Yes, I’m off on a safari. Well, kind of. It doesn’t involve any real wild life. Plus, I’m not actually going anywhere. Okay, I admit, it’s not a safari, it’s just a new bout of Second Life research on the furry community for American Sexuality. But there will be claws involved, that I can bet.
If you’re a furry (or if you play one on TV), and you’d like to volunteer yourself for an interview, an in-game chat, or some research-based hanky panky–because it is that kind of an article–feel free to comment or email me. I won’t lie, beyond the basics, I don’t know much about you guys. But I hear you’re darn good in text bed.
Bonnie Ruberg is a sex, technology, and video games journalist who contributes regularly to publications like The Economist, Forbes, and The Village Voice. By day she's also a comparative literature PhD student at UC Berkeley, where she studies French, English, gender, sexuality, surrealism and perversion. You can reach her at [her first name and last name, all one big word] AT gmail DOT com.
August 13th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
Slightly off-topic, but this reminded me of an emote-only relationship my Tauren Druid once had across a Tarren Mill battlefield with a cute Night Elf Druid. Before the battlegrounds and other pvp areas, on a Role Playing server, the gap between Tarren Mill and Southshore was where the PvP action was. As a lowly level 26 hordling, I had quests to do in Tarren Mill, and traversed the battlefield, untouchable due to the rules of the RP PvE server. I spied a similarly low level, out of combat druid, and in a gap in the fighting, we communicated through our various beast forms, and /dancing, /flirting and /kissing. It provided some entertainment for the surrounding 60s, who teased me mercilessly, and even followed into what we thought would be our secluded hide-away in an abandonded tower.
Furry, Tauren/Druid Cat/Bear shenanigans from a WoW of another time…
These digital memories are just as valid as real ones aren’t they?
August 14th, 2006 at 11:16 am
Forget Norway!
August 14th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Good times.
I’m also curious, for the non-furries of the world, what you think of furry culture and furry sex?
August 15th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
[...] Bonnie Ruberg has a post up over at Heroine Sheik soliciting input on the Second Life furry sex culture for an editorial assignment she's working on. She also wants to hear from those who do not necessarily interact in SL as non-human representations. [...]
August 16th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Hmm, probably might not have much of a response to this considering the unfortunate bad press that furry tends to generate sometimes. Usually it’s thanks to a lot of misconceptions about the fandom itself. It’s still just rather surprizing that people seem to be so facinated with furries in general. To me, as a fur, it’s not exactly any different than a typical day as an ordinary person.
Basically just picture reality, the same problems and pleasures, but probably just with ears and a tail. I guess I shoudln’t be surprized that people, despite some of the bad press and negativity i’ve seen on the net are still curious about us. Most furs usually tend to avoid talking about “furry concerns” with non furs because of all that. Who would want to if the people you are trying to communicate to have already made their minds up about you? Honestly I dont’ even think that furs themselves know what it’s all about. It’s simply many different things to many different people.. for some, it’s the costuming.. others merely enjoy the artwork. Others even just love the idea in general. I prefer to liken it to just a fun place to retreat to after a long day of work’s gotten you beat.
Sadly, some peole would simply stop at the overgeneralized “wierdoes who dress up in animal costumes and have sex” and that’s that stereotype. Those who look beyond the MTV media package image of the fandom that a lot of people seemed to buy might find some interesting surprizes if they werent’ focused totally on some of the more sexual aspects of the fandom. (which isn’t as prevalent as some would like to think)
August 16th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
To respond to Ian Soulfox’s comment, there are a number of reasons why ‘furries’ are so stigmatized lately. I think it’s part of the hazing ritual that any deviant culture element needs to proceed through before becoming mainstream. It exposes the culture to scrutiny, but it also acclimates mainstream culture to the habits and practices of the deviant culture.
Take heart – if bdsm can achieve mainstream acceptance (as it largely has), then furries can too.
I come from both sides of the fence – I entered the furry community even though I have no personal identification with animals. But I do enjoy the different personal conventions that furries espouse and practice, and the somewhat wider variety of sexual practices that they feel free to enjoy and socialize around.
That said, I am extremely well versed with furry erotica, and I’d love to discuss it with you, Bonnie. My in-game name on SL is Solaire Epsilon.
August 17th, 2006 at 9:25 am
Most furs usually tend to avoid talking about "furry concerns" with non furs.
Ooh, furry concerns. Do tell.
I understand you’re feelings about being stigmatized as furries, but I think what would help is to talk openly about what it’s like to be a fur–even the everyday stuff.
That said, I am extremely well versed with furry erotica, and I'd love to discuss it with you, Bonnie.
Sounds great. I’ll look you up as soon as I get back in world!
August 17th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
I'm also curious, for the non-furries of the world, what you think of furry culture and furry sex?
This is what happens when you don’t stop kids from fucking their teddy bears when they’re in the formative stages of psychosexual development.
August 18th, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Beh! Anything remotely different gets scuffed now and then. I’ve found SecondLife if anything has been gradually dispelling alot of the myths and preconceived furry-notions that have been floating around. Totemistic representation isn’t really that far out :D
Sex is taboo.. especially kinky sex…anything remotly off center tends to elicit different responses in people. But the truth is, everybody has their quirks n’ kinks. That’s why some guy can pleasure himself while watching womens’ tenis strangling himself with a satin stocking. At the end of the day it’s just stuff ppl do to have a good time. We’re not hurting anyone…unless they wanna be. And damn right we’re good in textbed. ^_^
i ‘ono… in a virual world where you can more or less be and do anything.. why necessarily be human? Geez.
August 18th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
For the most part, I tend to agree with Ian. I think a lot of the perceptions that have grown outside the furry fandom have to do with sensationalism. People are constantly intrigued by that which is different. Furries are radically different because they question the most basic principles of dilineation between human and animal. Whether it is for aesthetic, philosophical or sexual preference is inconsequential. Furries are simply those who look at ‘humanity’ as a whole and say “Why?”
Non-furries who are intrigued by this phenomenon no doubt come up with their own mental mythologies that complicate this very simple idea that furries hold in common. The sexuality, philosophy, lifestyle and all other things thrown into the social spotlight are simply extensions of a single basic idea. Sadly, both furries and non-furries alike fail to realise this very simple fact, and argue incessantly over which element is central to furry culture.
As Myke pointed out, totemism is not far from the truth. Humans have associated themselves and their qualities with animals for millennia. In the end, furries simply choose the animal ideas that they feel the most connection to. Its not always a conscious philosophicalchoice either. Most furries just do it for the hell of it. Its there, its fun, it can be done, so why not? The entire furry culture then extends from that point. All sex and naughtiness is a result of natural human tendencies to sexualise personal traits, not because there is a preference for animal sex or deviant raunchiness.
Anyway, thats my opinion on furriness. Hope it helps.
Bunny signing out.
August 18th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Sex is taboo…? In the America of 2006? Yeah, ok.
August 20th, 2006 at 6:56 am
i "~ono"¦ in a virual world where you can more or less be and do anything.. why necessarily be human? Geez
Good point! One of the things I wonder is how furs pick their animal prototypes. I was talking to a skunk fur in SL who said his whole life he had felt a deep connection to skunks IRL. But I don’t know that everybody starts things that way…
I think a lot of the perceptions that have grown outside the furry fandom have to do with sensationalism.
And one of things that makes it seem so sensational, I think, is that it calls to mind (for some at least) a larger taboo, namely bestiality. Not to say that the two are necessarily connected. But again, I wonder, as a non-fur, do furs feel a draw to that element of sexuality as well?
August 20th, 2006 at 11:14 am
I was talking to a skunk fur in SL who said his whole life he had felt a deep connection to skunks IRL.
Regular bathing might help with that.
August 22nd, 2006 at 6:30 am
I wonder, as a non-fur, do furs feel a draw to that element of sexuality as well?
Well, I can’t speak for the whole, Bonnie, but from my experience, most furs do not. There are very few zoophile fus out there. While the concept of furry and bestiality seems similar, many furs are rather put off by the idea of sex with an actual animal. Furries will take animal characteristics of different species and apply them to a human form, but they still mark the difference between a furry and and animal, and make other furries their sexual preference.
In fact, your question makes an excellent point about sexual stigma in general. The inferred connection between furries and beastiality is the same as the inferred connection some people make between, say, homosexuals and pedophilia. Are there homosexual pedophiles? Of course there are. But there are also heterosexual pedophiles. Homosexuals are just more likely to be immediately looked upon as potential predators because people make a connection between the two (not in small part due to the efforts of groups like NAMBLA, but I wont delve into my opinions there). People seem to have a tendency to want to place things in large groups, because its easy to think in terms of large groups. Any one admission of deviant sexual practices often leads to the inference/inclusion of other deviant practices.
In the end, furries are furries, zoophiles are zoophiles, homosexuals are homosexuals and pedophiles are pedophiles. Yes, its true the lines arent always that clear, and somewhere out there is probably a gay furry zoo-pedophile. But God help us when they catch him, because the publicity on that is goona ruin it for the rest of us honest gay fuzzy types.
Bunny signing out.
August 23rd, 2006 at 11:09 am
Very good points, Geo! I’m hoping to make that one of the points of the article, that some of the stigmas not furs might associate with it (like bestiality) are actually far removed. But it’s good to hear that reaffirmed :).
November 5th, 2006 at 4:37 am
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