# Furry : lifestyle or hobby



## Defiant (Nov 24, 2008)

Didn't see this elsewhere and it gets different results on all forums. Would YOU considder it a lifestyle or a hobby? How do you let it affect you. How has it changed you?
   I want to know how YOU feel about this. Then I will post my 2 cents back.


----------



## bozzles (Nov 24, 2008)

Hobby / weird fetish. "Furry lifestylers" are a joke.


----------



## Ozriel (Nov 24, 2008)

Hobby.


----------



## PaulShepherd (Nov 24, 2008)

Definitely a hobby.


----------



## Aden (Nov 24, 2008)

Definitely on the hobby side.


----------



## Shark_the_raptor (Nov 24, 2008)

Defiant said:


> Didn't see this elsewhere and it gets different results on all forums. Would YOU considder it a lifestyle or a hobby? How do you let it affect you. How has it changed you?
> I want to know how YOU feel about this. Then I will post my 2 cents back.



A hobby, I guess.


----------



## Maio Maio Tigerman (Nov 24, 2008)

hobby


----------



## TamaraRose (Nov 24, 2008)

little of  both....


----------



## Volray (Nov 24, 2008)

I really don't let the fact that I'm a furry affect my lifestyle in any way.

So yeah, I'd have to go with hobby.


----------



## WolvesSoulZ (Nov 24, 2008)

I Dont think furry affect'd my lifestyle so.. i guess hobby for me too xD


----------



## Nargle (Nov 24, 2008)

The way I live my life doesn't revolve around being a furry, so it's not a lifestyle, but a hobby is something you do for fun, and you can't really "do" furry...

I honestly consider it to simply be an interest. I'm an animal lover and I like anthros, so I'm a furry =3


----------



## lilmissnobody (Nov 24, 2008)

Hobby.


----------



## brrrr (Nov 24, 2008)

Nargle said:


> The way I live my life doesn't revolve around being a furry, so it's not a lifestyle, but a hobby is something you do for fun, and you can't really "do" furry...
> 
> I honestly consider it to simply be an interest...I like anthros, so I'm a furry =3


Sums up my view on it.


----------



## Sernion (Nov 24, 2008)

For me, being a furry not only means liking anthro arts but also wanting to become one. So I guess its both but more on lifestyle.


----------



## Nox (Nov 24, 2008)

Lifestyle for me.


----------



## Defiant (Nov 24, 2008)

Furry lifestylers weird me out. It IS a hobby. A hobby is something that can be done when free time permits. It is something you do when you want to do it.
  Example , being jewish , catholic , phisically handicapped , mentally handicapped or gay. Those are lifestyles. Those can and WILL affect how you conduct your everyday life. They can dictate what you do for a living. They can dictate how you live your life.
   The furry side of me is easily shut off while I am on my way to and while at work. The people I woprk with at the garage don't need to know about it.
   From a REAL WORLD point of view , this is a hobby. It IS NOT a lifeftyle. It is only a lifestyle if you let it become one and if you let it run your life.
  It has not affected how I ive my life , how I do my job , what kind of job I haveand how I do my daily proceedings. Therefore , hobby.
   Just like my RC truck , I can charge the betteries , run it and then put it away when I am done with it.


----------



## TH-Violinist (Nov 24, 2008)

meh, I'd have to agree with the aforementioned "a little bit of both." course, I don't see how it is a "hobby" either, so  much as an interest. Speaking of which, this thread caught mine


----------



## Irreverent (Nov 24, 2008)

More interest than hobby.  I think Nargle summed it up pretty nicely.

But there is a kernel of lifestyle tucked deep inside somewhere.  In much the same way that every little boy wants to stereotypically grow up to be a fireman/policeman/pilot/cowboy etc, there's a little part of me that wants the fursona to become real.  Stronger than a pipe dream, but not strong enough to come to the surface.

Confusing?  I'm still grasping at it.


----------



## Hollow-Dragon (Nov 24, 2008)

I'd say it's a bit of both.


----------



## NinjaWolf041 (Nov 24, 2008)

Well it depends on how you define "lifestyle". Being a furry doesn't control my life but has been influencing a lot of stuff that has been happening with it lately. I hang out with furries all the time and spend a lot of time on furry websites. But I also so tons of non fyrry stuff that most likely out weighs the furry ones.

So I guess its just an interest, but a big one at that.


----------



## Tycho (Nov 24, 2008)

Hobby.

HOBBY.

HOBBY.

As far as I'm concerned almost anyone who makes furry a lifestyle needs to seriously reevaluate their lives and possibly an hero.


----------



## Trpdwarf (Nov 24, 2008)

I cannot see it as anything other than a hobby. It's something I do and engage in, during my spare time. It isn't my whole life though...and it certain isn't a lifestyle for me.


----------



## Magikian (Nov 24, 2008)

It is *only* a hobby... Nothing more.

Until anthropomorphism becomes a reality, it will stay a hobby.


----------



## Wolf E. Urameshi (Nov 24, 2008)

Hobby. I like anthro stuff but I'm definitely not a furry... I think.  So yeah I'm going with hobby.


----------



## lilEmber (Nov 25, 2008)

It's not a hobby, lifestyle would be more accurate but still not exact.

I couldn't just quit if I wanted too and I also don't want too.


----------



## Kalianos (Nov 25, 2008)

Its a hobby


----------



## iBurro (Nov 25, 2008)

I take it as a hobby at best, an excuse for horrendous fetishes at worst, and a lifestyle only to those select oddballs* who wish it to be.

*Oddballs, in this context, meant only to describe someone unique; not in a bad way, mind you.


----------



## Rilvor (Nov 25, 2008)

If you make furry your life, you need help.


It SHOULD be a hobby.


----------



## BlackRat (Nov 25, 2008)

It doesn't really fall under either completelly. I'd say for me it sits closer to being a lifestyle in that it does affect the way I think, but not anything very visually noticable. A hobby for me is more just something enjoyable to pass the time.
I think that made sense, I can't tell >.<


----------



## ToeClaws (Nov 25, 2008)

NewfDraggie said:


> It's not a hobby, lifestyle would be more accurate but still not exact.
> 
> I couldn't just quit if I wanted too and I also don't want too.



*chuckles* I would say a bit of a hybrid of that - I consider it a hobby as my life does not revolve around it, nor do I ever mesh my real life with the furry stuff (hence why you won't see a pic of me in the Mugshots or anything), yet... I would find the hobby hard to turn away from, if not impossible.


----------



## Xero108 (Nov 25, 2008)

To me, it depends on how much you're into the fandom. For those with fursuits who really impersonalize their fursona, it's a lifestyle. For those who are only into drawing it or simply watching it, it's more of a hobby.


----------



## WolvesSoulZ (Nov 25, 2008)

Xero108 said:


> To me, it depends on how much you're into the fandom. For those with fursuits who really impersonalize their fursona, it's a lifestyle. For those who are only into drawing it or simply watching it, it's more of a hobby.


 
+1


----------



## Reiko (Nov 25, 2008)

Again, I agree with Rilvor. If you make it your style of life, you seriously need to go see someone or at least get a boot to the head. Playing around as animals as a hobby? Seems to at least be passable as an odd hobby and nothing more.


----------



## Jack (Nov 25, 2008)

somewhere in the middle.


----------



## UKtehwhitewolf (Nov 25, 2008)

Hobby. To me anyway but Nargle summed it up best. Furry really is more of an interest rather than an actual hobby, unless you like to run around in a fursuit and go to as many furry cons as possible - then it's more of a "proper" hobby. Oh yeah, if you draw it/build fursuits too.


----------



## XoPp (Nov 25, 2008)

mostly hobby, but as long as i understand what's furry as a lifestyle, thats for me too.. i dont wear fursuits/eat dog food or anything noticeable/stupid respectively
though i was like this before i acknowledged what furry is :???:


----------



## LycanArisun (Nov 25, 2008)

I revolve the basic elements of my life around it.

Its a hobby but I believe it to be part of me.


----------



## RailRide (Nov 25, 2008)

It's a hobby.

There's a word for those who pursue it as a lifestyle: "Furry Lifestyler"

This was argued over a long time ago

---PCJ


----------



## Alblaka (Nov 25, 2008)

Lifestyle, spiritual direction and whatever more...

Being a dragonkin is answering that question for yourself ^^


----------



## Reconwulf (Nov 25, 2008)

Lifestyler for sure


----------



## Hydramon (Nov 25, 2008)

Nargle said:


> The way I live my life doesn't revolve around being a furry, so it's not a lifestyle, but a hobby is something you do for fun, and you can't really "do" furry...
> 
> I honestly consider it to simply be an interest. I'm an animal lover and I like anthros, so I'm a furry =3


 ^This


----------



## Nargle (Nov 25, 2008)

I'm still confused as to why the hell so many people keep calling it a hobby XD

Maybe they just picked whatever was opposite of "lifestyle."


----------



## Jax (Nov 25, 2008)

Rilvor said:


> If you make furry your life, you need help.
> 
> 
> It SHOULD be a hobby.




Need help? Naw..it is the cure. Seriously, I let my character in...it is essential to his development. Guess I have to say hobby...other wise you will step on my tail. It is OK


----------



## PaulShepherd (Nov 25, 2008)

Nargle said:


> I'm still confused as to why the hell so many people keep calling it a hobby XD
> 
> Maybe they just picked whatever was opposite of "lifestyle."



I thought we only had a choice between lifestyle and hobby, so I chose, hobby, because it was close to an interest. lol
But to correct myself, it is an interest for me.


----------



## Defiant (Nov 26, 2008)

I a sure this has been done several times. I wanted to see what the results were here.  I wanted to see how realistic or delusional people here are (yes I said people , we are still humans no matter what dammit!).
  Lifestyler is somebody who does not live in the real world. FUrry does not affect my job or how I do it. Does not affect what church I go to or not go to If I went to one). DOes not make me do things a regular person would or would not do. Other than collect an OBSCENE amount of stuffed animals (especially racoons followed by huskies , wolves and foxes).
  No matter how I look at this from a realistic point of view , I see hobby. I do see lifestylers and I choose to stay away from them. They are somewhat delusional and not in the real world. Hobby and/or interest. Thats what this is. Some choose not to acknowledege this. I can leave this if I choose to. Had it saved my marriage and kept my kids with me , I would SO ave dropped this shit like it was a VD. I can live without it. Plain and simple.
    I am glad to see so many here agree with me. I can see my stay here being enjoyable. I am sorry if it seems like my goal here is to stir shit. It's not. From a furry standpoint , this fursona on here is more the real me. My mood reads "cynical" (at least on the FA art site I think).
    I wanted to see how some here felt. I feel more at home here since there is a high number of realistic people here. Yes I have string opinios and I am vewry opinionated. This is how I am. ANd thnk you so far for not flaming me. I know this topic is laced with hate and fire. ANd it hasn't gotten to that point yet. I canalso see a MUCH higher level of maturity here. No offense , much higher than I expected from a furry forum.
  A hobby is something that catches out interest which we choose to do in our spare time. Keep in mind , I do have a full suit. It's not who I am. It's just something I play. ANd the suit really isn't me. The new/real me is in development right now. I have to agree with some here. Man I have a group I can relate with. If you think it's your lifestyle , then you need help.
   Thats as nice as I can put it. And others in this thread have said it before me. I 100% agree with them. Thats just how it it. I am the voice of reality which is why so many don't like me. The truth pisses people off more than A lie. You can changer a lie , you can't change the truth. SOrry of this started a small war , I have a habbit of doing this.
   I know this topic has some string opinions in it. I wanted to see where most here stood. Thank you all. This hasn't gotten hate filled and flamed yet. Far better than other forums I hae started this on.


----------



## Whitenoise (Nov 26, 2008)

It's just an interest for me, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's hobby. Lifestylers make me sad.


----------



## Whitenoise (Nov 26, 2008)

NewfDraggie said:


> It's not a hobby, lifestyle would be more accurate but still not exact.
> 
> I couldn't just quit if I wanted too and I also don't want too.



I think the word you're looking for is addiction :V .


----------



## RainsongGryphon (Nov 26, 2008)

Neither.

For me, it's identity. ;p  Then again, that could just be a synonym for 'hobby' in this case.  Dunno, it keeps changing with my beliefs.  Totem animals and whatnot are there, M-shifting for rituals and whatnot yes, but I don't go squaking and polly-want-a-crackering and arm flapping at people on the street.  Although... I wonder... oh the expressions!

Has anyone ever "M-shifted" or lifestyled in public just to see what kind of response it'd get?  Sounds almost like good youtube material if done right. ;p


----------



## fruitcake (Nov 26, 2008)

For me, it's just a hobby.

There are certain elements of fandom and furriness that creep into my "lifestyle," but I think on the whole its just a hobby that I spend waaaaay too much time on. ;P


----------



## greg-the-fox (Nov 26, 2008)

I would say it's an interest/hobby, but I guess you could also describe furry as an addiction X3 I honestly can't see myself leaving the fandom, even though my interest is more on the casual side. I would say it's very far from a lifestyle, as it doesn't really affect my life in any way, except for maybe the way I perceive things.


----------



## makmakmob (Nov 26, 2008)

'Furry' is an interest, 'fandom' is a community, and drawing is a hobby. That's just how I tend to view things.


----------



## bluewulf1 (Nov 26, 2008)

could be a combination of both, depending on how far you go with it.


----------



## FrostbiteSabertooth (Nov 26, 2008)

A hobby, definitely. Try as I may, I fail to understand how anyone can put any sort of spiritual or deeply personal value on something as simple and temporary as species (especially a species that they're really _not_), or anything associated with the furry lifestyle. It just seems like such a... shallow thing to do, honestly, though I've got nothing personal against furry lifestylers.


----------



## LycanArisun (Nov 26, 2008)

Whitenoise said:


> I think the word you're looking for is addiction :V .



You act like this interest is similar to playing a video game.
Being a furry isn't just a hobby you can drop when you get bored. It has to do with you and who you are, therefor it seeps into your life. If it grows at all past just liking the art form, congratulations you have a new impact on your everyday life.


----------



## virus (Nov 26, 2008)

Furry is neither a lifestyle or a hobby. Its a _self stimulus state of mind._

To be honest, being furry is a joke. Its just a way to represent yourself anonymously. However it also reveals a lot about you just by your name or and most people being overly selfish give you too much information. 
People that take it to reality should grow up or at least treat it with some respect.


----------



## Werevixen (Nov 26, 2008)

It's both, seperate things to different people.


To me it's a lifestyle, because I'm a social outcast, a non-functioning cog livening up a bland and mundane watch.


----------



## LoC (Nov 26, 2008)

It's a hobby, a strange hobby with some mysterious pulling force (I kind of have lurked for years, stopped at one point, and came back later)...but still a hobby. 

I've never even hinted at any 'furryness' IRL and probably don't think I ever will, so there's absolutely no way I can say it is a lifestyle for me.


----------



## Hilda Rayner (Nov 26, 2008)

Hobby, in the sense that it's something fun to do within the proper circles, but shouldn't really be brought up otherwise.

My furry stays on the computer.  When I'm not at the computer, the furry just isn't there.


----------



## NerdyMunk (Nov 26, 2008)

Thread fails to include poll...
Furry is a hobby for me.


----------



## SnowFox (Nov 26, 2008)

It's just a hobby. A harmless, obsessive hobby that controls my entire life. 
[/lame humor]

I don't let it affect the rest of my life, it's mostly just an interest and a reason to play around and be weird on the internet. I don't think it's something I could just ignore or turn my back on though (well maybe I could, but I don't want to). Sometimes I do catch myself almost using furry words without thinking about what I'm saying and who I'm saying it to, so maybe it is gradually working it's way into the rest of my life. OH NOES!!1!! TEH FURREH IZ INFECTING MAH BRAIN OMG!!11!! YIFF YIFF


----------



## Whitenoise (Nov 26, 2008)

LycanArisun said:


> *You act like this interest is similar to playing a video game.
> Being a furry isn't just a hobby you can drop when you get bored.* It has to do with you and who you are, therefor it seeps into your life. If it grows at all past just liking the art form, congratulations you have a new impact on your everyday life.



This is exactly what anthropomorphism is to me, my interest in it has no bering on who I am. What you're talking about in the latter half of your post sounds an awful lot like addiction to me  . Also I'm not a furry.


----------



## pheonix (Nov 26, 2008)

Well it's a lifestyle for me, it's an everyday thing for me to interact with the furry community in one way or another. I've also changed a lot since finding out I was a furry. I'm much happier and I'm slowly getting over my shyness. It makes me happy and if others don't approve I don't care, an opinion is an opinion and shouldn't be taken to heart.


----------



## Seas (Nov 26, 2008)

For me it's a hobby, and an RP opportunity.


----------



## Defiant (Nov 27, 2008)

Phoenix , an opinion is an opinion and shouldn't be taken to heart. Very well said. I COMPLETELY agree with that statement.
    For me , simple hobby that only controls what I do in my free time. I let this have NO bearing on my daily life.
   I have shown up to work in suit and worn my feet to a store meeting. They just don't get it up here. I keep it as a hobby.
   I know some lifestylers. It's not for me and I have trouble accepting it as a lifestyle.


----------



## Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½ (Nov 27, 2008)

Here for the art and community, that's all. ... and the porn >_> ...but who isn't, really?


----------



## Defiant (Nov 27, 2008)

Just the art? I do like some of the art. I have done some myself. I haven't touched any paints in years. I had a short spurt of creativeness which was all furry inspired. Too bad it only lasted month.
   I have NEVER used furry words at work. I think I read somebody mentioned furry words. "mate" and "yiff" are NOT in my vocabulary.


----------



## Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½ (Nov 27, 2008)

Psssst highlight posts. There's a magical hidden world of white text to behold.


----------



## KiloCharlie (Nov 27, 2008)

both yet neither; it is who you are... yet your life dosn't have to revolve around it... furry is ... a state of being... i guess... it is me yet dosn't shape me... i've always been one, yet i didn't discover it until about a month ago... so it is what you want it to be...


----------



## LycanArisun (Nov 27, 2008)

Whitenoise said:


> This is exactly what anthropomorphism is to me, my interest in it has no bering on who I am. What you're talking about in the latter half of your post sounds an awful lot like addiction to me  . Also I'm not a furry.



Furry = Being interested in anthropic art or community. 

Oh you're not are you?

And no, its not an addiction, I'm quite sure of that. 
Yes I might wear my tail somedays, somedays I don't. Doesn't mean I go around expressing myself as a furry, but if someone came up to me and wanted to talk about it I wouldn't go "Oh sorry I'm not at my computer so no, not a furry at the moment."


----------



## PixiesKitty (Nov 27, 2008)

I don't underestand, what would a furry lifestyle be like?


----------



## Defiant (Nov 27, 2008)

Furry life style , it's creepy! 
  A lot of the lifestylers I know are kinda delusional. Many live in one happy furry CSI rerun looking house. I am voluntarily exiled from that house. Everything they do revolves around furry and everything they do has to be furry. That kind of people. Thats the lifestylers. The ones that wearb their tail out in public EVERYWHERE and never take it off. Thats a little much for me. How about you?


----------



## technicolor222 (Nov 28, 2008)

I'd call it a hobby, but that doesn't mean it hasn't affected my behavior around people at all ^^;


----------



## StrayTree (Nov 28, 2008)

technicolor222 said:


> I'd call it a hobby, but that doesn't mean it hasn't affected my behavior around people at all ^^;


 
I second that.


----------



## Telnac (Nov 28, 2008)

Hobby.  Being a fur to me is like being in the SCA.


----------



## StrayTree (Nov 28, 2008)

Telnac said:


> Hobby. Being a fur to me is like being in the SCA.


 
Please elaborate.


----------



## metalgear500 (Nov 28, 2008)

Hobby, definetlly hobby.


----------



## Frasque (Nov 28, 2008)

Felony.


----------



## Hyenaworks (Nov 29, 2008)

Hobby for sure.  How could I live a furry lifestyle?  lol  It would come down to basically doing everything a normal human does.  The furry part is left out... unless I guess you wear a suit all day.


----------



## Whitenoise (Nov 29, 2008)

LycanArisun said:


> *Furry = Being interested in anthropic art or community.
> *
> Oh you're not are you?
> 
> ...



Incorrect, Being interested in anthro art=anthro artist. My presence in this community is the result of shared interests. I don't take part in any other activity characteristic of the furry fandom, my interest ends at the art. Also when I say art I mean it, the porn is of little interest to me.


----------



## BaletheRed (Nov 29, 2008)

For me it's a hobby. Hasn't really changed me except it taught me to be a lot more open about who I really am.


----------



## FurryWurry (Nov 29, 2008)

Whitenoise said:


> I don't take part in any other activity characteristic of the furry fandom, my interest ends at the art.





> Join Date: *Jul 2008*
> Posts: *1,356
> *


Uh, huh, riiiight..... ;3

Or is it that 
1. you consider involvement on this Forum to be an art form?
2. you think that participation in this Forum is not a fannish activity?

Sorry, I couldn't resist pointing out your inconsistency.
You obviously enjoy taking part in this very fannish activity. There's nothing wrong with that.


----------



## Whitenoise (Nov 29, 2008)

FurryWurry said:


> Uh, huh, riiiight..... ;3
> 
> Or is it that
> 1. you consider involvement on this Forum to be an art form?
> ...





Whitenoise said:


> Incorrect, Being interested in anthro art=anthro artist. *My presence in this community is the result of shared interests.* I don't take part in any other activity characteristic of the furry fandom, my interest ends at the art. Also when I say art I mean it, the porn is of little interest to me.



 , I was talking about cons, suiting, rping, type-fucking, animal dildos etc.


----------



## Ishaway (Nov 29, 2008)

Hobby for me. I draw the art, I like talking with others who enjoy looking at it/drawing it. But it is not a way of life.


----------



## mrredfox (Nov 29, 2008)

Lifestyle for me as i am a real fox

no seriously theres no way it could be a lifestyle unless you was a real anthro character :| its always going to be a hobby if you look at it in terms of hobby being something you do in your spare time (cons, artwork etc) and a lifestyle being you actually live as a real animal.


----------



## ProgramFiles (Nov 29, 2008)

Hobby, i can't draw a good circle, but at least i enjoy the result of other artist


----------



## Randy-Darkshade (Nov 29, 2008)

I suppose this would depend on the individual. Me personaly see it as more of a hobbie. I have a collection of artwork and comics, i speak on forums and roleplay here and there. I wouldn't say it is a lifestyle to me, the only place i "be" furrie so to speak is online.


----------



## VVhiteWolf (Nov 29, 2008)

Yeah, I'm leaning more towards the lifestyle thing, more of a love of animals though.


----------



## Stevie_Vickers (Nov 29, 2008)

It's a hobby for me. I'm a furry fan like I'm, say, a comics fan...it's something I enjoy, but it doesn't really tie into my lifestyle much.


----------



## Defiant (Nov 30, 2008)

FOr a while I was starting to think I was the anti furry for saying ti was a hobby. I shouldn't nor do I need to do anything furry related at work. Just a hobby and thats all it is. If you say it's a lifestyle , I believe you need help.


----------



## feastonthelake (Nov 30, 2008)

I've always been interested in anthropomorphizing animals or blending humans and animals. Even though it's a long-term interest it doesn't have an effect on the way I live my life. I don't feel like it's something I need to "come out" about to friends or family. It's just one of the things I like to draw or create. I mean, here, I like to play the piano. Just because I spend a lot of my free time doing that doesn't make it a lifestyle. My interest in "furries" is the same.


----------



## Defiant (Nov 30, 2008)

Feastonthelake , I completely agree with you. Very nicely put and well explained.


----------



## Scorch1162 (Dec 1, 2008)

Hobby for me... I'm way far from being hardcore, neither does it have any effect on me.


----------



## Werevixen (Dec 1, 2008)

At least in my opinion, if you're a fursuiter, and/or go outside in regular life with a collar and/or tail, then you're pretty much a lifestyler.


I don't wear a tail outside, but I do wear a collar, all of the time.


----------



## Defiant (Dec 1, 2008)

I do have a fursuit. Only wear it at home , at cons and when drunk. I don't have a seperate tail. I have a choke chain which I wore to work for over a year. And only the freaks would ask about it. It scared the normal people away.
   I am in NO way a lifestyler. They creep me out a little.


----------



## Tzolkin (Dec 4, 2008)

It's all relative to what is defined as 'furry lifestyle'... I'm very disturbed by those who proclaim that anyone who feels more deeply about the fandom than they needs to have their head examined. It is that sort of attitude which many accuse non-furs of having, I would sincerely hope that I do not find it here again.

It's all well and good to have an interest in the art, or fursuiting, or any number of other things.. but the moment a person dares to consider an essence of what makes up furry to be part of themselves, then what? Are they immediately crazy for discovering who they are, rather than just playing a character and enjoying the art like everyone else?

I believe not. . if indeed there is a consciousness in a person, then it can mold itself into whatever shape it sees fit. And in becoming 'furry' in the innermost regard; that is one way a person can find themselves as a human. So it follows that the person is human because they are furry, and in being so, and expressing it, they are able to access more of themselves.


----------



## Emil (Dec 4, 2008)

Tycho The Itinerant said:


> As far as I'm concerned almost anyone who makes furry a lifestyle needs to seriously reevaluate their lives and possibly an hero.



What about an artist who makes the a large portion (even a majority) of their income from the fandom? I know there arnt really that many, but there are a couple. Does that fit into the "almost" part of your belief? =P


----------



## the_ZJ (Dec 4, 2008)

Well, I suppose, as I keep it strictly separated from my RL, and only one of my best friends knows about it, it is an hobby to me.


----------



## ADF (Dec 4, 2008)

Definitely just a hobby, it's tact onto the side of my life; not integrated into my lifestyle. I'm certainly not going to dress up as a furry and go to a con.


----------



## Whitenoise (Dec 4, 2008)

Tzolkin said:


> It's all relative to what is defined as 'furry lifestyle'... I'm very disturbed by those who proclaim that anyone who feels more deeply about the fandom than they needs to have their head examined. It is that sort of attitude which many accuse non-furs of having, I would sincerely hope that I do not find it here again.
> 
> It's all well and good to have an interest in the art, or fursuiting, or any number of other things.. but the moment a person dares to consider an essence of what makes up furry to be part of themselves, then what? Are they immediately crazy for discovering who they are, rather than just playing a character and enjoying the art like everyone else?
> 
> I believe not. . if indeed there is a consciousness in a person, then it can mold itself into whatever shape it sees fit. And in becoming 'furry' in the innermost regard; that is one way a person can find themselves as a human. So it follows that the person is human because they are furry, and in being so, and expressing it, they are able to access more of themselves.



I think all the grandiose turds who think pretending to have a dragon soul makes them  somehow innately superior ruined it for everyone. If it's not that it's all the  dragonfags who use it to  justify their ridiculous overeating and subsequent obesity.


----------



## Werevixen (Dec 4, 2008)

Whitenoise said:


> I think all the grandiose turds who think pretending to have a dragon soul makes them  somehow innately superior ruined it for everyone. If it's not that it's all the  dragonfags who use it to  justify their ridiculous overeating and subsequent obesity.



Welcome to the fandom, spirituality =/= furry.


Enjoy your newfound knowledge.


----------



## drewdle (Dec 4, 2008)

Every time I visit FA (and admittedly, I don't come by that often) there is always a thread on this topic, and it usually degenerates into unconvincing drivel, side taking, insults, etc. Damn am I sick of seeing this topic. 

My opinion: "lifestyler" is too broad a term. I am a furry, as I have an interest in the art, animation, and other creations of the fandom. However, I've also always considered myself cat-like ("paws", for instance, has always been a substitute word for hands in my book, years before I knew what the fandom was), and if I'm pleased with something, I make a murmuring purring sound, but usually only in the company of somebody I know real well. I'm quick, I complete tasks quickly or usually abandon them (very much how cheetahs hunt), and don't have a lot of stamina. Therefore, I feel I represent the qualities of my fursona adequately enough to have one. 

However, I'm not what would be termed "strange". I hesitate to pass judgment on others; I take a "whatever floats your boat" approach to most things, but acting like your fursona _all the time_ to the point where you can't work, and can't bear to be a person anymore, and demand to be treated like an animal is just, well, strange. I have no issues functioning as a person in daily life. 

I think the "simply an art thing" and the "lifestyle" thing can be mixed, so why the hostilities?


----------



## drewdle (Dec 4, 2008)

Werevixen said:


> Welcome to the fandom, spirituality =/= furry.
> 
> 
> Enjoy your newfound knowledge.



Absof**kinglutely. You said what I was trying to say in three paragraphs with one sentence.


----------



## Dyluck (Dec 4, 2008)

It's a hobby for me, the 'hobby' term coming from the fact that I spend time drawing furry crap and hanging around this shit hole.

Oh yeah, and a sort of a fetish, I guess, but I could care less that it's furry porn or whatever.  The only reason I typically like furry porn more than regular porn is because there's generally more emotion involved with furry porn.

Emotional intimacy is my one true fetish.


----------



## Tzolkin (Dec 4, 2008)

drewdle said:


> I think the "simply an art thing" and the "lifestyle" thing can be mixed, so why the hostilities?



Because there are those who insist they know everything, and condemn everything which doesn't fit inside their view of reality. Yet in matters like this, there is no objective reality.

One could argue that art itself is a lifestyle for some.

Anyway, if what some of these people were bellowing about were true, then I am the contradiction which throws the proverbial monkey wrench into it. There is no difference between myself and the culmination of my personas/fursonas. I've been known to meow, or chuff here and there, in fact. But rather than withdraw from human society as some might claim would happen, I've found a stronger and more fulfilling place in it. And just how can -that- be if what many would call 'furry lifestyle' is crazy?


----------



## Tackle (Dec 4, 2008)

Even though "Hobby" is close to what "Furry" is for me, I think that it doesn't fits perfectly...
I'd call it a liking or preference.
But I do agree that even if I wanted, I don't think I'd be able to leave the fandom just like that, making it something more than a hobby.


----------



## Lowblock (Dec 4, 2008)

I consider it a hobby, though if you take it too hard (lol) then it could be a lifestyle.


----------



## harry2110 (Dec 4, 2008)

Sernion said:


> For me, being a furry not only means liking anthro arts but also wanting to become one. So I guess its both but more on lifestyle.



same here


----------



## Defiant (Dec 4, 2008)

Wouldn't mind being my furry self , but I'll be just fine as the human me. Only difference between me and the fursona is my human side has skin and the furry side has fur. They are one and the same. Meet me at a con , in suit at a con , at work or at home. They are all the same. Just a different face and name. Same personality resides. The new fursona/character is the real me. The old fursona was what I wanted  to be. But i bitchslapped myself with some reality and truth. It all became clearer.


----------

