Again, I have to disagree.....and yes I am aware of many of the things now considered normal which were once taboo and punishable by stoning/burning/cruicifiction whatever.  Unless Zoophilia and Beastiality become mainsteam....furry never will.  Some on the fringes, hell even some of the quirks done by the majority of the fandom are just that far out there.....

Yeah, im sorry for mentioning the largest issue which common people associate with the fandom....TWICE.  In regards to a discussion about whether it will ever be accepted into the mainstream.  I'm sorry if you can't accept that its an issue that will have to be dealt with if furs are ever to become "normal."  Whether or not it has a large impact on the fandom is not the issue....It's all about perception.

That's roughly the equivalent of saying that the reason that gays will never be accepted is because a somewhat common opinion of them is that they molest children.  You'd be shocked how often people get uncomfortable with their children around somebody gay because they almost expect them to take a pass at their kids.  I've seen this gay = pedophile line of thinking expressed by parents time and time and time again in casual discussion when they had no idea I myself am gay.  Some people are stupid and simply need to be better educated, eventually we won't have to worry about those people any more anyway.

So instead of bringing this issue up repeatedly regardless of if you want to tell people you fuck your dog in the ass or that "no furries aren't like that", how about you stop bringing it attention because just on it's head it evokes negative connotations and will look bad, and address it when somebody else brings it up?  Especially the fact that you bring it up unprovoked can at times make it look as if you are overly defensive for some reason or maybe have something to hide.

I think most people associate furries with fucking other furries rather than animals. Regardless, the "normalization" of furriness is the only thing that is going to combat misconceptions. Span brings up a great point with the whole gay=pedo thing, while still a common stereotype it has become something that regular straight people will call homophobes on when they hear it. I think the whole furry thing is perfectly suited towards becoming accepted even though it is so radical, it fits consumer culture really well. There's money to be made in selling furry gear! 

Yeah, the prospects for comercialization are definately there....hell, some con (I want to say Califur) had nearly a 3 million dollar profit in the week that activities were happening a few years ago, and that doesn't include the comissions, or the suits.  Some of the better furry artists charge a couple hundred per print, even for small shit, like con badges.

Califur is too damn small to have made that, it had to have been Further Confusion if you're thinking West Coast cons.

 

God, this thread has become 100 times more appealing since the furfags got at each others throat.

All it needs now is a gay furfag make-up / make-out session to seal the deal.