So does the fact I have Mr. Bear from Battle K-Road as my avatar make me look like a furry?
I have to admit though, my experiences with meeting furries have been less than exemplary. I had no idea such a subculture even existed until I was watching BBC one night and this segment came on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8x6SE6BJL0
I didn't think too much of it other than the fact that I found it strange to sexualize other people with animal features and characteristics, having been a pet owner my whole life. But I also recognized that it was a news segment and so I only saw one group of people of what is mostly a very varied culture, and it's not for me to judge anyway.
My real life encounter with furries came in 2010 when I was sent to AnimeExpo in Los Angeles to write about fandoms and subcultures in the US and walked around the floor, scribbling down notes and interviewing people left and right. It was generally very fun, people in costumes or just passionate fans who were loyal to the shows and the production staffs.
It wasn't until I ventured into a corner with largely furry specific booths and groups that things got a little weird. First thing I saw was similar to what someone else posted earlier, some middle aged balding dude with some sort of animal themed slippers and gloves holding over some young girls' shoulders and talking about how young and lucky they are, and just people in elaborate costumes with mechanical jaws, which is fine I suppose.
I eventually went to grab myself lunch in the food court when I saw a kid in a tiger styled costume with his mask taken off and reading some magazine while eating, and he looked normal and calm enough that I went over and introduced myself and asked him if it was OK if I asked him a few questions for my report on American subcultures, to which he eagerly said yes. I thought the kid seemed alright for a minute, but oh boy it didn't take long before he went virtually loco on me. He hurried the food into his mouth, put his mask on and tied the strings around his neck to make it sit tight, and introduced himself as Raztafar The Tiger (I never got the correct spelling on his name) and proceeded to dance, sing and make a scene which made every table around us leave in constrained laughter. He never let me get a word in and frankly, I was on the verge of crying out of fear of this person in a tiger suit in front of me speaking in tongues. So I pretended to write things down, said thanks and he ventured over to a group of other likeminded people who proceeded to dance and tickle him as he came over. The only way I can visualize my reaction to all this would be this picture:
So while the kids in cosplay and such were definitely flamboyant and sometimes a tad overbearing, they would at least tone down when I introduced myself as press and asked them questions. They would be intelligent and self aware, just feeling free to turn the dial up for the convention.
The furries I spoke to however, I never even got a real name out of them. It seemed to me like whoever was underneath that costume was unconscious and their personality with the costume had taken completely over, so at least in that space and time, they had lost the balance between their real personality and character to their animal one. This wasn't at a furry specific convention though, so I can't say if this is how it normally is there, but at least for my own experiences dealing directly with some of them, they are of the stranger kind. Whatever makes you happy though, by all means.