Furlandia and the MTV controversy Part Two

The Media or should I say sex, lies and digital shooting

As it reported (see comments) the entertainment had pulled the plug on the Portland Furlandia shoot, but search around it seem there still keeping the project going on I noting the on Twitter they still asking for furries for True Life episode. 

I had talked to those who ran the convention and look around at other post; there are two reasons I heard why the shoot was pulled. First the media company did not like the restriction the Furlandia placed on the media company and second we were boring. There were plenty of good positive footage on furries but it was not the hook they wanted: the wild and craze yfiff in fursuits angle of CSI, Sex 2k …..  Nuka of Taboo episode chimed in with similar comments how the Produces of National Geographic Taboo could not get  the excitement they were looking   for after  four days of shooting.  

So what do I get from all of this. As I said before, the media are not there to tell your story, the media is there to find somebody to fit theirs.  Second being boring and showing the furry fandom is nothing like how the internet and CSI portrays us as a defense against media bias, but the media will just move on down the food chain to they get their person.   Finally to the media, if you really want to know is join us attend out meets you realize we are neither like the internet nor what the creators of CSI makes us out to be. Do you home work first and if you insist on bias then   I will be watching and will call you to the mat. 

 

Update: hold the presses, they really did not mean they pulled the plug on project they only pulled the plug on the Furlandia shoot. Even after claiming they pulled the plug, the producer   Alex Shaw was on  twitter still looking for furries.

So what does say about her claim on Flayrah wanting “I ALWAYS look to tell a good, balanced story”, If that’s was true then why drop the Furlandia shoot?  Why the vague deceptions and appeal to definitions.  I believe the produce is trying  slip down the furry food chain to find  the person that fists   the shows  preconceptions  of the fandom. The media company want to tell our story they should have used the Furlandia shoot and show we just a bit mundane and perhaps a bit boring.  I have a lot doubts of  MTV and producer’s honesty  and I have history on my side; how many times we furs  heard some reporter or producer wanting to tell our story and end up having the shoot  used  against and damaging the image of the fandom.

Furlandia and the MTV controversy Part One

Part 1 my statement

I was there and yes there were a few glitches. I disagree with total $6 dollar figure I also put in $5.00 on Saturday. I did have a lot of problem with programming, I did not get my schedule for many panel until I got my con book. Sibe was some concern, as much I did not want Furlandia to become another Foxmas, but he seems to have very little effect on the convention was a non issue.

Now as for MTV or should I say Viacommix, Like others, I did not know about the  filming  until opening ceremony; there were sections for those who did and did not want to be video for the project. We who were videoed had singed releases and Saphy had provided an email address of anybody had second thoughts.

Sadly I had pulled out not as much as MTV but I serous spooked by the potential furry drama storm being afraid I would be drag down with everybody else. I wonder my note was received knowing I had my giant Hello Kitty with me and I would have to contact and advise Sanrio Inc. USA on the shoot. Alas, it all mot now because the producer had pulled the plug on the project    I am only sad the Viacommix is out of $1000 dollars that the donated to charity as part of the deal with Furlandia.

But there one thing I agreed and disagree with Aloha Wolf, comment at closing ceremony. I agree we need to get the message of the fandom out to the public but disagrees as pro life, former Christian Fundamentalist, former cultural conservative and republican volunteer I seen how the main stream media, first hand, how they can twist the most positive spin into a big negative. We need to take a tactic like conserve media and create our own channels to inform the public not relying on mainstream media.

Musing on Furry and the Media: News Media is not you Friend.

March has been the usual bad news month for furries.  It started with The Dependent Magazine piece on Vancoufur answering the age old stereotypical over generalized  question:

“1. They are a community who enjoy dressing up as, acting like, and celebrating anthropomorphized animals (read: animals with human characteristics).

2. It may also be a sex thing.”

Next came Adult Swim’s “Check it Out” where the much misinformed main host came out with, again usual stereotypical   “anatomically incorrect fursuit” . Finally  we have a from  New Zealand   comes “Fur fetishists ‘just nature lovers ‘”  a fine example of press bias I have seen sine the Bush 2004 elections and miss-coverage of the tea party.

What one need to know the articles I listed above are just a sampling what is out there and should be an example what wrong with the media.  There are a few areas of observation I would like to make, first how the media reports the story and furries weakness in dealing with the media and what can we do.

A lot what I have to say come from my own experiences as somebody who is an orthodox Christian, Pro Life, former Fundamentalist now reformed Christian and political volunteer. I see similar methods the reporter employs when reporting on furries to many political groups and causes I supported.  It was my study media bias in reporting of furries that eventually drawn me into the fandom.

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Michael Cogliantry's Sex Lies and Camera Film

MR. Cogliantry is  in Willamette Week touting his new book Furvert a so called peek into the furry fandom. There was some choice material in his interview:  

Not exactly. When I first had the idea I started going online onto furry forums; I wanted to schedule the shoot during a furry convention. But the conventions bar the media—they won’t allow any outside photographers in. Eventually I decided to just do what I wanted to do…it’s not a documentary. I got one letter that said, “Obviously this isn’t real. But if you ever want to shoot the real thing, contact me.” And then others that say, “This [the sex stuff] never happens.” 

No exactly how about no, I read a few sites and suddenly I was an expert.

My reply as follows:

I am a furry here in Portland. To say that we are just about having sex in costume strikes me as no different of a stereotype as saying as Black males, like me, eat only fried chicken and watermelon. I still see MR. Cogliantry work as a form of furry blackface in the way mistrals of old use blackface to project their own stereotypes. The furry community is quite diverse both in make-up and interest. There are some weird exhibitionist types as was as decent moral people, the fandom is not about whom one can get into bed but an interest in anthropomorphism.  In our furmeets here in Portland, our small group has gays, a straights and even me a Christian, right of center Black Republican.

Your interview says a lot about you, an artist/journalist in a long line of those who has done no research and relies on serotypes to publish misconceptions about the fandom and exploiting the misconceptions to make a buck.   

 PS. There reason the media is banned form out furry conventions is because you like the media are not going to report the truth. Furries, along with Conservative Republican and Fundamentalist Christians are groups the media fail to report things right. Secondly your acts in public and in your book will not be tolerated by both the Hotel and Furry 

 

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