What's a furry? A furry is your typical Trekkie, movie fan, and roleplayer on World of Warcraft. Likewise, furries are skater boys, jocks, and gamers. In short, they're people who show a common interest.
What I'm saying is, this isn't really something that needs reading into. We're an interest group, like a myriad of other fandoms scattered over the Internet, and nothing more. Specifically, we're an interest group that centers on anthropomorphic animals, or animals that carry humanlike traits.
Examples: werewolves, griffins, vampires, Mr. Ed, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, Garfield, and characters in such forms of literature as The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Maus, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Animal Farm, and even the Bible. Movies displaying anthropomorphia include (and are DEFINITELY not limited to) Disney's Robin Hood, and every werewolf flick out there.
What's special about furries, though? Naturally, there's something about our interests that makes many of us tick. Whatever it may be, many furries wish to immerse themselves in the fandom, creating their own characters (appropriately named 'fursonas') and worlds where other furries can live and play.
I emphasize 'play' for a reason. There is only one common underlying reason I see why furries are as they are: to have fun.
This is a rather vague description, but part of that is because furries are a rather blurred group themselves. Ask any two of us "What's a furry?" and chances are, you'll get two vastly different answers. Are anthros animals that are human? Or are they humans that are animals? Are they only animals, or does Osmosis Jones count, too? Are anime catgirls furries? What about Alf or Chewbacca?
What about the intensity of interest? Can a furry be someone who just happens to like anthropomorphic animals, or does furry require specialization in the field? The possibilities are endless!
If it's just another interest group, why do you make a big deal out of it, Fenris? Like I said before, it's fun. Also, I'm impressed by how easily applicable it is to mainstream media. Many groups such as Goths and punks already give off an emotional reaction before people see the content (i.e. one can assume that any Goth-themed media is going to be moody, and so on.) In the public eye, however, furry is emotionally neutral. That means, it can easily integrate into so many other forms of media, from horror, like Ginger Snaps, to comedy, like Dr. Doolittle, to family-friendly things like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to mature matters, like Maus.
I've seen furries in everything from comics to movies to novels to radio shows, and they're probably not done spreading.
How do I become a furry? There's no definite answer to this. It's like asking, "How do you become an aficionado with so-and-so?" All it requires is liking anthros.
What all is there to do, though? Well, for the most part, we're artists. My gallery, or the galleries of most of my friends are prime examples of furry artwork.
Though it is not required, most furries will recommend that you develop your own character. Something that represents you and your interests, and will distinguish you from the others. For instance, a southern red wolf seemed ideal for me because a) I'm a southerner, and b) as popular as wolves are as a personal avatar, I seldom see humanlike canis lupus rufuses running around RP chats.
Ah yes, roleplaying. That's the perfect place to give your newly-created character a test-run. Remember that your species is not set in stone, so you're encouraged to experiment until you find something that strikes a chord.
I heard some weird stuff about furries on Something Awful or CSI. What's up? Yea, almost forgot: being furry requires that you run away from home, practice witchcraft, and go to work wearing nothing but fursuits. Whoopsie!
Just kidding. Every fandom is going to have someone giving them flack; the equivalent to chess club nerds receiving squirlies in 5th period gym class. The chief reason why this happens is because we make ourselves easy targets. It is an incontrovertible matter of fact that yes, furries are freaks in a way. There are, in fact, those among us who collect plushies, dress up as high school mascots, and do their blessed best to scare away the more boring among us. And we accept these freaks as our own.
If you're more "normal" among us, however, and you still find this coverage to be bothersome, either realize that it's not directed at you personally, or don't respond to it at all. Basically, don't worry about what other people say about you and your interests and they'll get bored and move onto something else.
Where can I find more information on the furry fandom? What? This ain't good enough for you?! Joking aside, here's a coupla nice links that can clarify my psychobabble:
