Savage Love Article, Number 2: "Furry Feedback"
Posted by Trickster (A. Wolf) on Wed 21 Aug 2002 - 06:24
Dan Savage's controversial fetish-based column has been released this week, revealing his responses to furry comments to his previous article. The majority of respondents disagreed with his appraisal of the fandom as nothing but a fetish haven. Dan backs down on his blanket portrayal of furries, but insists that fetish is less bizarre than non-sexual anthropomorphics interests. Click here to read the article.
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Trickster (A. Wolf) — read stories — contact (login required)an eternal student / researcher from OH, interested in about 6.9%
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*BWA hahahahahaha* OK. Dan has a LOT more of my respect now. I wasn't expecting anything, really, other than incindiary flaming, so I was pleasently suprised to read:
Mind you I do believe there is a legitimacy, of course, to spiritual/mental identification with furries and/or animals apart from a sexual kink or "compulsion..." but for once it's just incredibly gratifying, albeit completely unexpected, to have a non-fur say that it's the furs who AREN'T interested in sex who are odd. To paraphrase it gently.
Muahahaha... you go, Dan.
I'm probably gonna get in trouble for this comment but I don't care. ;D
Well, given the attitudes of modern society, I suppose anyone who doesn't stow their brains in their groins must be mentally diseased. Heaven forfend that maybe they've actually got a life.
Ardashir
Ardashir wrote:
Well, speaking as somebody who does have a life and is occasionally sexual, I can honestly say that the two do not have to be mutally exclusive. In fact, they often complement one another nicely.
www.alleycatbooks.com
Ditto here, though it's kinda sad to get ripped on by the sex hounds for actually having said life and yes, they do complement each other rather well.
Tlaren }:=8}
I tend to follow 'Furry Fandom's ocasional tantrums with the media out of morbid compulsion and curiosity. Similar to those times when I want to eat at Burger King.
And... Well... God, anyone who couldnt see this comming was blind!
You know, theres been this whole Hacker Cracker thing long before 'Furry' going on with the media. And the media certanly havent changed their mind on the percived meaning of the word 'Hacker'. You know, theres a time to call things quits...
'Furry Fandom' has about as much chance of disasosiating its self from Sex at the moment as RMS has of getting everyone to call it GNU/Furry Fandom.
Hee hee... I can think of a few furs who wuld happily call it the GNU/Furry Fandom.
Of course, they also have a thing for ungulates...
Okay, let's see if I have this right ....
I think I understand. I like football, but because I don't see any sexual connotations with it, according to Savage, I'm a sick pervert?
I have a better theory. Dan Savage has focused his life on sexual fetishes to such a degree, he is no longer capable of even the dimmest comprehension that sometimes people have motivations and interests other than orgasmic.
As a professional counselor, I worry about people who's self-definition is limited to a list of one item. In other words, Dan, get a life. Maybe then your opinions will actually matter.
Reasons to play football:
- Pick up cute cheerleader chicks.
- Look macho/manly.
Don't see the sexual implications there... Nope nope. ;P
If something doesn't give you some sort of hyped, wonderful feeling, or enjoyment, why persue it? Do we not mostly get attracted to the phyisical appearance of a fur? Or am I just some strange minority... Ultimately that will bring some degree of sexual implication, weither or not you're dreaming of them yiffing, or fully robed. It's still the same "getting hot over a racoon."
Fana McCloud
I think the passage you quoted was not meant to be taken at face value but was meant as a bit of satire, perhaps to poke fun at Savage's own tendency to glamorize almost any unusual sexual fetish. Given that many people find some sexual fetishes sick, he pulls a double reverse on those who don't but who might look oddly upon an equally unusual interest that doesn't include sex. Very clever, if you ask me.
Surprise! My motivations are neither.
At its face value, I agree with your statement, but disagree with your premise that "hyped, wonderful feeling, or enjoyment" is automatically sexual by nature.
I get a "hyped, wonderful feeling, or enjoyment" from hiking, playing with my kids, riding horses, gardening, etc. Is it sexual? No.
If I refused to do anything unless I received sexual arousal, the result is a human being sexually addicted to the point of caricature.
Life is unlimited, multi-faceted expression. Sexuality is a welcome and enjoyable part of it, but there's more to the pie than just the merangue.
Amen. That's pretty much what I saw, and it's a much appreciated statement from my end.
It's a Good Thing to see Dan Savage retract his previous generalizations and let folks know not everyone takes their interest in the fandom to a sexual level. Looks like the cynics and naysayers who keep telling us the fandom is doomed have been proven wrong yet again.While the only previous attempts to deal with bad publicity resulted in the formation of a hate group, their departure may be a sign that the field is finally clear for the reasonable fans to start working together and speaking up when the media gets their facts wrong. Furry fandom has gotten good press in the past, and the only way it wouldn't get it in the future is if we didn't try to.
Xydexx Unicorn
Furry Fandom Infocenter
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