Actually, I think we're on the same page about more than we realize. We just have a bit of a language problem.
"Furry, to me, is a playful (and therefore "postmodern") rebellion against the prevailing mode of anthropomorphism in modern American culture"
When I started my Furry project back in the 70's, I wasn't rebelling against the anthropomorphism that already existed, because what already existed was the reason I was interested in working in this field in the first place. If there was something I needed to rebel against it was society’s perceptions of Furry as a children's thing.
At the time I was aware that there were all these people, like Crumb, Tezuka and Adams, who had knocked down sections of the wall that prevented Furry from exploring its potential. And I thought, this is groovy. I'm going to pick up my axe and go to work on my section of society's wall. That was the nature of The Furry Rebellion that opened the way for everything Furry Fandom is today.
"Furry is a product of a capitalist society that produces people who are affluent enough they don't need to rebel, but not so affluent that they do occasionally want to rebel."
It's not really about how much money somebody has. Generally people rebel because of oppression or because they've got something to prove. Back when I started, every idea in the Furry idiom that wasn't meant for kids was radical. You had to prove it could work, and you had to withstand the constant opposition of your peers who thought you'd be better off doing something where the odds would be in your favor.
Actually, that hasn't changed much in 35 years. But at least now there's a community a fur can turn to for encouragement.
Anyway, the oppression factor is still society. An ambitious fur always has something to prove to society. And society always tends to feel like they'd like to see you fail. That is, until you succeed. Then they want to say they knew you when.
"I still believe that a specific genre of anthropomorphics came into being in the 80s that was specifically called "furry" by both its creators and original witnesses."
Well, I'm one of those witnesses, and you probably read something in my essay that supports your theory. But just in case you missed it, I said, in the 1978 section, "When trying to explain the nature of the genre I was writing in, I needed a simple term to evoke the common element that linked Bambi, Watership Down and Jonathan Livingston Seagull into their own unique genre. And "Furry" was the term I came up with. They were Furry novels. They had a certain quality, a Furriness, if you will, due to the unique perspective of intelligent talking animals."
So, yeah, I do remember applying that term to a specific type of story that came into existence in the 1920's, and was enjoying a revival, not in the 80's, but in the 1970's.
But as I moved into the 80's, I sought to progress the genre I was working in by combining it with Science Fiction, cartoons, Gothic Horror, Progressive Rock, religion, philosophy - anything I could work into the mix to aid in the originality of the overall concoction.
And that remains, to this day, the formula for the Furry story. You take any elements you like from any area of entertainment, personal life, religion, military service, hobbies or whatever, throw them into a blender with some anthropomorphic animals, and bang, you're writing in the tradition of the original witnesses.
"But, then, omigosh, did you just go on a freakin' rant!"
No, there were no rants in that. Just the ramblings of someone who was severely in need of sleep.
"What are you doing with the "Spectral Shadows" thing?"
I think that's best determined by reading it. I'm not that good at squeezing a 32 serial saga into a nutshell.
But if you mean what am I doing in terms of publication, it's a net serial that has to be published on the net, because it's too big for books. It's adventures in modern electronic publication.
Must stop for sleep now. If you're really interested you can follow me on Live Journal or Fur Affinity. Links available on my profile.
"you say furry can't, I say furry hasn't yet."
Actually, I think we're on the same page about more than we realize. We just have a bit of a language problem.
"Furry, to me, is a playful (and therefore "postmodern") rebellion against the prevailing mode of anthropomorphism in modern American culture"
When I started my Furry project back in the 70's, I wasn't rebelling against the anthropomorphism that already existed, because what already existed was the reason I was interested in working in this field in the first place. If there was something I needed to rebel against it was society’s perceptions of Furry as a children's thing.
At the time I was aware that there were all these people, like Crumb, Tezuka and Adams, who had knocked down sections of the wall that prevented Furry from exploring its potential. And I thought, this is groovy. I'm going to pick up my axe and go to work on my section of society's wall. That was the nature of The Furry Rebellion that opened the way for everything Furry Fandom is today.
"Furry is a product of a capitalist society that produces people who are affluent enough they don't need to rebel, but not so affluent that they do occasionally want to rebel."
It's not really about how much money somebody has. Generally people rebel because of oppression or because they've got something to prove. Back when I started, every idea in the Furry idiom that wasn't meant for kids was radical. You had to prove it could work, and you had to withstand the constant opposition of your peers who thought you'd be better off doing something where the odds would be in your favor.
Actually, that hasn't changed much in 35 years. But at least now there's a community a fur can turn to for encouragement.
Anyway, the oppression factor is still society. An ambitious fur always has something to prove to society. And society always tends to feel like they'd like to see you fail. That is, until you succeed. Then they want to say they knew you when.
"I still believe that a specific genre of anthropomorphics came into being in the 80s that was specifically called "furry" by both its creators and original witnesses."
Well, I'm one of those witnesses, and you probably read something in my essay that supports your theory. But just in case you missed it, I said, in the 1978 section, "When trying to explain the nature of the genre I was writing in, I needed a simple term to evoke the common element that linked Bambi, Watership Down and Jonathan Livingston Seagull into their own unique genre. And "Furry" was the term I came up with. They were Furry novels. They had a certain quality, a Furriness, if you will, due to the unique perspective of intelligent talking animals."
So, yeah, I do remember applying that term to a specific type of story that came into existence in the 1920's, and was enjoying a revival, not in the 80's, but in the 1970's.
But as I moved into the 80's, I sought to progress the genre I was working in by combining it with Science Fiction, cartoons, Gothic Horror, Progressive Rock, religion, philosophy - anything I could work into the mix to aid in the originality of the overall concoction.
And that remains, to this day, the formula for the Furry story. You take any elements you like from any area of entertainment, personal life, religion, military service, hobbies or whatever, throw them into a blender with some anthropomorphic animals, and bang, you're writing in the tradition of the original witnesses.
"But, then, omigosh, did you just go on a freakin' rant!"
No, there were no rants in that. Just the ramblings of someone who was severely in need of sleep.
"What are you doing with the "Spectral Shadows" thing?"
I think that's best determined by reading it. I'm not that good at squeezing a 32 serial saga into a nutshell.
But if you mean what am I doing in terms of publication, it's a net serial that has to be published on the net, because it's too big for books. It's adventures in modern electronic publication.
Must stop for sleep now. If you're really interested you can follow me on Live Journal or Fur Affinity. Links available on my profile.