# How do I respond to negative talk about furries?



## scifur (Mar 18, 2019)

So everyday in one my classes, a few people sitting around me make fun of furries. They don't say anything hurtful in particular but talk about the sexual aspect of the fandom. My brother is one of these people as well. Should I speak up? How can I without telling them I identify as one? I do not want them to direct their remarks at me nor do find it bearable to sit around doing nothing.


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## quoting_mungo (Mar 18, 2019)

While it's certainly possible to try to maintain plausible deniability ("I know some furries and they don't seem that bad"), there's only so much you can do if these people genuinely have a problem with furries. If they're just being teenagers talking a big game because sometimes that's what teenagers do, you might have better chances of nipping their behavior in the bud, but it's honestly a toss-up whether it's going to do much of anything.

I wouldn't particularly recommend taking a route other than telling them "hey, you're basically talking shit about me" or just ignoring them, but I'm also someone who's always owned my interest in furries. Probably the easiest route is telling them you're not comfortable with the topic, or that you feel it's getting old. Hating on furries is so 00's, you know?


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## Jackpot Raccuki (Mar 18, 2019)

I mean, if they're just talking about the sexual aspects it's obvious they lack any train of thought and are just acting like mere sheeps.

I think you should just tell them that if they're going to talk shit about a fandom that they should really come up with something better than just "Lmao they're sexual" because it seems pathetic they can't understand that people actually have desires.
I'm sure you can most likely fit in something about them being virgins if you really wanted to aswell.


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## Mikazuki Marazhu (Mar 18, 2019)

Furries are degenerates and we're beyond redemption, I hate furries thus I hate myself


My self awareness is top notch


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## Ginseng (Mar 18, 2019)

My friends in particular don’t talk about furries. They know I am one. If they do talk about furries, they just joke about it. Nothing more, nothing less.


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## Toby_Morpheus (Mar 18, 2019)

I'd probably just stay quiet.
Usually people who spend time talking trash about a particular thing are secretly fans of it their selves and are unable to rationalize their feelings.


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## Mikazuki Marazhu (Mar 18, 2019)

Prometheus_Fox said:


> I'd probably just stay quiet.
> Usually people who spend time talking trash about a particular thing are secretly fans of it their selves and are unable to rationalize their feelings.


like everyone is closet gay ammirite?


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## Toby_Morpheus (Mar 18, 2019)

Mikazuki Marazhu said:


> like everyone is closet gay ammirite?


I mean, if you're running into people who just can't stop talking about it when they aren't prompted, they're definitely thinking of two dudes going at it more than the average person.
So yeah, at least somewhat gay.


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## Jackpot Raccuki (Mar 18, 2019)

Prometheus_Fox said:


> I mean, if you're running into people who just can't stop talking about it when they aren't prompted, they're definitely thinking of two dudes going at it more than the average person.
> So yeah, at least somewhat gay.


Pretty much all of my jock friends I had at school must be gay then.
Explains a lot.



Prometheus_Fox said:


> I'd probably just stay quiet.
> Usually people who spend time talking trash about a particular thing are secretly fans of it their selves and are unable to rationalize their feelings.


Oh man, rich people are the worse.
Uugh, horrible people indeed!
*checks bank*


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## Mikazuki Marazhu (Mar 18, 2019)

I'm sad that Alex Jone's youtube channel was shutdown, I would've gotten some info about the chemicals in the water that makes the frogs gay


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## ManicTherapsid (Mar 18, 2019)

There's still this though. : )


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## Minerva_Minx (Mar 18, 2019)

There's chemicals in the water that make frogs gay?  God, and I was wondering what in the vapor trails was making me mutate with a cat...

TMNT is upon us, so it must be the apocalypse.


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## Bink (Mar 18, 2019)

Um... to comment on the original topic.. imo you don’t.. that’s just my personal preference though. Maybe correct your sibling if you trust them, but you don’t particularly have much to gain from such an interaction, especially from peers you see everyday, and probably a lot of harassment to gain. Being in school sucks, but just keep enjoying what you like, to hell with what others thinks, _you_ know better and that’s enough. (Again this is entirely my opinion, doesn’t mean it’s “right” or “wrong”, it just is)


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## Deleted member 82554 (Mar 18, 2019)

That's easy: You don't.


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## Shadowprints (Mar 18, 2019)

Honestly there's not much you can do, a lot of people I know in real life talk trash about furries too, it doesn't really bother me. Stuff about them bugs me too, but I keep it to myself.


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## Filter (Mar 18, 2019)

Just be you. Giving yourself a label like "furry" is optional. You can still like talking animal people either way.


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## Minerva_Minx (Mar 19, 2019)

Sarcasm - Could just find the hottest girl furry there and hook up with her.  boobs counted for a lot in high school. I was a nerd, and on the outside, but I was also still female.  got a couple of guys the "cool" points and nothing happened.  just they had a girl.

Honestly, high school was talking a big game.  most people, even adults, don't like furries because they don't have a clue besides the first thing they see when the search engine returns.  you know, my family dazzles me for a lot, but they still got my back.  just hang out and share your interest with people who also share your interest.  naysayers don't go away, they usually become Alex Jones.


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## FuzzleTheMintyDog (Mar 19, 2019)

*The thing furries always do which they shouldn't is try to argue "nah-uh's" overly seriously. It just opens you up to more ridicule. If the furry reputation is ever going to be changed its not going to be through someones argument, it's going to be self evident. Just don't "be" any of the things you argue furries aren't. The truth is furries aren't exactly undeserving of the bad reputation and it was always going to get attacked because its a totally absurd and easy thing to mock thing. You're taking part in a thing that is outwardly flamboyant and different, it's in fact SO abnormal that you just have to accept that its not going to be accepted mainstream. You've chosen a small community, nobody is going to understand it, its never going to be normal, have fun with that and let people know who you are by your actions. *


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## scifur (Mar 19, 2019)

FuzzleTheMintyDog said:


> *The thing furries always do which they shouldn't is try to argue "nah-uh's" overly seriously. It just opens you up to more ridicule. If the furry reputation is ever going to be changed its not going to be through someones argument, it's going to be self evident. Just don't "be" any of the things you argue furries aren't. The truth is furries aren't exactly undeserving of the bad reputation and it was always going to get attacked because its a totally absurd and easy thing to mock thing. You're taking part in a thing that is outwardly flamboyant and different, it's in fact SO abnormal that you just have to accept that its not going to be accepted mainstream. You've chosen a small community, nobody is going to understand it, its never going to be normal, have fun with that and let people know who you are by your actions. *


You're right. I forget this fact so often. I agree that if I looked at the fandom in their perspective then I would probably poke fun too.


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## Minerva_Minx (Mar 19, 2019)

I would also totally disregard the trolls.


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## Toby_Morpheus (Mar 19, 2019)

Smexy Likeok4™ said:


> Oh man, rich people are the worse.
> Uugh, horrible people indeed!
> *checks bank*


I said they're fans of it, not that they become it. Nice try, though. ;D


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## Tendo64 (Mar 19, 2019)

Ignore them. One of the things people make fun of us for is "being sensitive" and saying anything will just make them think they're right. Who cares what they think anyway? In school, everyone gets judged for literally anything.


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## CrookedCroc (Mar 19, 2019)

There's no point in discussing this type of things with people that barely know you, just ignore them and let them have their opinion. 
Or you could wait until SpaceJam 2 comes out, then the world will turn furry once again!!


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## scifur (Mar 19, 2019)

FuzzleTheMintyDog said:


> *The thing furries always do which they shouldn't is try to argue "nah-uh's" overly seriously. It just opens you up to more ridicule. If the furry reputation is ever going to be changed its not going to be through someones argument, it's going to be self evident. Just don't "be" any of the things you argue furries aren't. The truth is furries aren't exactly undeserving of the bad reputation and it was always going to get attacked because its a totally absurd and easy thing to mock thing. You're taking part in a thing that is outwardly flamboyant and different, it's in fact SO abnormal that you just have to accept that its not going to be accepted mainstream. You've chosen a small community, nobody is going to understand it, its never going to be normal, have fun with that and let people know who you are by your actions. *


But something I would like to argue is that furries are really not that weird. Disney utilized the fact that talking animals tended to attract the attention of kids more than humans. I don't see this fandom as something more than an interest or hobby. Nothing we do is so drastically different from the accepted norms of society. We draw, we dress up in costumes, and we create fictional characters in a fantasy universe. So do superhero and anime fanatics. We deserve some of stigma we receive but not all of it. I just don't find it fair that people hold double standards on respecting cultures. Just because it's not accepted mainstream does not give them to right to transcend public courtesy/decency.


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## Pipistrele (Mar 19, 2019)

scifur said:


> But something I would like to argue is that furries are really not that weird. Disney utilized the fact that talking animals tended to attract the attention of kids more than humans. I don't see this fandom as something more than an interest or hobby. Nothing we do is so drastically different from the accepted norms of society. We draw, we dress up in costumes, and we create fictional characters in a fantasy universe. So do superhero and anime fanatics. We deserve some of stigma we receive but not all of it. I just don't find it fair that people hold double standards on respecting cultures. Just because it's not accepted mainstream does not give them to right to transcend public courtesy/decency.


To be completely fair, it's a community that's open to all sorts of sexual kinks, and was initially based on sci-fi works and underground anthro comics made primarily for adults (i.e. lots of violence and sex). Saying "furries are not so different, they just dress up and draw things" would severely undermine the fact that more than more than 1/3 of FurAffinity's content is porn, and most popular artists/writers within community are usually erotic ones. So, whether some like it or not, furry fandom has strong roots in eroticism, which is kind of taboo for a lot of people.


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## Keefur (Mar 19, 2019)

There are several aspects to your question.  Yes, having a group talk about what you like is really annoying.  In an ideal world, you would explain to them that they are wrong and they would agree and the unicorns would come out to play.  In RL, if you tell them you are Furry, especially after they have invested so much personal reputation into this, then no.  Most likely they would endlessly troll you and make your life miserable.  At this point, I wouldn't confide in my brother, either, as some people can be real jerks and he might actually try to blackmail you with that information.  I'm not saying he would, but that he could.  I would stay mum for right now.  If at some point you do get found out, you can blow it off as a non news thing.  You could say that you actually checked it out and it isn't a sexual thing and is really pretty cool.  If they pursue it, you could use what I like to call verbal Jiu Jitsu on them.  You use their words against them.  You might say, for example, "You seem awfully obsessed with Furries and sex.  Are you trying to tell me something?"  This puts the fear of God into them as it gives the appearance that their obsession with slamming Furries is actually a ruse to cover up their OWN Furriness, which they can't live with. You used the force of their own words against them.


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## quoting_mungo (Mar 19, 2019)

Just to be clear, and give some context to what I've said previously in this thread:
- I was openly furry, up to wearing headband ears before Hot Topic started selling them, in a midwest US high school in the early 00's. There was _one_ classmate who tried to argue that it should go under Mrs. Z's ban on hats in class, and was told nope, they're fine, and the parent of _one_ of the people my host brother and sometimes I hung out with who insisted I don't wear them around her son in public (which I did anyway, just not where she'd be likely to see it. No one else gave me shit about it.
- I got back to Sweden for my final year of high school here after that, and continued wearing my ears. No one even batted an eye.
- I did a short oral presentation on furries my first semester of uni English. Mentioned but didn't linger on the risque side of the fandom. No one cared; another classmate did her presentation on slash (as in pairing up fictional characters) including opening up fanfiction.net, and again no one batted an eye beyond being amused at the fact that there's apparently Jesus slashfic out there.
- Couple years later, I went to Sequential Arts school. When I asked for time off to go to MFF, I was given time off on the condition I speak about it in class after. I also did a small project on furry and anthropomorphic art/comics at the same school. While I didn't make a major point of it, I also never tried to hide that there are sexual aspects to the fandom. _One_ classmate talked shit about me behind my back (including to my boyfriend at the time), and the others that had any particular reactions thought it was pretty neat. The one that had a stick up her ass was also friends with my then-boyfriend's ex and was insecure about her own manga-style cheesecake, which I think had more to do with her reaction than anything else.

If you're chill about it, on the whole, most people around you are likely to be chill about it. They know you and know you're not a weirdo/pervert/etc. Boys in high school are kind of at the prime age for talking about sex all the time. My high school classmates did it, there were the occasional dicks doodled on the desks, and so on. It's more to do with them being horny teenagers than anything else.


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## Keefur (Mar 19, 2019)

quoting_mungo said:


> If you're chill about it, on the whole, most people around you are likely to be chill about it. They know you and know you're not a weirdo/pervert/etc. Boys in high school are kind of at the prime age for talking about sex all the time. My high school classmates did it, there were the occasional dicks doodled on the desks, and so on. It's more to do with them being horny teenagers than anything else.


I agree with you up to a point.  Being a Furry is a lot harder for a guy in high school than a girl in high school.  With guys, it's all about their personal image, or how others perceive them.  As you said, they think about sex all the time, and being percieved as something "out of the normal", hurts their chances for getting a girl.  Also, slamming another guy for being a Furry helps eliminate a possible rival.  I'm not saying that girls aren't mean to other girls, too.  God knows, I've seen some pretty vicious girls, but girls, as a general rule, won't beat you up for being different.  With guys, this is a distinct possibility.  I do, however, agree with your statement about being very low key about it.


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## Deleted member 82554 (Mar 19, 2019)

quoting_mungo said:


> I was openly furry, up to wearing headband ears before Hot Topic started selling them, in a midwest US high school in the early 00's.


Thought I've seen you somewhere before.


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## scifur (Mar 19, 2019)

Pipistrele said:


> To be completely fair, it's a community that's open to all sorts of sexual kinks, and was initially based on sci-fi works and underground anthro comics made primarily for adults (i.e. lots of violence and sex). Saying "furries are not so different, they just dress up and draw things" would severely undermine the fact that more than more than 1/3 of FurAffinity's content is porn, and most popular artists/writers within community are usually erotic ones. So, whether some like it or not, furry fandom has strong roots in eroticism, which is kind of taboo for a lot of people.


The problem with this kind of thinking is that although a fandom has strong roots in eroticism, the fandom has grown into much more than a sexual kink for many and should be viewed as it is today not twenty years ago. I am not denying the fact that the furry fandom has a sexual aspect to it.  It does. Sexuality is part of our humanity. However, just because it is does not mean that it defines who we are. Neither does it mean we are different for taking pride in our sexuality. One of the things that the furry community is best known for is its massive LGBT+ demographic. And part of this has to do with our openness to discuss these topics. But as you said, sex is a taboo subject and really should be avoided when first introducing people to such a culture. It's just like how we wouldn't tell someone about an interesting movie and begin by talking about the sex scene. If we just look at the sexual aspect, furries are people from a different planet but if we implement a holistic perspective then we begin to make connections to societal norms. As for porn content, an estimated 30 percent of internet traffic is porn. That number is not so different than 1/3. What I am trying to say it that furries, if we consider that we are more open to share about our sexual lifestyle, are not drastically abnormal. *However, this is of course my opinion and I could be wrong.


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## Furrium (Mar 19, 2019)

Hm ... I need to think. If you tell them that it is not, then they will suspect that you are a furry. But if you do not do this, then you will not like their conversations. 

I will say this: sometimes you need to retreat, lose the battle, then to win the war.


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## Keefur (Mar 19, 2019)

scifur said:


> The problem with this kind of thinking is that although a fandom has strong roots in eroticism, the fandom has grown into much more than a sexual kink for many and should be viewed as it is today not twenty years ago.


Another way of dealing with this issue is this.  If you try to defend/ignore the sexual aspect of the Fandom then you are inviting derision.  You should state that many news outlets used to think the same way, but after investigation found it to virtually be a nothing burger.  This implies that a "higher authority" has investigated it and found not much.


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## quoting_mungo (Mar 19, 2019)

Keefur said:


> I'm not saying that girls aren't mean to other girls, too. God knows, I've seen some pretty vicious girls, but girls, as a general rule, won't beat you up for being different. With guys, this is a distinct possibility. I do, however, agree with your statement about being very low key about it.


Yeah; note that the exceptions to the rule that people didn't really have adverse reactions in my experience were _all_ female. Right up to literally talking shit about me (regarding my furry art) to my (long-distance) boyfriend _when she knew he was visiting me_. I was in the same room as they were on the phone and she brought this up. She wasn't interested in him. She just felt the need to do this for who knows what reason. 

I've been around guys who treated me as one of the guys. They gave the one guy a hard time about having a cousin who was a centerfold model (they shared a rather uncommon surname, so I assume that's how they figured the two were related), but it was all good-natured ribbing, nothing more. Not saying you're not right about being a guy in high school being all about image, but I do feel guys are at least... upfront about it. Girls are generally the ones who spread rumors and act behind your back - if a guy starts a rumor, it tends to be to achieve a specific goal. (Basically, most of the accounts I've heard of guys starting mean rumors involved there being active investigations of rape against them - by spreading rumors about the girl they assaulted being a slut/whore/wanting it, they discredit her and sadly this can effect the investigation and any subsequent trial in their favor.)


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## Illuminaughty (Mar 19, 2019)

You don't have to identify as one, you can just tell them that it's uncool to crap on other people's interests, and it says way more about them than it does about any "furry" that they're willing to do that to people they don't even know. Don't make it about you, make it about them and their reprehensible behaviour. 

And this argument works for literally any fandom or community that's doing no harm to anyone. Let people enjoy things, cringe culture is a laughable concept in and of itself and it needs to die. If someone disagrees that it's not very nice to mock others' interests if those interests aren't hurting anyone, then that betrays them as exactly what they are- a bully who needs to put others down in order to get a cheap laugh or feel better about themselves. Anyone reasonable will realize there's not much of a defense for it.

If they're not at least fairly reasonable, then it's probably not worth it to say anything. If you have reason to believe that they'll turn on you if you say anything, then why give them the ammo. Unreasonable people who enjoy bullying others will find any way to justify their horrible behaviour, and you telling them to knock it off won't change someone's decision to be hateful and judgmental. That has nothing to do with the strength of your argument- they're going to have to cross that bridge themselves.
Unless you're committed to the time and patience it takes to plant the seeds that can eventually cause someone to have a change of heart, then it's probably better on your own wellbeing to either try and ignore it if you can, distance yourself from the group if you can, or wait until a better time when you aren't trapped in the same space as they are and have the freedom to withdraw if necessary.


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## Yakamaru (Mar 19, 2019)

You ignore it. Simple as that.


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## Cawdabra (Mar 19, 2019)

Illuminaughty said:


> You don't have to identify as one, you can just tell them that it's uncool to crap on other people's interests, and it says way more about them than it does about any "furry" that they're willing to do that to people they don't even know. Don't make it about you, make it about them and their reprehensible behaviour.


That's going to get you accused of being one regardless.


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## dragon-in-sight (Mar 19, 2019)

scifur said:


> So everyday in one my classes, a few people sitting around me make fun of furries. They don't say anything hurtful in particular but talk about the sexual aspect of the fandom. My brother is one of these people as well. Should I speak up? How can I without telling them I identify as one? I do not want them to direct their remarks at me nor do find it bearable to sit around doing nothing.



People alway talk ill about someone or something. You shouldn't pay to much attention to such gossip. You don't need to come out to everyone to live your furry identity. If someone asks you directly tell them in a calm and confident way, without getting defensive. But aslong none asks there is no reason to shove your intrests into other peoples face.


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## HistoricalyIncorrect (Mar 19, 2019)

Prove them that they are right and yiff them... but for real.

I suggest to ignore, you might get bullied otherwise. I do not get bullied but they have good reasons not to


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## BunBunArt (Mar 19, 2019)

I agree with the ignoring option. 

Are they important enough so you should get in their discussion? I apply this to everything, when I listen to people talking crap about some subject and they are wrong, you just have to think if it's worth saying somehing or not.

And mostly it isn't.


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## Infrarednexus (Mar 19, 2019)

I don't argue with people over such things. It's most likely not going to do any good engaging in the discussion, especially if it's some random stranger on the internet.


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## luffy (Mar 19, 2019)

I always try to emphasize that everyone has these weird sexual quirks, furries are just more inclusive and outright about it, and you hear about it more because the minority that fursuit draw more attention that people who don't.


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## Cawdabra (Mar 19, 2019)

luffy said:


> I always try to emphasize that everyone has these weird sexual quirks, furries are just more inclusive and outright about it, and you hear about it more because the minority that fursuit draw more attention that people who don't.


I'm not sure there's very many normies who get turned on by being inflated or vored.


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## luffy (Mar 19, 2019)

Cawdabra said:


> I'm not sure there's very many normies who get turned on by being inflated or vored.


Sure there are.  Either they A) are in the closet, or B) haven't discovered it yet.  But there are prob tons of people into it.


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## Peach's (Mar 19, 2019)

I outright correct them, as they are hating people arbitrarily for literally no reason besides misinformation.


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## Yakamaru (Mar 19, 2019)

Peebes said:


> I outright correct them, as they are hating people arbitrarily for literally no reason besides misinformation.


Aaaand you just painted a giant bullseye on your back by doing so.


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## Peach's (Mar 19, 2019)

Yakamaru said:


> Aaaand you just painted a giant bullseye on your back by doing so.


From who? My friends? Get other friends.
I'm an adult, people don't 'bully' each other like high schoolers when you are in your mid-20s.


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## Jackpot Raccuki (Mar 19, 2019)

Cawdabra said:


> I'm not sure there's very many normies who get turned on by being inflated or vored.


I mean...
I'm pretty sure you wouldn't really be open to such thing, would you?

I may be open to vore online, but that's because y'know, furry stuff and the fact nobody cares as they're open.
Normies aren't like that, they're not very open to stuff and in some cases it's like pulling teeth or hope they come to you about it.
It's how I got a jock friend with benefit, although that may of been because he knew I was gay.

But I mean I have met people (mostly furry community) who weren't into vore but now are since they discovered and tried it out.


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## Yakamaru (Mar 19, 2019)

Peebes said:


> From who? My friends? Get other friends.
> I'm an adult, people don't 'bully' each other like high schoolers when you are in your mid-20s.


OP is 15, so in school. And in such a situation it's a lot harder to escape the people around you than if you were in lets say, a grocery store and heard some random people talk that you would never see again. 

It's not worth it to correct people who are going to continue their ignorant spiel in the first place. It's school, no one gives a shit.


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## Fallowfox (Mar 19, 2019)

luffy said:


> Sure there are.  Either they A) are in the closet, or B) haven't discovered it yet.  But there are prob tons of people into it.


Ah, but you see, I contend that they are all folk who are yet to realise they are furries. ;D


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## Misha Bordiga Zahradník (Mar 19, 2019)

Cawdabra said:


> I'm not sure there's very many normies who get turned on by being inflated or vored.


Vore is a surprisingly common fetish. So is foot fetish for some reason I have yet to comprehend.


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## Massan Otter (Mar 19, 2019)

Misha Bordiga Zahradník said:


> Vore is a surprisingly common fetish. So is foot fetish for some reason I have yet to comprehend.



Non-furry vore content can be kind of alarming.  Like the time I stumbled across the youtube channel of a guy who was into watching reptiles eat live prey for very obvious fetish purposes.  Nope, nope, nope!


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## Peach's (Mar 19, 2019)

Yakamaru said:


> OP is 15, so in school. And in such a situation it's a lot harder to escape the people around you than if you were in lets say, a grocery store and heard some random people talk that you would never see again.
> 
> It's not worth it to correct people who are going to continue their ignorant spiel in the first place. It's school, no one gives a shit.


I forget sometimes that a lot of you are like a decade younger than me, sorry.


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## Yakamaru (Mar 19, 2019)

Peebes said:


> I forget sometimes that a lot of you are like a decade younger than me, sorry.


Nah, don't worry about it, man. I'm older than you, but I know when to shut up and keep my shit to myself. No point in making pointless arguments that will eventually end up in you being targeted for being "different" to begin with. 

School is like a hive mind of sorts. Go against the hive mind by simply being different the hive mind can and will find reasons and/or ways to attack you.


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## Troj (Mar 19, 2019)

Fundamentally, it's about:

1) Timing

2) Your relationship to the person or people in question

3) Finding and using the other person's "currency," i.e., what they care about and/or are interested in.

Additionally, it's important to remember that nobody likes to be put on the spot, or otherwise made to feel inferior, shameful, or stupid--so, if you want to turn somebody into an ally, you should strive to avoid evoking that reaction!

If people are joking and having fun, they typically won't appreciate someone cutting in and telling them to cut it out. Now, if the jokes are sufficiently nasty and cruel, sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do, but other times, you might get a better reaction if you were to approach somebody later and/or in private.

Obviously, you'll usually talk to somebody differently if they're a good friend than if they're a stranger, and they'll treat you differently depending on their perception of their relationship with you. Hopefully, you can afford to be more direct and honest with friends than you might with someone you didn't know well.

Finally, on the subject of currency: if someone enjoys humor, then use their brand of humor to introduce the topic of furries. If someone's compassionate and caring, emphasize the importance of being kind to furries. If somebody is impressed by displays of skill or creativity, show them furry stuff that will connect with their interests. If someone likes logic and reason, invoke data and facts. If someone values makin' money, emphasize the ways furries can make bank.

Frankly, whenever possible, I prefer to show, rather than tell, and I make a point to lead with confidence and pride, rather than defensiveness or apologies. This means that instead of automatically assuming that people have horrible stereotypes about furries that I have to explain and apologize for, I'll just matter-a-factly show what furries are about and how I fit into the fandom, and answer people's questions and comments from there. Generally, if you act like you have something to hide or be ashamed of, people will take you at your "word."

Finally, there will always be haters and assholes in the world, and you shouldn't waste your spoons trying in vain to appease them.


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## Fallowfox (Mar 19, 2019)

Misha Bordiga Zahradník said:


> Vore is a surprisingly common fetish. So is foot fetish for some reason I have yet to comprehend.



I read that as 'soot' and was like 'who is getting off to soot?'.


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## Massan Otter (Mar 19, 2019)

Fallowfox said:


> I read that as 'soot' and was like 'who is getting off to soot?'.



Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins" would have been a formative experience for them!


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## Misha Bordiga Zahradník (Mar 19, 2019)

Massan Otter said:


> Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins" would have been a formative experience for them!


*labored breathing* "I'm just sweeping the chimney Mom!"


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## quoting_mungo (Mar 19, 2019)

Just want to throw this in for the people who are suggesting flat ignoring the talk: there are lots of reasons someone might not be comfortable with a topic of conversation. In this case, OP is uncomfortable because he feels it's awkward to be furry and hear his circle of friends talking smack about furries; in other cases the reason why someone finds something uncomfortable might be completely different. *But* that doesn't mean there aren't options for asking them to knock it off that aren't about "hey, I'm a furry and I take offense at that." I personally wouldn't go the route of weaselling around why I found it offensive, but it's an *option*.

Just saying "this is getting old" or "I don't think that's very funny" or whatever can go a long way. Like, if you're hanging out with people who keep using autism as a derogatory term, or can't seem to stop calling things they dislike gay, or keep referring to Will Smith and Obama as niggers, and you tell them "please don't talk like that around me," and they still do, they're not very good friends to begin with.


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## Yakamaru (Mar 19, 2019)

Troj said:


> Finally, there will always be haters and assholes in the world, and you shouldn't waste your spoons trying in vain to appease them.


....You waste spoons?
I can only think of this:


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## Yakamaru (Mar 19, 2019)

quoting_mungo said:


> Just want to throw this in for the people who are suggesting flat ignoring the talk: there are lots of reasons someone might not be comfortable with a topic of conversation. In this case, OP is uncomfortable because he feels it's awkward to be furry and hear his circle of friends talking smack about furries; in other cases the reason why someone finds something uncomfortable might be completely different. *But* that doesn't mean there aren't options for asking them to knock it off that aren't about "hey, I'm a furry and I take offense at that." I personally wouldn't go the route of weaselling around why I found it offensive, but it's an *option*.


OP said "people in one of my classes". He didn't specify them actually being his friends apart from his brother. Being in the same class as someone doesn't mean they are friends. Just saying.


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## Misha Bordiga Zahradník (Mar 19, 2019)

Yakamaru said:


> OP said "people in one of my classes". He didn't specify them actually being his friends apart from his brother. Being in the same class as someone doesn't mean they are friends. Just saying.


It's worse for it. Class mates will treat you like shit, but you still need to maintain a social standing because you are stuck cwith those people.


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## scifur (Mar 20, 2019)

Troj said:


> Fundamentally, it's about:
> 
> 1) Timing
> 
> ...



Thanks for the informative answer. Your response was well formulated and easy to follow. This really helped me evaluate my situation better.


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## scifur (Mar 20, 2019)

quoting_mungo said:


> Just want to throw this in for the people who are suggesting flat ignoring the talk: there are lots of reasons someone might not be comfortable with a topic of conversation. In this case, OP is uncomfortable because he feels it's awkward to be furry and hear his circle of friends talking smack about furries; in other cases the reason why someone finds something uncomfortable might be completely different. *But* that doesn't mean there aren't options for asking them to knock it off that aren't about "hey, I'm a furry and I take offense at that." I personally wouldn't go the route of weaselling around why I found it offensive, but it's an *option*.
> 
> Just saying "this is getting old" or "I don't think that's very funny" or whatever can go a long way. Like, if you're hanging out with people who keep using autism as a derogatory term, or can't seem to stop calling things they dislike gay, or keep referring to Will Smith and Obama as niggers, and you tell them "please don't talk like that around me," and they still do, they're not very good friends to begin with.



Yes, this is the internal conflict to which I face. Should I chose to ignore them, I will be pushing my values away and betraying my own morals. It is not such the case of shoving my opinion in people's faces but rather keeping truth to what I believe is *right*. In a normal situation, I would speak up against derogatory remarks made about a certain group of people even though I may not identity as a member. What changes when I am one of those people being undermined as some misfit? I do not think my classmates are terrible people; I just feel like they are misinformed.


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## quoting_mungo (Mar 20, 2019)

Yakamaru said:


> OP said "people in one of my classes". He didn't specify them actually being his friends apart from his brother. Being in the same class as someone doesn't mean they are friends. Just saying.


That was me misremembering the details late at night, and I'll own that. Either way, respecting that someone doesn't want to hear a group being maligned regardless of affiliation is a pretty basic matter of courtesy.



scifur said:


> Yes, this is the internal conflict to which I face. Should I chose to ignore them, I will be pushing my values away and betraying my own morals. It is not such the case of shoving my opinion in people's faces but rather keeping truth to what I believe is *right*. In a normal situation, I would speak up against derogatory remarks made about a certain group of people even though I may not identity as a member. What changes when I am one of those people being undermined as some misfit? I do not think my classmates are terrible people; I just feel like they are misinformed.


Most people who do shitty things aren't terrible people. They're just people doing something they maybe shouldn't be. Since your brother is one of them, and presumably knows you tend to speak up about things like that, maybe start by asking him why they're going on about furries, unless you think that'd get weird?


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## Deleted member 111470 (Mar 20, 2019)

Just tell them that there are far worse things than being a furry, such as liking anime, video games or sports.


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## scifur (Mar 20, 2019)

quoting_mungo said:


> That was me misremembering the details late at night, and I'll own that. Either way, respecting that someone doesn't want to hear a group being maligned regardless of affiliation is a pretty basic matter of courtesy.
> 
> 
> Most people who do shitty things aren't terrible people. They're just people doing something they maybe shouldn't be. Since your brother is one of them, and presumably knows you tend to speak up about things like that, maybe start by asking him why they're going on about furries, unless you think that'd get weird?



I don't know. To be honest, my brother and I sort of had a falling-out. We used to be really close but I haven't talked to him sincerely for about half a year. Maybe it's a personal problem but I don't think I feel comfortable discussing it with my brother. I know he will respect me for my opinions but our relationship is fragile right now. Even with my mother, I am scared to tell her anything about my involvement in the fandom. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons I feel a desire to speak out. The forum is my only outlet but even so such interactions are disconnected by a lack of face-to-face connection.


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## Troj (Mar 20, 2019)

Quick thought:

In my experience, "that joke is huuuuuuuuurtful and P R O B L E M A T I C, guuuuuuuuuys" goes over poorly with most people, and even _worse_ with people who consider themselves hip, smart, and edgy, even when the critique itself is correct  or reasonable. The less respect, empathy, and regard people have for the targets of their jokes, the more contemptuous, annoyed, and angry they'll usually be at being told to cool it.

There are effective, assertive no-nonsense ways of killing mean jokes--Mungo alluded to it above--but not everybody can pull it off, or feels comfortable doing it. The key there is to send the message that the joke _isn't funny, period_, and that a person will _not_ get laughs from their desired audience if they keep trying to invoke it. You have to decide if this approach feels right for _your_ situation.

What might work better in a lot of cases (at least in my view) is to just introduce furries to people you think might be sympathetic and educable in a totally different time and place. If people can see for themselves that furries are cool and sympathetic, then they'll be less inclined to make mean jokes, because they will have decided _for themselves _that those jokes are no longer funny.


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## larigot (Mar 21, 2019)

Somewhat unrelated, but look at this creepiness on the right:




Don't worry though, this comment will break the curse.


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## Frank Gulotta (Mar 21, 2019)

Minerva_Minx said:


> I would also totally disregard the trolls.


I disagree, those are fun. All you need to do is be smart about snapping back


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## Cawdabra (Mar 21, 2019)

Frank Gulotta said:


> I disagree, those are fun. All you need to do is be smart about snapping back


I've seen many furries try to outsmart trolls but it never really works...


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## Frank Gulotta (Mar 21, 2019)

Cawdabra said:


> I've seen many furries try to outsmart trolls but it never really works...


Haha. Depends on the furry and depends on the troll, I suppose
Some spend their lives doing that, so of course they're not easy to outsmart, but what about the many drones that hover in their footsteps? many of them are not particularly savvy, others are downright stupid, and most are not that dedicated. They think trolling is easy because they've seen their waifu do it, but oppose them any form of quality banter and they deflate.


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## Gradiusgadwin (Mar 22, 2019)

scifur said:


> So everyday in one my classes, a few people sitting around me make fun of furries. They don't say anything hurtful in particular but talk about the sexual aspect of the fandom. My brother is one of these people as well. Should I speak up? How can I without telling them I identify as one? I do not want them to direct their remarks at me nor do find it bearable to sit around doing nothing.


Captain Obvious advice: Deal with it. You can't force others to stop disliking furries. Also they're not wrong about the sexual aspect of the fandom even if many furries keep being denial about it. And finally keep in mind that many furries with self-awareness and sense of humor make jokes about the furry fandom.


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## Yakamaru (Mar 22, 2019)

Cawdabra said:


> I've seen many furries try to outsmart trolls but it never really works...


That is because a decent amount of them are socially inept.


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## Troj (Mar 22, 2019)

...and/or intensely earnest, for good as well as for ill.


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## Liseran Thistle (Mar 24, 2019)

As someone who is in highschool, I don't think you should talk about it, because the furry fandom isn't your entire life, it's just a small facet of it that you indulge in. And honestly, when people make fun of the fandom at my school to my face, I'm laughing right along with them not because I wanna distance myself from the fandom, but because I know for a fact that everything they say is kind of true. The fandom is very weird, and it's very sexual. I myself don't really like the whole yiff part of the furry community, I think it's weird to fap to cartoon animals. But I also think it's kind of funny so I laugh at it. 

You don't have to prove yourself to anyone, just enjoy the parts that you like. If anyone ever forces you to admit anything to them, they're just a nosy asshole.


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## yuki987 (Mar 26, 2019)

Never engage or take anything they say seriously. Used to be pretty active at Reddit under few accounts, There cringer than than people cry about. When they just bury you under downvotes when you call them out, I'm like why did you ask a question if you hate the truth or answer?. Funny how enjoying cute anthro art and having a blast in welcoming hobby is cancer for quite a few.


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## MuFFinZ (Mar 26, 2019)

Troj said:


> Fundamentally, it's about:
> 
> 1) Timing
> 
> ...



Nothing to add, just awesome text & great writeup.  this is what i adore in the fandom


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## Sarachaga (Mar 27, 2019)

Oof it's hard for me to write something after Troj's post, which summed up pretty much all that I was thinking.
If you don't care about these people, let them be. They're jerks and you'll waste your time trying to change their mind. Most of the time people that are very vocal about something they "hate" are mostly show-offs anyways. They don't hate furries per se, they don't care about them and jump on a trend.
If some of those people are your friends, I think it's more of a case by case basis situation. Talk to them if you feel like they can change their mind but heh, I wouldn't either.


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## Draakc from State Farm (Mar 27, 2019)

Pipistrele said:


> To be completely fair, it's a community that's open to all sorts of sexual kinks, and was initially based on sci-fi works and underground anthro comics made primarily for adults (i.e. lots of violence and sex). Saying "furries are not so different, they just dress up and draw things" would severely undermine the fact that more than more than 1/3 of FurAffinity's content is porn, and most popular artists/writers within community are usually erotic ones. So, whether some like it or not, furry fandom has strong roots in eroticism, which is kind of taboo for a lot of people.


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## ZeroVoidTime (Mar 27, 2019)

Ehh I just ignore smack talk towards furries whenever the subject is brought up.


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## Pipistrele (Apr 2, 2019)

DraakcTheDragon said:


> See Kothorix's Video on Youtube
> "The Truth About Yiff"


In all honesty, I try to avoid any video that uses a cheesy rantsona like a plague


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## Draakc from State Farm (Apr 21, 2019)

Pipistrele said:


> In all honesty, I try to avoid any video that uses a cheesy rantsona like a plague


Ok then just watch this monstrocity...


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## Yakamaru (Apr 21, 2019)

Draakc said:


> See Kothorix's Video on Youtube
> "The Truth About Yiff"


Kothorix, despite being a bit of an utter moron himself, does have a lot of valid points.


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## Baalf (Apr 21, 2019)

Yakamaru said:


> OP is 15, so in school. And in such a situation it's a lot harder to escape the people around you than if you were in lets say, a grocery store and heard some random people talk that you would never see again.
> 
> It's not worth it to correct people who are going to continue their ignorant spiel in the first place. It's school, no one gives a shit.



Why don't I just put a "kick me" sign on my back? I'm sorry, but I absolutely hate a lot of your logic. People who don't get corrections are haters and assholes for life, and most of your logic ensures bullies stay scummy and victims stay abbused.



Yakamaru said:


> Kothorix, despite being a bit of an utter moron himself, does have a lot of valid points.



Again!  Your logic punishes innocent people, and it is honestly infuriating.


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## Misha Bordiga Zahradník (Apr 21, 2019)

BennyJackdaw said:


> Why don't I just put a "kick me" sign on my back? I'm sorry, but I absolutely hate a lot of your logic. People who don't get corrections are haters and assholes for life, and most of your logic ensures bullies stay scummy and victims stay abbused.
> 
> 
> 
> Again!  Your logic punishes innocent people, and it is honestly infuriating.


Bullies look at people who try to correct them as easy targets. Sometimes keeping your head down iscthe best option; sometimes you need to take a stand. Schools are notoriously shitty about addressing bullying up to and including physical abuse and sexual harassment. That is when it is reported too. I won't say reporting bullying is a bad idea, but do so anonymously as possible. I as an adult get regularly told to kill myself as a furry because of my icon. Sticking up for furries in highschool or revealing you are one is a great way to become a target until you graduate.


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## Yakamaru (Apr 21, 2019)

BennyJackdaw said:


> Why don't I just put a "kick me" sign on my back? I'm sorry, but I absolutely hate a lot of your logic. People who don't get corrections are haters and assholes for life, and most of your logic ensures bullies stay scummy and victims stay abbused.
> 
> 
> 
> Again!  Your logic punishes innocent people, and it is honestly infuriating.


Have your ideas of dealing with assholes/bullies ever actually worked as intended?


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## Baalf (Apr 21, 2019)

Yakamaru said:


> Have your ideas of dealing with assholes/bullies ever actually worked as intended?



I've tried YOUR ideas, and all they have done is make them worse.


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## Misha Bordiga Zahradník (Apr 21, 2019)

BennyJackdaw said:


> I've tried YOUR ideas, and all they have done is make them worse.


The problem is there is a time and place to stand up and another to keep your head down. 

Yaka is right (blegh) that trying to call out the furry bashing will make them a target for harassment. Sodoing so is going to have to be a calculated risk to see if it is even worth trying to change people's minds.


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## TheOdd1sOut (Apr 22, 2019)

Just try to say it’s a joke and try to change the topic a little... Don’t look too suspicious or sound suspicious.


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## Zahur (May 3, 2019)

They are probably right so let them talk.


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## Filter (May 3, 2019)

I might casually mention that animal characters have been around forever... and leave it at that. Or maybe say something positive about furries. Liking anthropomorphic animal characters isn't something that needs to be defended.

Trying to defend furries means bringing up issues that fans hold varying opinions about. You would be shooting yourself in the foot.


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## ManicTherapsid (May 3, 2019)

Filter said:


> I might casually mention that animal characters have been around forever...


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## FluffyFenrir (May 3, 2019)

LordChestnut said:


>


I mean yeah, can't find any reseason to disagree there. 
Why have I not seen this before, I know I don't do much interneting but someone I know should have brought something like this to my attention before now


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## Cat-!Cross!Sans (May 3, 2019)

hey dose anyone want to be friends =^-^=


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## Jaekada (May 4, 2019)

If you don't want any remarks or negativity directed towards you. It's best not to warrant attention to you with admitting or flaunting about being a furry around the naysayers.


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## fulffy512 (May 4, 2019)

Don't bring it up unless it's warranted or mildly be open, unless you wan't a gang of stupid raging at you. Easy way to weed out the ones who are judgemental clowns.

I always loved the kind that are like that in games that are full of anthro's. As if there too dumb to get that anthros are a old fantasy trope.


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## CertifiedCervine (May 4, 2019)

Draakc said:


> See Kothorix's Video on Youtube
> "The Truth About Yiff"


Koth’s videos are often baity and exaggerated, I’d take a grain of salt with his videos


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## Freia the arctic fox (May 7, 2019)

Just act cool about it. If you let yourself become angry they will just continue. People like to hate on furies because they very often get extremely cringy response. My advice is to either play along or just make them feel stupid. There was once a guy who said to me "you fuck dogs stop lying" I just said "I don't want to waste time on this. If you want to believe that I am a animal fucker then that is fine by me. However I will not waste anymore time on you". He was like many other people who just assume things about you that is not true. Don't try to argue because that is what they want. If you don't give them what they want they will feel a bit dumb and leave you alone. They will often assume that you like yiff, I my self like yiff so I simply say "yeah I like it, so what?" but if you don't you can just tell them that they can assume things about you as much as they want but that their speculations holds no truth nor value.


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## fulffy512 (May 7, 2019)

Freia the arctic fox said:


> Just act cool about it. If you let yourself become angry they will just continue. People like to hate on furies because they very often get extremely cringy response. My advice is to either play along or just make them feel stupid. There was once a guy who said to me "you fuck dogs stop lying" I just said "I don't want to waste time on this. If you want to believe that I am a animal fucker then that is fine by me. However I will not waste anymore time on you". He was like many other people who just assume things about you that is not true. Don't try to argue because that is what they want. If you don't give them what they want they will feel a bit dumb and leave you alone. They will often assume that you like yiff, I my self like yiff so I simply say "yeah I like it, so what?" but if you don't you can just tell them that they can assume things about you as much as they want but that their speculations holds no truth nor value.



I have no idea why that there first thought, when they see furries. It has the brain power & body form of a human being, by there logic there animal fuckers too for watching human porn since where a great ape species. It's almost like they still think animals are below us and highly humanoid ones trigger them hardcore.


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## Troj (May 8, 2019)

The average person is incurious, self-unflective, and emotionally-driven, to say the least. They have neither the motivation nor the necessary mental bandwidth to try to figure out why a person might find Nick Wilde hot but not want to fuck a real fox. So it goes.


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## Cat-!Cross!Sans (May 8, 2019)

i have friends that are furry haters and dont know im a furry


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## MaetheDragon (May 8, 2019)

There's no real way of getting around the sexual aspect of the fandom, fren- even though I, myself, never usually engage with that part of the fandom.

If you want to respond to negative talk about the furry fandom, if the problem they have is with the sexual aspect of the fandom, just try to introduce more positive aspects of the fandom to them. You don't even really need to be direct about it, just casually address the more fun, cuddly side of the fandom. If that doesn't appeal to them, then most everyone else in this thread shares my next sentiment- don't pay attention to them, or prove what they say doesn't affect you in any way. They shouldn't matter, in the grand scheme of things. If they don't have the heart in them to understand, then that's their problem. Not yours.


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## Cat-!Cross!Sans (May 8, 2019)

MCtheBeardie said:


> There's no real way of getting around the sexual aspect of the fandom, fren- even though I, myself, never usually engage with that part of the fandom.
> 
> If you want to respond to negative talk about the furry fandom, if the problem they have is with the sexual aspect of the fandom, just try to introduce more positive aspects of the fandom to them. You don't even really need to be direct about it, just casually address the more fun, cuddly side of the fandom. If that doesn't appeal to them, then most everyone else in this thread shares my next sentiment- don't pay attention to them, or prove what they say doesn't affect you in any way. They shouldn't matter, in the grand scheme of things. If they don't have the heart in them to understand, then that's their problem. Not yours.


my favorite part of the fandom is the cuddly part but most people dont even know that part of the fandom exists so they dismiss the whole thing as sexual personally i dont mind yiff i dont seek it out ether but most people demonatise furs for that reason


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## fulffy512 (May 8, 2019)

Troj said:


> The average person is incurious, self-unflective, and emotionally-driven, to say the least. They have neither the motivation nor the necessary mental bandwidth to try to figure out why a person might find Nick Wilde hot but not want to fuck a real fox. So it goes.



I think the issue is the lack of any sexual knowledge or just arrogance. If it isn't furries there bitching about its them bitching how stupid sexual fetishes are. A small youtuber i watch would do that allot when it's brought up with no care on how off putting he sounds.


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## Ra'ara Su'nai (May 8, 2019)

Talk is cheap. Let people say what they will. Just because they want you to feel bad about something you like to do, doesn't mean you have to feel bad about it.


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## Cat-!Cross!Sans (May 9, 2019)

Ra'ara Su'nai said:


> Talk is cheap. Let people say what they will. Just because they want you to feel bad about something you like to do, doesn't mean you have to feel bad about it.


yeah, and something people don't realize is that furies are one of the nicest most excepting groups around.


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## Ra'ara Su'nai (May 9, 2019)

Cat-!Cross!Sans said:


> yeah, and something people don't realize is that furies are one of the nicest most excepting groups around.


Yes they are.


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## Cat-!Cross!Sans (May 9, 2019)

Ra'ara Su'nai said:


> Yes they are.


mhmm they think the whole fandom is yiff and while theirs no denying that part of it is thats not all of it


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## Frank Gulotta (May 19, 2019)

With humor
Humor brings people together, it's only if somebody's a joyless hater that you actually have a problem, and such people are themselves ridiculous
There's someone like that on deviantart


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## Apoc-Volkov (May 25, 2019)

I'm thinking that this thread has run its course.

It's your choice to interject, but without knowing the context of what's being said there's very little that can be used to dissuade someone else's opinion on the matter - at least, not without opening yourself up to personal attacks.

With individuals whose sole experience with furries is through internet trolls and memes, chances are that they aren't knowledgeable enough about the Fandom to be worth correcting, especially if they don't care enough to learn more about it.

Those who have had bad experiences in-person with furries may at least be open to acknowledging that freaks exist in every group and that they may have just been unfortunate, but it's worth remembering that first impressions are lasting impressions.

In the end, it's on you to decide whether that is a hill you want to die on.


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## fulffy512 (May 25, 2019)

Apoc-Volkov said:


> I'm thinking that this thread has run its course.
> 
> It's your choice to interject, but without knowing the context of what's being said there's very little that can be used to dissuade someone else's opinion on the matter - at least, not without opening yourself up to personal attacks.
> 
> ...



The issue is that so many just let bad experiences or ignorance cloud everything about there thoughts on furries. Just as a excuse to bash a hobby for unfair reasons while coming of as drama whores.


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## Apoc-Volkov (May 25, 2019)

fulffy512 said:


> The issue is that so many just let bad experiences or ignorance cloud everything about there thoughts on furries. Just as a excuse to bash a hobby for unfair reasons while coming of as drama whores.


That may be so, but that in itself still doesn't make it a good idea to just break out into a lecture on something that they have little to no interest in being involved with in the first place if they can help it.


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## KD142000 (May 25, 2019)

Everyone's got their likes and dislikes, after all.

If people just focus on one aspect of any fandom (or pretty much anything), they often just think "Oh, x fandom is all about..."and never see the bigger picture. There's a sexual aspect to everything, if the broad spectrum of fetishes is anything to go by. It's a small-minded way to look at things.

Clearly, not all furries are interested in that part...and it's impossible to say it doesn't exist. If people around you have a problem...then you should be the bigger person, confident in the fact that you're lucky enough to know the truth about furries...and that not all of us are like that! Knowledge is power and so forth.

For example, I'm sure there are people out there who are REALLY into dishwashers. Does that mean I'm gonna hate dishwashers just cos some people are really into them? Nope...cos that would be ridiculous.

That, in a way, is why we have intolerance in the world.

Personally I joined the fandom cos I found furries adorable and got more comfortable with the fact I wanted to be a furry, myself! Not sure if anyone in my family would even accept me if I let them know...but that's their problem to deal with.


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## fulffy512 (May 25, 2019)

Apoc-Volkov said:


> That may be so, but that in itself still doesn't make it a good idea to just break out into a lecture on something that they have little to no interest in being involved with in the first place if they can help it.



I don't bother with debating them since all you get is "STFU furfag!!!11" like a 12 year old having a meltdown.


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## Xitheon (May 25, 2019)

Most furry-hating trolls I've dealt with are just stupid teenagers who are also homophobic and/or sexist and so pathetic that I find it more amusing than anything else. They're like fleas. Annoying, but not a huge threat.


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## Jestwinged (May 26, 2019)

As naive as it sounds just try to put yourselves in their shoes. 

Everyone finds something weird, for example I find people obsessed with the Sonic fandom to be weird and have admittedly made fun of it in the past but also understand that they seem to like it and it's their life.

I would say just ignore it, get on with life.


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## Anthrasmagoria (May 26, 2019)

I'd just say any community has all kinds within it, there are people who just like anthro and fursuits too. If they can't look for themselves and see there are many degrees of furry, it's probably not worth all the effort trying to convince them otherwise. That's time you're not getting back!


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