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I noticed that, those country restrictions on viewing the video were annoying to so many viewers who weren't in the States and wanted to see it. That's one reason that Y'tube and torrents exist, though I can understand why they'd want to block it in countries it hasn't aired yet, in theory so that it doesn't impact the producer's revenue stream.

Maybe you are a younger Fur Rakeun, I've run across folks who will believe almost anything at any time. I'm a Pyrenean Shepherd Dog, but also of the 'Eccentric' species, so I tend to hang with those who have open minds about lots of stuff, so it's not that unusual to me what others believe. I did kind of do a double take at the guy I found out about a few weeks ago. He wants to be a feminine hygiene pad and legally change his name to Pad..

I did watch a few minutes of the doc at first and was kind of shy of it, but I see animal behavior on a regular basis after all, and there it was on TV. Later when I had time I went back and watched it all. I'd rather see the reaction of someone who maybe never considered animal people like this, then they watched the show and gave a review.

I've heard other Furries bark and howl, and I bark too! I can go to libraries and movies and know I shouldn't bark there, but when I'm in a relaxed and loose atmosphere I do what comes naturally. If someone asks me to, I'll bark for them, and I do it on my radio show too, though that's part of being on the air.

I was getting kinda tired of other Furry documentaries that always brought in the paid expert, others have said that it seemed like the same doctor was called on, always filmed in the office, sitting at their desk. It's common on these shows to have the expert show up when someone has an unusual belief or lifestyle.

Now that you brought it up, I was happy to see that they didn't go to an expert and just let the subjects speak or bark for themselves, it's refreshing. I'm not opposed to the experts, just that I always wished that they had something more meaningful to say, but then again, the experts aren't really given camera time for a deeper response. I think that the expert is there as a kind of an assurance to the audience that someone is 'looking after these people', but here in this doc the subjects had their parents in that role.

I liked that this documentary just put the story out there and let it sit, so you can think for yourself what you want about it. I think that's a better way to do it, instead of trying to tie up most of the loose threads or explain it away as some kind of a psych thing in their noggin. Shouldn't a real documentary have an interesting enough subject that the story can tell itself? It's something for the filmmakers to capture, and not have to explain or embellish later.

Granted, these shows are like a documentary/reality TV hybrid in a way, with limited filming time, so they have to condense someone's day or the animal behaviors they have into short bites, and it has to be visual and active. The subjects might not wear their collars in all situations or bark every day, but they do it sometimes, and that's what the producers would want to show. I take it as an overview of what makes Therians special, not a slice of life.

Gender dysphoria could be involved, but I also think, as in my experience, that in feeling like another animal, your mind is on that identity, and not gender as much, and not developing a strong gender, at least the social role part of it. If you're thinking about why you're a wolf and how you relate to the world as one, you might not be as self conscious about your own gender role, or attuned to all of the nuances in the genders of others.

That could be compounded if you hang with Therian friends or have a mate who is one too and is similar to yourself in animal beliefs. I was a Dog before I knew of Furries and animalkin and whatnot, so my friends were 4-legged Dogs and I thought mostly about them, in an anthropomorphic social system that I came up with. That alone can toss out highly gendered thinking, or at least attenuate it.

To me, 'I Think I'm An Animal?' was better than most of the Furry documentaries, and I think it could have talked about Furries and how Otherkin relate even more. Maybe they could have had a graphic on the whole spectrum of animal people and how they relate. I think it's fair to say that some Therians want to indulge their animal sides by donning costumes, as an Otherkin might dress as a dragon if they wanted to. I can't see that it affects your sincerity if you want to have a little playfulness with what you are. I think it's okay for Furries to cross the lines and feel their Therian or feral side too, if they have one

Who is the 'our' in your last paragraph? I know lots of folks use that wording, but maybe it's good to think about how that might create walls between groups, where we could all be enjoying each others weirdness and having fun.

Boomer

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