Headlines, links and little stories to make your tail wag.  Story tips are always welcome.

_____________________________

In the Media

_____________________________

You Can’t Get Inside – a profile of the furry community from within. 

Michael Arthur writes at The Hooded Utilitarian.  “Profiles written in good faith by outsiders are thin on the ground.  Accurate ones do not exist.  Do not feel discouraged.  If you really “got it” like we get it, you’d be one of us.”

The article doesn’t just verbalize getting it, it IS that.  Great essay!  (When I read it, I was glad it supports criticism I’d already written about the Buzzfeed article, below.)

Arthur writes about being “Zapped with that funny feeling” that is Furry… it reminds me of something from a while back, in the same post where I mentioned that President Obama hung out with a furry.  “The furriest thing ever”. Here’s being zapped:

Photos, Furries, and Photos of Furries.

Flavorwire makes a small notice that positively shares the below article.

Furries Say They Aren’t A Fetish, They’re A Community, And They’re Ready To Be Taken Seriously.

The BuzzFeed article starts with good intentions, but hits a sour note.  (Reddit response is very mixed.)  I wouldn’t editorialize if the info was reliable, but one of it’s offenses is enough to sink the whole piece for me.

“A series of high-profile, furry-related sex crimes over the last few years have made it almost impossible for outsiders to shake the notion that furries are some kind of absurd and dangerous fetish community.”

OK, an attempt at perspective is fine – until it spreads dishonest misinformation ripe for debunking.  Like a zombie, the New Jersey Fur-B-Que Hoax shambles forth.  There’s no substance inside it – it only lives from instinct to attack:

“In 2012, two furries were arrested at a barbecue for engaging in “inappropriate behavior” in a public park in broad daylight. “

Nobody was arrested, or even shown to exist.  Discussion at Flayrah and from attendees suggests a story closer to this scenario:

• A town council member made a baseless claim to have photos of two people “simulating” some kind of compromising position.
• No photos or names could be produced, failing burden of proof.
• Attendees suggest that the council member lied about being present. They point to political motives to invent a scandal, to divert funding for emergency services at the community center that hosted the party.
• Blaming furries for being weird perfectly exploited them. It even fooled them into attacking each other to meet outside expectations.
• The incident never happened, and the story wrote itself through provoked hysteria and rumor spreading.
• The fallout shut down a regular event loved by hundreds.

The article enters a more grey but still irksome area, when it reports another crime that may be dubious enough to be disputed by the judge who oversaw it.  In an 80-comment thread on Flayrah, personal accounts suggest wrong place/wrong time circumstances, that trapped the user of a computer who didn’t know it was unintentionally tainted by illegal porn. If true, the reality is a bleeding injustice.

“I attended the hearing in which Ted was sentenced. His Judge TWICE stated on the record that this was not justice. The Judge stated that the sentence was “needlessly harsh” and that the prosecution could not prove that there was ever any intent to gain/collect/upload any porn. The Judge ordered the Defense to submit a claim to the State Clemency board on Ted’s behalf. The Court Bailiff later confided that in over 15 years of court service he had NEVER seen or heard of any Judge saying this. The Judge chastised the Prosecutor, who looked as though he had been slapped.”

I emailed the author about it, but there was no response.  Apparently I’d be a fool to expect better from Buzzfeed.

_____________________________

Random fun

_____________________________

Japanese game company CyberConnect2’s new anthro magazine.

“Starting on December 28, Japanese game company CyberConnect2 is releasing its first volume of “Kemono Magazine” in celebration of their new furry mascot and as a renewal of their “Kemono Book” series (only now being called “Kemono Magazine”). They’re also releasing a “Kemono Pack” in commemoration of their new furry mascot that comes with the magazine and a few extra goodies.”

Maroon 5 – Stuffed Animals Music Video Parody 

This is one for a “Fursploitation” post in the works.  “I can’t deny my furry side…”  (NSFW for Plushie content.)

DANGER 5 Season 2 Trailer. Premiere – Jan 4 (NSFW).  Animal Costumers vs. Hitler.