[Oh no, another rant] Less embarrassed to call myself a furry fan in Japan than America
I went on a bender on Twitter last night, so beware. Also, thank you Tumblr spellcheck.
Having experienced the furry fandom in both Japan and in the USA, I must say in Japan I felt far, far less awkward among fellow sub-culture participants in revealing that I'm into furry characters and have dealt heavily in the fandom.
In Japan, furry felt like a minuscule corner in the national internet sub-culture scene. Minuscule, yet still very much a part of the whole sub-culture. In America, furry feels distinctly separate from other sub-cultures, a whole tribe unto itself.
On top of that, unlike in Japan where I can say I'm into furry the same way I'm into anime and video games, in America it feels almost like an embarrassment to admit to being a furry fan, even amongst non-furry sub-culture denizens, my own greater-category brethren.
I've had time to think about the differing feelings of association, and I feel part of why Japan felt so comfortable and welcoming was that 1) furry was considered just a sub-genre of moe, like maids and lolis. It lacked the connotations of EXTRA weirdness that it had in the US.
I think, as far as the Japanese were concerned, once you're part of any sub-culture, that was it - you're now just Weird. It wasn't a badge of pride - in fact, it's rather shameful in a way. But the societal shame and passion for your hobbies were the same with others too.
So because we were essentially all the same kind of Freak, a lot of sub-cultures cross-pollinate, professionally and commercially, and it becomes very easy to connect across genre fandoms. I got along with a lot of non-furs and they could appreciate that I drew furs.
In contrast, fandoms in America feel distinctly exclusive to each other. Far fewer people can be classified as cross-fandom fans, and approach their communities like such. Genres are treated like labels. Blending interests feel less organic.
For some reason, fandoms act like tribes in America, and anybody who doesn't share a lot of the tribe's fan passions are treated to some degree like outsiders. What do we normally think when we think of a typical "anime fan", a "furry", a "brony", and a "gamer"?
Why do we express some surprise when certain people who are known as fans of one sub-genre turn out to be fans of a seemingly different sub-genre too? If Christopher Nolan one day denounced the lack of polish and NPCs in Fallout 76, for example?
So it's this weird tribalism present in American fandom culture that seems to be lacking in Japan that contributes to my discomfort in associating with those who intensely like animal people, in America. In America, I'm ultimately gonna be treated differently for it.
2) Representation issues. I actually feel like I'm in good company with Japanese furs and furry in the greater internet sub-culture, either because many are like me (not just the Asian bit, you racists), or there are many I want to be.
Many Japanese furs are of average build, and they dress modestly but with an eye for fashion, so they don't stand out garishly. Many are cross-fandom, meaning they consume anime, manga, movies and pop music, among other mundane interests.
Many use furry as just a Step One icebreaker, as further connections are established along other lines, like jobs, other fandoms and interests.
And furry (and porn) isn't a goddamn career killer nor a joke in Japan either. Takahiro Kimura, Nobuteru Yuki, CyberConnect2...
There's a lot of cultural history that has made Japan more accommodating to the last bit above, but that's another topic.
So yeah, I honestly feel more at home with Japan's sub-culture. It's easier for me to relate to others, and professionals exist that do what I wanna do.
I... don't feel that in America. Even after 20+ years, I feel like a stranger in my own community. It's mostly why I removed myself from Inkbunny and FA, and have now largely stopped bothering to reach out to, or shut out altogether many people in the fandom.
I don't feel like I exist to most anyone. Those who reach out to me, who I can relate to, fall under the cross-fandom category anyway, but those people feel so few in the American fandom. Not to mention the circumstances in which I exist in the fandom.
Disclaimer: This thread was inspired by recent furry Twitter buzz over some docu-vid episode following three furries, as a more positive outside view on the furry fandom.
The subjects were (apparently) 1) fursuiters 2) awkward at the start 3) now oh-so-better cuz FANDOM YAAY
I'm not a fursuiter, and whether I ended up being better for being in the furry fandom is still up for debate. My strongest link to the furfandom is just an affinity for animal people content. Otherwise, I'm actually a bigger anime fan and gamer.
We all know the furry fandom is WAY more diverse than this, but we're still stuck with the perception that it's all fursuits and childish masquerades, public hypersexuality, unrestrained Rule 34 on even the most innocent IPs (even though ALL the internet does this), and either neckbeards, the cringe-inducing awkward folk, or flaming gays. Even though this next bit is universal, anyone who'd pass off for a normie in this community is practically invisible.
Like the Unity engine, the furry fandom has an image problem. And this image problem is also why I feel differently in Japan's fandoms versus America's. Whereas I blend in and mingle nicely in Japan, I can't shake off the vibe of dissociation and dissonance in America.
And it honestly sucks, still.
