see a well done picture rather than one with an animal.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Nyaliva »

That's a good point, Jeff. I'm much the same, in fact I started reading more furry stuff simply because it was better drawn than a lot of the non-furry stuff. Still - to put a different spin on it - if I was forced to choose between them, I'd rather see a poorly done piece of furry art than a poorly done piece of non-furry art. But that may be the Uncanny Valley talking. :shrug:
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Hlaoroo »

You know, until I heard the term "furry" on here and found out what it's actually about, I only ever thought of myself as an animal enthusiast. I never even added "anthropomorphic" since I never realised it was a separate genre.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by matthew Wolf »

i dont really see the difference between furry and anthro art i onely see a small difference in the style but there still both walking talking animals with thumbs
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Hlaoroo »

I didn't know there was a difference...
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by matthew Wolf »

i have heard people say there is i dont really see it though
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by TheInsaneMaster »

Hard to say... I do like furries and anthromorphic(i hope i spelled it right) animals, but I'm not sure if that counts as a furry.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Sleet »

There isn't a difference.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Nyaliva »

The only difference is the one in your minds! *bricked*
Hlaoroo wrote:You know, until I heard the term "furry" on here and found out what it's actually about, I only ever thought of myself as an animal enthusiast. I never even added "anthropomorphic" since I never realised it was a separate genre.
Same, I only learnt of the term 'anthropomorphic' after I learned about furry art. I like it though, and not just because it has fewer negative connotations than the term 'furry' (which I think is why people think there must be a difference between the two).
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Foxstar »

matthew Wolf wrote:i dont really see the difference between furry and anthro art i onely see a small difference in the style but there still both walking talking animals with thumbs
There's a fairly large difference. Not all anthro stuff uses animals, less sexualied, etc.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Hlaoroo »

But the point we were making is that furry stuff doesn't HAVE to be sexualised and that that's where the stigma about furries comes from!
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Foxstar »

Fair enough.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by 0404 »

TheInsaneMaster wrote:Hard to say... I do like furries and anthromorphic(i hope i spelled it right) animals, but I'm not sure if that counts as a furry.
hummm,

I don't consider Tony the tiger as a furry animal, even though it is anthro, because it doesn't branch off from "Furry Fandom".
It is anthro; however it doesn't originate form someone having much interest in anthropomorphic animals. It's just a general anthro animal for me.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Silly Zealot »

texascat018 wrote:I don't consider Tony the tiger as a furry animal, even though it is anthro, because it doesn't branch off from "Furry Fandom".
It is anthro; however it doesn't originate form someone having much interest in anthropomorphic animals. It's just a general anthro animal for me.
Even though it was not created by people from the furry fandom, or with the furry fandom in fact, it pretty much fits the definition, sadly.
Nyaliva wrote:
tychoaussie wrote:so, I take it back... Im not a furry, I'm an anthropomorphic genre enthusiast.
Yay! Someone else who's started using the phrase! :D

If anyone asks if I'm a furry, I either ask what their definition is first and then say yes or no based on that or, if I already have a pretty good idea of what their definition is, I say "no, I'm an anthropomorphic enthusiast".
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by 0404 »

Silly Zealot wrote:
texascat018 wrote:I don't consider Tony the tiger as a furry animal, even though it is anthro, because it doesn't branch off from "Furry Fandom".
It is anthro; however it doesn't originate form someone having much interest in anthropomorphic animals. It's just a general anthro animal for me.
Even though it was not created by people from the furry fandom, or with the furry fandom in fact, it pretty much fits the definition, sadly.
I disagree. But like I said "Leaving someone to decide what "furry" is, but not when they simply think furry = sexually provocative things, and if they are furry or not is the best and safest way to go. " I'm not going to interfere with someone else's idea.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Sleet »

Technically there can be anthropomorphic things that aren't furry. The Brave Little Toaster and Veggie Tales come to mind. But most of the time it's animals and that's what people think of.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Argent »

Elves, gnomes, kobolds, boggies, leprechauns, gods, spirits, angels, devils, all anthropomorphic manifestations of nature.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Kyuunado »

They be sneaking into yo TV, sneaking into yo folklore and sneaking into yo media! :lol:
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Sleet »

Argent wrote:Elves, gnomes, kobolds, boggies, leprechauns, gods, spirits, angels, devils, all anthropomorphic manifestations of nature.
I don't think that's true?
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Argent »

Yeh, it is, it really is. Anthropomorphism means the assigning of human attributes to non-human things, and that can be the storm and bad luck just as much a cat or a toaster.

Speaking of assigning human attributes to cats, putting human facial hair on animal faces just wigs me out. It breaks my science-fictional suspension of disbelief.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Macsen »

Furry and anthropomorphic are not one and the same.

Certainly not everything that is anthropomorphic is furry, as Sleet pointed out.

Furry also isn't completely 100% anthropomorphic, since there are those whose characters are actual "dumb" animals.
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Re: Are You A Furry?

Post by Sleet »

How many of those animals are literally like normal animals? At the very least they tend to pick up human attributes like speech or intelligence.
Argent wrote:Yeh, it is, it really is. Anthropomorphism means the assigning of human attributes to non-human things, and that can be the storm and bad luck just as much a cat or a toaster.
Things like elves, gnomes and the likes are usually seen as actual races of beings, not anthropomorphic representations of nature and the likes. I guess they can in some cases be represented as anthropomorphicizations of nature, but I would hardly call them that in general.
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