Current mood:	disappointed
Entry tags:	anthrocon

Anthrocon Thoughts and Furry Disillusionment.
Well, I just got back home from Anthrocon.

Ugg.

I'm not sure I even want to call myself "furry" anymore.

I donno how much I want to go into it now, but a few warnings for anyone thinking of going to Anthrocon as their first furry con:

1) You better either create furry art or like dressing in fursuits. Or you better really like spending an entire weekend buying furry art. Cause there isn't much else. Well, if you like cartoons and kids stuff this is for you. Michael Jackson would love Anthrocon.

2) But not cause of the sex. There's no sex. None. Well, you'd have to be especially invited if there is any. Everyone is very reserved. Lots and lots of prudes. Yeah, there's a mature section of the art show, but that's mostly porn. If you expect mature, fun, adult talk that reflects some of the online furry stuff, then you are in for a disappointment. Everyone is very reserved and paranoid about seeming weird.

3) Too paranoid. People there hate furs. Yes, some people attending anthrocon just loathe real furs. One guy reminded an art show staff to make sure to take off her ears and tail before we left to go get some supplies (I was volunteering). I asked why. He said that normals couldnt handle furry and that anyone who goes outside with ears and a tail on is a crazy idiot who doesnt know the difference between real life and fantasy.
Some people do go outside with their tails and ears and they run into no problems, just like everoyne else I know who does the same in their everyday life. But this guy and his kind (they are what's keeping me from local Washington furry meetups, well, part of it) are hateful people who just like to talk snobbily about furries as if they are scum. Grrr.
As a note, the tail was floor length, so it was a good idea to take it off anyway. What really got me was the way he talked about furs with such disgust and venom... why go to a furry con, idiot?

4) If you are a vegetarian or vegan, beware! Hate speech is prevalent at the con, especially aimed at vegetarians. People have anti-vegan buttons on. In an elevator, a guy said someone called him and asked whether he should run over the PETA protesters at KFC. I said of course not cause they were right. I was then attacked for thinking that raising animals to be tortured and slaughtered was bad.
I had to get off the elevator cause my blood was boiling over so much I couldnt get out a reasonable answer to the "what, lions shouldnt eat me" or whatever they said. what I should have said was "Do you go out and hunt your prey with your bare hands?" or "Yeah, and I'm a dragon... if you believe so much in carnivorism, why dont you get eaten by me instead."
So yes, furries are more hateful than most people toward vegetarians. It's a gay guy going to a southern baptist convention. Ugg. And what's worse, these people should be the most sympathetic... they are supposed to like animals. But instead they spew vile at anyone who seems to care about animals.

5) And this brings me to another point. Many furres dont seem to like animals. They like fur itself... the substance. It's like they all have a fur fetish but no love for actual animals. No regard for how they are treated. It is repulsive and ugly. Ugg

Perhaps I missed some things, but basically, my entire confidence in furries is shattered. I'm not into kids shows or cartoons. I'm not into fur fetishism and fursuits. I'm kinda into the art, but after a couple hours of looking at the artists ally and dealers room and artshow, that's pretty much it. Yes, I am a dragon. So what? When I first heard of furry 10 years ago or so, I was told a furry was someone who basically was an animal and a human. Back then, they were very vegetarian friendly as well. Things have changed. A lot.

No, not all furs are bad. Many seem like they'd be nice in a different setting. But there are some really bad apples. Either you have to be a prude or a freak who's into teh pron. Maybe other cons are better, but I have my doubts. Any place that tolerates so much hate is nowhere I want to be.

On the other hand, my wife, also a vegetarian and a lifestyler, had a good time (other than the sprained foot problem). But she spent most of her time at the artist's ally doing artwork. And she's more into watching fursuits and, well, she's ok with cartoons and stuff.

But for me... I donno. I can't stand the people who never want to let others know they are furry. I say we should be proud to be furries. But after what I've seen, I'd rather not be associated with them.