The UCLA Daily Bruin (not furry) does a piece on Bucker the Fox (furry) and calls it
Hidden Tails, the secret of the furry community. And while at first glance they could have done a little better in their selection of a furry to interview...
“When I talk to furries online, instead of saying ‘hey’, I say ‘arf’ or ‘woof.’ Instead of sending a happy face, I’ll say, ‘wags tail.’ There is a different dialogue online,” he said.
... the article comes across as fair and reasonable. One psychiatry and biobehavioral research scientist at UCLA, Dr. Robert Lemelson, is generous enough to contribute. He also feels the furry phenomenon is a result of modernity, and suggests the cultural and historical connection between man and animal is here expressed in a new way. Bucker expresses himself personally through music and creativity.
"You can sing about how you are stuck in the city and how you just want to go out to the forest and be free. I encourage furries not to hide behind the stereotypes that everyone feels required to conform to do certain things. Some of my lyrics are, 'Don’t hide your tail in your pants.' [...] I have broadened my musical horizons through it. I am in a furry band and we perform at conventions. It’s an opportunity for me to express creativity in a setting where people are not out there to judge you."
Way to conform to stereotype, Mr. Furry Rock Star. Those horizons aren't getting any broader when your audience's greatest musical aspirations are Dragonforce and O-Zone. The sexual stereotype of the culture is downplayed, as "only a small percentage of furries" are actually aroused by the thing, so say the interviewed. This finesse is welcomed; Dr. Lemelson "emphasized that the furry subculture is no different from other hobbies, such as sports, theater or gardening." Very fair indeed, if this is the opinion a medical community holds of the furries. Let them fill the gaps in later.
