this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2026
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Unpopular Opinion

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The whole furry thing is stupid (kopitalk.net)
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by yottle@kopitalk.net to c/unpopularopinion@lemmy.world
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There seem to be some people on Lemmy who genuinely believe that they are an animal. They say they are an "unperson" or discuss conversing with "animals" who "happen to be born in human bodies". They see their struggle as on par with the struggle for trans people, and their right to be recognized as animals as a part of a broader societal struggle for queer acceptance.

Well, this is fucking stupid.

First of all, comparing "I'm a puppy uWu" to gender dysphoria trivializes what trans people go through. Furries are not struggling like trans people. They are simply mocking trans people (whether that mockery is intentional or not is besides the point).

Second of all, you're not a fucking animal bro ffs. Being an animal isn't a state of mind. It isn't a vibe. It isn't a social construct. It isn't something you're assigned at birth. It's about DNA. You have 50% of DNA from a human mom, and 50% of your DNA from a human dad, so you have 100% human DNA (granted maybe you have like 0.1% Neanderthal DNA but whatever). So you're a human. This shouldn't be a hard concept to grasp.

If you can speak a human language, and have the mental wherewithal required to use the internet, then you have a HUMAN MIND. And if you "just so happen to be born in a human body" then you have a HUMAN BODY. HUMAN MIND + HUMAN BODY = HUMAN. IT'S ALL HUMAN. YOU ARE HUMAN. Just because you have a bestiality fetish does not make you a fucking bobcat ffs

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[–] bearboiblake@pawb.social 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

You're welcome! It's probably worth pointing out that that denying/rejecting delusions is a bad approach according to the broad consensus of mental healthcare professionals/resources too - you can find loads of resources online, but I'll share this random Australian government health website since there's not really a universal source - emphasis mine:

When supporting someone experiencing psychosis you should:

  • talk clearly and use short sentences, in a calm and non-threatening voice
  • be empathetic with how the person feels about their beliefs and experiences
  • validate the person’s own experience of frustration or distress, as well as the positives of their experience
  • listen to the way that the person explains and understands their experiences
  • not state any judgements about the content of the person’s beliefs and experiences
  • not argue, confront or challenge someone about their beliefs or experiences
  • accept if they don't want to talk to you, but be available if they change their mind
  • treat the person with respect
  • be mindful that the person may be fearful of what they are experiencing.

I hope you can understand what I'm trying to get at, here - not only is arguing with people about their belief that they are an animal unhelpful, but might actually make the problem worse. I still think the best approach is to just leave them be unless they're actually your friend, but if you really want to help them, I hope you remember this advice.

Also, I hope you'll reconsider your views on furries! There are lots of intolerant people out there sadly who like to punch down on us underdogs (pun not intended) for being a little outside the norm, and there are those who try and make out that the furry fandom is really fucked up and engages in really heinous things that furries are actually completely intolerant towards in reality. We don't deserve half the abuse we get, we're good folks on the whole - there are definitely some oddballs, like with any fandom, but the furry fandom is very accepting towards people who are different, that's one of the things that makes it such a positive community.

[–] yottle@kopitalk.net 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Also, I hope you’ll reconsider your views on furries!

The person I was conversing said their belief they were an animal was a furry thing, so that's the word I used in this post. Since then have been a number of comments here explaining the technical terms used to describe the different subtypes of furries. If someone just likes art of anthropomorphic animals then I don't take issue with that

[–] bearboiblake@pawb.social 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, some people consider Therians/Otherkin to be a subcategory of the furry fandom, some don't. The taxonomy isn't really that important, I think.

I think most Therians/Otherkin are basically just teenagers exploring their identities, choosing to identify as their favorite animals online for a bit of fun and maybe some form of escapism from what might be pretty shitty lives.

I just believe that people can and should identify however they like, as long as it's not causing people problems, it doesn't really matter!