Furries claim to be a mere fandom. That’s it, move on, nothing to see here. What is a fandom? A fandom makes a hobby out of something people are a fan of. It’s very much like a fan club. For example, people who like Ford Mustangs might join a Mustang club or some other kind of car club. I once knew a couple who owned two Huskies and were members of a Husky club. Fan clubs concerning sports figures and movie stars are myriad.

The Furry fandom is a fake fandom; it’s a cover, which is why “fake fandom” will be a major theme of the book I will be publishing on the Furry “fandom.” The introduction will preface the use of ” the Fandom” in the book with the author’s acknowledgment that it is a fake fandom.

Furries like to compare themselves to other fandoms that focus on animation characters and art. “Hey, we are no different than any other club that has a common interest in something; nothing here, get a life and move on.” In the Furries’ avid defense of their sect against my criticism, they are fond of bringing up the Bronies.

Who are the Bronies? Well, they are men who are big fans of the movie, My Little Pony. And, they are very weird. And, they are big into My Little Pony art and other things Pony, but they are not the only fan club that is weird. But, they are a legitimate fandom, and an excellent opportunity to further understand Furryism by comparison and contrast.

As you might suspect, anything that can make a connection of interest between adult men and little girls is bound to be exploited by some, but you have to look hard for actual cases. Most Bronies are young males of the Millennial generation age, which makes sense because the Millennial generation is opposed to what they call, “toxic masculinity.” Many in this fandom tout the benefits of finding their “inner feminine.” In this regard, to some degree, you could argue for Brony ideology, but it isn’t an ideology that drives adverse behavior to any significant degree.

In contrast, decadent, criminal, and adverse behavior by the Furry sect can be found everywhere you point a stick while blindfolded. Bronyism is all about the ponies, but Furyism is about many other things normally not discussed in open settings. Furyism has more baggage than an Amtrak train.

Also, Bronies may use internet handles, but hidden identities are rare. Furries, for the most part, hide their identities. The excuse for that follows: it’s a good idea to hide your identity on the internet because of identity theft. So, if something is a good idea, the motive for doing it is completely irrelevant, right? If the police catch you burglarizing a business in the middle of the night, they should forget the whole thing because you used a penlight to see what you were doing which is a good idea. Hardly. At the beginning of my journalistic journey provoked by a change of leadership at the church I attended years ago, their silly answers and lame excuses told me that there was much more going on than the eyes could see.  Once again, I find myself in the same situation.

Nether do Bronies believe they are ponies. In addition, Bronies don’t believe their true identities are found in ponies. As we will see in future posts in this series, Furism has been classified as a mental dissociative disorder by many psychologists.