I woke up at 11:25 yesterday morning, much too late to leisurely get out of bed, have breakfast, and make my noon class, and much too early to immediately decide that class would not be worth attending since I'd miss a significant portion of the 50 minute lecture. I hate when that happens, since making important decisions immediately after waking up is not something I enjoy doing. I decided not to push it and laid my head back down to get another half hour of sleep. Hey, I hadn't made my way into sleepland until about 4:30 in the morning!

Before my 1:00 class, I had some time to construct a reply to a post on a forum I frequent. I had plenty to say in response, and feel it's worth recording here (touched up a little) just for safekeeping, and because it may interest other viewers.

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*******'s latest spiel is the sort of thing that made me hesitant to want to label myself a furry in the first place. I honestly don't know where to start in picking apart this post, but I guess I'll just start from the beginning.

Yes, we have nothing to be ashamed of, but your entire post in general actually suggests something otherwise. It doesn't make you seem confident with and proud of what you are, it just makes you appear unconvinced and insecure and that you're just trying to justify your feelings. Not only that, you're inadvertently making furry out to be something like a curse. It's something you like, pal; not some horrible disease that's going to get you quarantined to a leper colony.

You know, I've spoken with a few anti-furries, and many of the halfway reasonable ones say that the main reason they don't like furries so much is because so many of them act like a downtrodden minority and use their furriness as an excuse to act like victims of society. After reading your post, *******, I can completely understand where they're coming from. I'm sure many of them don't shun us for liking what we like so much as the ridiculous "we're freaks and proud of it so let's be anti-humanity" movement so many parade around. Frankly, I'm awfully tired of it.

All the childish cliches in your argument also bother me. "Humans suck so much! I'm so glad I'm not them, living their empty, cruel, heartless lives! Furry forever!!!!@!@"

... Whatever. You should develop enough maturity to realise that if you wish to be accepted, you have to be accepting of others. It's a pretty basic principle. If you want your furriness to be accepted, then stop making preposterous generalisations about virtually everyone who isn't a furry. That will get you absolutely nowhere. Why can't more souls just enjoy the fandom and live a furry lifestyle without blowing everything way out of proportion and demanding "equal rights"? No wonder there are so many anti-furries out there. We are in full control of who we are. We have every right to enjoy what we enjoy. We even have the right in most places to walk around in public in fursuits. Honestly, what the heck are we fighting for? Respect? Admiration? None of us are as special as some of us delude ourselves into thinking, so we shouldn't expect to be treated like nobles. The better you treat others and keep an open mind toward their differing beliefs, the better you yourself can expect to be treated, and the better you're making the whole furry fandom look. If you want to be regarded as an equal, then start treating others like equals. Being a furry is nothing to be ashamed of, since it's really just a personalised set of preferences, tastes, and values, but being a closed-minded, self-righteous, melodramatic furry is.

Living life closer to the animal kingdom? Please . . . humans are in the animal kingdom. But I'm sure you'll get over your rebellious phase in a few years. Rebellious tendencies happen to pretty much every young human or fur at some point in their lives, then they grow up.

If anyone needs to lighten up, it might just be you. Be content with who you are and try to develop an appreciation and respect for differences. Realise that there is no such thing as "normal," as others have already pointed out. We're not in the 'right' and everything else in the 'wrong' as you seem to be implying. We all just have individual tastes and preferences, and you should stop treating 'everyone else' like they're just a colossal army of mindless drones. Deep down inside, you must know that isn't true, so it's time to progress- to break free of your dream world just long enough for you to at least realise the truth. The sooner you face up to it all, the easier life will become for you. Trust me, please.

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To add on to this, I recognise I may very well be coming off as a hypocrite to many who have followed my online contributions over the years. I do recall all that "I hate humanity" griping I used to do. I do believe that I have, in fact, wisened up substantially over the past many months, at least enough to overcome my 'rebellious' lashing-out-at-society stage. It was probably at its worst from 2000-2002, but I'm still wringing out the last remaining traces of it- for my own good to say the least. I am learning from the mistakes I make along the way, and I see no reason to indulge in those puerile games anymore. Leading people on with staged bitterness and hostility due to exaggerated contempt toward anything with opposable thumbs was amusing for awhile, but is simply not gratifying anymore. I believe I am finally realising that I would rather be a help than a hindrance.

I would also rather simply be myself and say what I mean. There's no easier place to do such a thing than my very own journal.

I have Di-Qwan's Dance Grooves in my head. Figures.