Dogpatch Press

Part 1) has a list of terms like Gentrification.  Corporate power and rising prices drive out independent creative people.  There’s talk about it everywhere, but the SF Bay is an example for the nation.  Even for a tiny subculture, Furries can feel like part of the crowd.  The Bold Italic noticed:

A question worthy of academic analysis: How has SF’s astronomical rents affected the furry community? I bet it’s not easy storing those suits in a studio apartment.

Jeremy, editor of the Bold Italic, wrote to me: “as I said, I’m genuinely curious what impact SF’s rising rents has had on communities like the furries…it can’t have been positive.”  I told him:

I know most active members in SF.  There’s more down the peninsula towards Silicon Valley, even furry houses (3-5 living together, hosting parties, sharing art jams etc.)  It’s been hard to organize gatherings in the city because it really helps to have a common meet place, and some have had to move out.  Many lurk and just do stuff online (forums, gaming etc) so active meets only cover some of what they do. The costuming is a special activity, while plain nerdy game and movie parties are just as popular.  But there are plenty of high profile costuming meets, like street fairs and the Pride Parade.  When costuming happens, it’s an all-out kind of deal. So safe changing space is really helpful.  We’re currently in need of a place in walking distance to events… $500+ for a hotel room for Pride isn’t easy to afford!

Online activity is everywhere, but I call live meets and cons the “glue” that keeps Furry together.  The higher profile they get in real life, the more we can talk about ownership and money.

Targeting tribes.

It’s said that the science of public relations categorizes the world into 200 or so tribes, based on how people like to associate and consume.  A friend tells me that in all his searches, nobody has a source for this conventional wisdom.  Does a list exist?  If it does, it must be carefully guarded by shadowy marketing powers.  But Furries are getting to be a tribal category now.

Is this bad?  Sometimes, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.  Originality can be cursed with elitism, and be less important than participation.  People do call it FANdom.  From my article, “Pseudo-furry” videos raise questions about pop culture and Furry fandom:

Popular culture and it’s gateways are an undeniably important influence. But identifying a trend for pop culture to re-absorb the Furry subculture that it helped spin off could make a good discussion about interplay. Is this happening because Furry is being accepted as a legitimate subculture, beyond a bastard child of the movies, shows, games and comics that furries enjoy?

Populism is an upside of commercialism.  Everyone can enjoy what’s on display (like Andy Warhol’s pop art philosophy in the link.)  Letting companies make gateways can be part of acceptance.  Disney fans were never unwelcome.  I think it’s a natural result of growth. It also brings:

“Fursploitation.”

(Don’t hate my made-up word!)  Wiki’s exploitation film topic lists over 40 silly subgenres as silly as “Sharksploitation” and “gothsploitation”.  Some of these movies are considered as important as they are trashy.  They made up for low budgets with lurid sensation, and got street cred with outsider subjects that Hollywood wouldn’t touch.

There are actually a few furry-related movies now. (I think Finsterworld will get love in the future when people can see it).  For “fursploitation”, you could start with Shawn Keller’s Horrifying Look at the Furries.  14 years ago, Shawn said:

What better person to do a satirical look at ourselves than one of our own who’s been a furry fan since most of today’s fans were in kindergarden (egad! I’m getting old!)

Some members say the notorious CSI furry episode was their gateway.  That’s what I’m talking about. A great example bringing millions of views right now is Furry Force. (Give it a vote for an Ursa Major!)

Getting to be a bigger deal, and “Big Furry”.

Being noticed invites sharks.  The community gets protective, and even has turf wars. But Furry is hard to own or define. I call it a “big umbrella from Disney to Dirty”. It makes two opposing camps.

Big Business gets power like the government.  “Big Furry” just puts some faces on trends that have many independent members.  But you could say – as these go, so goes the Furry nation:

Anthrocon is the “family friendly” side.  It’s an institution with around $400k budget and $7 million in tourist spending.  Some critics treat it’s policies like a micro-version of real world pandering. But it works. Look at Pittsburgh’s Anthrocon Day, and their best buds at the Anthropomorphic Research Project putting on science-sonas to make furries a field of study.  Uncle Kage is like a default Furry spokesperson.

Bad Dragon is big in “the shadow market“.  It grows fans across other sexual subcultures, and piles of cash bigger than an XL “Chance the Stallion.”  There’s others of course, but is this Furry’s highest valued business?

Way back, these camps had drama with the Burned Furs. They’re a blip in history because the liberated side beat the puritanical fun-haters.  But there’s still drama.  Anthrocon excluding Bad Dragon was a tiny but notable clash.  If you had to pick a side, would it be public image, or popular demand and free expression?