I think the main objection (setting aside those who object to this sort of thing on a more political/ideological level) is, okay, if Converse wants to buy ad space/sponsor a con/do whatever, sure, fine, Converse isn't in direct competition with anyone in the furry fandom; however, if you're willing to take Converse's money, what is your objection to, say, Disney sponsoring a con? And they are a direct competitor with Joe Furry. And Disney, let's face it, would probably wipe the floor with your average "mom and pop" furry. Even at a furry convention.
It's like the San Diego Comic Con; you probably can find independent or even underground comics there, but that's not what the con is about. It's a giant advertising smorgasbord for mega-corporations of the "entertainment variety." I don't think a furry convention would ever become that (it's always going to be a little bit niche), but if there's a portion of a furry con where Disney, say, gives a sneak peek of new footage at the live action remake of Robin Hood, that's going to dominate that convention, and further marginalize a small, furry author's small furry book from a small furry publisher.
Basically, this is Uncle Kage's argument for why (and he's literally told me this ... you know, via Internet comments, but still), though they may actually seek out some fairly big name voice actor with little to no connection with the furry as a Guest of Honor, don't expect Anthrocon to ever premiere a Hollywood movie. That would be kind of cool, on one hand, but on the other hand, it's not so cool to furries who are scrounging out a living doing furry.
And, yes, this may come off hypocritical, what with the constant stream of big name Hollywood reviews (there is an obvious one in the queue) from me, but I want to make clear that I'm just trying to explain the reasoning as it's been explained to me. Personally, I'm totally okay with Converse, and while I get Uncle Kage's argument, I kind of get the feeling for some people it's an excuse that keeps people from even trying (a kind of preemptive "the mainstream can't reject us because we reject the mainstream").
I think the main objection (setting aside those who object to this sort of thing on a more political/ideological level) is, okay, if Converse wants to buy ad space/sponsor a con/do whatever, sure, fine, Converse isn't in direct competition with anyone in the furry fandom; however, if you're willing to take Converse's money, what is your objection to, say, Disney sponsoring a con? And they are a direct competitor with Joe Furry. And Disney, let's face it, would probably wipe the floor with your average "mom and pop" furry. Even at a furry convention.
It's like the San Diego Comic Con; you probably can find independent or even underground comics there, but that's not what the con is about. It's a giant advertising smorgasbord for mega-corporations of the "entertainment variety." I don't think a furry convention would ever become that (it's always going to be a little bit niche), but if there's a portion of a furry con where Disney, say, gives a sneak peek of new footage at the live action remake of Robin Hood, that's going to dominate that convention, and further marginalize a small, furry author's small furry book from a small furry publisher.
Basically, this is Uncle Kage's argument for why (and he's literally told me this ... you know, via Internet comments, but still), though they may actually seek out some fairly big name voice actor with little to no connection with the furry as a Guest of Honor, don't expect Anthrocon to ever premiere a Hollywood movie. That would be kind of cool, on one hand, but on the other hand, it's not so cool to furries who are scrounging out a living doing furry.
And, yes, this may come off hypocritical, what with the constant stream of big name Hollywood reviews (there is an obvious one in the queue) from me, but I want to make clear that I'm just trying to explain the reasoning as it's been explained to me. Personally, I'm totally okay with Converse, and while I get Uncle Kage's argument, I kind of get the feeling for some people it's an excuse that keeps people from even trying (a kind of preemptive "the mainstream can't reject us because we reject the mainstream").