artemisdragmire

One thing I'll counterpoint here, as a fellow fur, is that some fursuiters, myself included, do enjoy going out in public (always in a group, never solo!), even if it's just for a walk around the block or whatever... so while the vast majority of us don't stand on street corners for attention, as you said, I wouldn't say that furries (and fursuiters) do not go into public for attention, as for some, that's part of the allure of owning a fursuit.

I for one LOVE going out around Halloween especially (gives you a legit excuse for wearing a costume). I also love going to public parks or public grounds. Some of my best photos of my suit and some of the most fun I've had interacting with the public has been while I fursuited on the state capitol grounds where I live. :)

That said, just clarifying what I think you were trying to get across. Fursuiting isn't always restricted to conventions. :)

No offense to you at all, but as a fellow furry, this is exactly why the general consensus in the fandom is that of "Avoid the media at all costs".

It's not because we want to hide, it's because the media needs to sell ratings, and controversy and "weirdness" sells. Showing the truth of the matter doesn't sell them ad space.

As a curiosity, before you appeared on this show, had you attended any conventions, and if so, had you attended any of Uncle Kage's "Furry and the Media" panels or watched them on youtube?

I'll respond here as another member of the furry fandom:

There were definitely bad reactions to her appearing on the show. Anytime someone volunteers to put themselves on a pedestal, especially for a reality TV show like this that so obviously wants to sell controversy and "weirdness" for ratings, it irks members of the fandom.

What sucks is that the way these productions twist reality in order to make the subject look "weird" to the outside for ratings, also has the effect of making the subject look bad in the eyes of their peers. As a result, other furs might see this and get defensive.

A well known member of the furry community, Dr. Samuel Conway (aka "Uncle Kage") does a panel at many of the larger furry conventions that provides advice on what to do if approached by the media. Here's a link to a recording of his most recent panel on the subject from Anthrocon 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jGlEYZeOj4 -- A good watch, even if you're not a furry. Good advice about dealing with the media. :)

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Generally, the sentiment among most furs I know and speak to is that it is that it's a bad idea to interact with the media unless you know FOR SURE they are with an organization that's not looking for a "spin" for ratings.

Every now and then, they snag someone that innocently thinks they're either doing a good thing, or wants the attention (I think the OP is definitely in the category of "wanting to do the right thing"), and something like this gets made. It's unfortunate, but it's the reality we live in.

ANYONE who has an unusual hobby or interest should be very cautious about approaching, or being approached by, media outlets such as this one. This doesn't apply just to furries, we just happen to have an unusual hobby that is unusual enough to attract attention.

Is this an alt of the person doing the AMA?

Assuming it is...:

No worries. You seem like a pretty genuine person so I don't hold it against you.

It'd be nice if we didn't need what is practically a classroom course on how to approach the media and how to handle being approached by the media, but that's the world we live in.

Hey there,

I work for an Indian casino on the northern plains, as an IT technician, just doing your standard computer/server support. Some work on the Aristocrat systems that we have as well (mostly managing the databases and back-end).

I've always loved games and seeing people have fun. So working at a casino has been great for me. I've thought about switching a career focus from IT to something to do more with game design, marketing, or something similar in the casino industry.

What would you say would be good ways to make this happen? Does an IT degree translate well into other fields in the casino industry? I've only been working here about a year, but plan to keep my eyes open for local opportunities.

Basically, the whole psychology behind gambling fascinates me, the numbers, the statistics, the ways you draw people in and keep them playing. I have thought seriously about trying to move my career in that direction but am not sure what the best way to do that is. Any suggestions?