Alright furryGAF I guess I’ll throw down.
As much as the internet likes to rag on furries/anthropomorphic things in general I do think some of the stuff out there is well done, and actually looks really good when in a cartoon or fantasy setting. Miktar shared some of his work a ways back and I’m actually kind of disappointed nobody commented on it as it’s exactly one the styles I’m talking about. (I’m just going to quote the two I thought were pretty cool if that’s alright)Anthro characters are great like this. You can use the added animal traits to further define or emphasize emotions, or if you’re creating a story and need to quickly portray a characters disposition you can typecast them to an animal of a similar nature. The slow but wise old man takes on the traits of a tortoise, the crafty or sly characters are easily associated with foxes, the lazy with sloths, etc. I actually was assigned to a project some time ago where during a brainstorm someone came up with the idea of portraying a group of lawyers as a pack of ravenous wolves which I thought was pretty great.
Where it starts to get weird for me is when people go for realism with anthro characters or emphasize sexual characteristics, which for some reason seem to go hand in hand. There was some brief discussion awhile back where you guys talked about how people don’t really seem to care all that much about sexualizing aliens yet are instantly repulsed by the notion of furry porn, and the idea was thrown around that people’s familiarity with the animals furries base their characters off of hit too close to home or caused assumptions of bestiality and I truly think that’s it. Back when ME2 came out and I use to browse the Bioware forums (may god have mercy on my soul) seeing people chat it up about which of the alien characters they had their Shepard sleep with was basically a daily discussion and I barely bat an eyelash, yet I’d be lying if I said some of the pictures in this thread didn’t make me more than a little uncomfortable.
All that said I do have a question I was hoping to get answered. Just what is the extent of the furry persona? Is it just an online identity/avatar people use to portray themselves?
While I'm quoting your post here, my thoughts are a bit jumbled and related to a few other posts up thread. In no particular order:
* Even the notion that people have an "inherent" confused response to an anthropomorphic animal that is too realistic can be subjective and a product of cultural bias. In some of the explanations of such, I sort of detect a trace of insecurity at human-to-animal relations. The rational seems based in people's discomfort at a "lower" creature being given equal status to a human in a way that is somehow meant to be taken seriously, and not as an abstracted cartoon. But, for example, is this really just a western attitude, say?
* The Japanese and/or asian traditions of using animal-human characters, including for drama or "serious" purposes seems quite comfortable with the imagery. But, and this relates to some of your comments about certain styles of anthro art, the "kemono" tradition is all about using an animal representation to emphasize the traits of a character, or of a human being. As was explained by a Japanese fan of anime one time, the reason why you will see, in an otherwise human cast, some big gruff anthropomorphic dragon character cast as a military general without any explanation for WHY there's a dragon dude in the room, is because that thematically literalizes the character. The viewer familiar with the kemono tradition wouldn't bat an eyelash at it or feel strangely uncomfortable.
* The art that was quoted from Miktar has the spin it does because, speaking of the kemono archetype, that's the spirit in which the art was created. Yes, there is a different mentality there compared to some other orders of anthro or "furry" art. Even if the characters or situations cross over into territory that would be considered sexualized, the convergence doesn't always create the same results.
* Of course, I can't help but ponder that, there can be a hypocrisy going on at times... because people will read in a special layer of discomfort to an anthro character that is presented in the exact same terms - or milder! - as another kind of character. Cheesecake of an anime chick with huge boobs goes remarkably unnoticed, or elicits a snigger. A "furry" character in the same situation, can create a seemingly out of proportion reaction compared to what people let fly. One can say it's because of familiarity with the animal source, sure... even if a valid point, it doesn't mean it's not some form of hypocrisy
* On the whole notion of avatars and personas... it's entirely personal really and runs a gamut. It's a "cool image" avatar for a lot of people, essentially a visualization of a nick or handle. For other people it may mean something different. It could represent a visualization of what they feel are significant aspects their personality, traits. It could be a form of personal role play, could not be. Frankly, it some cases it could be a preferred self image; one that strikes an interesting and probably underexamined kind of taboo in many folks, who may find the idea incomprehensible. But then, in my own opinion, many people are messed up enough as-is to not be comfortable in their own skins, and find the notion of someone shedding theirs (even metaphorically) hits too close to home. So they externalize and project their discomfort... and the "furry persona" thing is coincidentally enough, perfect for triggering a fit in people whom feel certain things being stirred they'd rather not touch.
I'm not trying to get into armchair psychology with the last point, but it's hard to avoid. Over time, I'v seen way, way too many remarkably disproportionate reactions to people adopting another creature (whatever it is) as a self image, to not feel the people freaking out are revealing more about their own psychology than the people they're targeting. So many projected accusations of personality disorders and low self esteem and crazy theories about
childhood, for chrissake; shit the offended observer has no business theorizing about. When often the person who is, supposedly, screwed up demonstrates every sign of being a lot happier than the people grooming exaggerated displays of repulsion.
Oh shit typing again, running away now.