Somehow, I kind of figured future space garb would be a bit more pragmatic.

I thought I'd jump in on this conversation, since it still seems to be going strong. A bit of background is necessary, I guess. I am not a furry, at least not in the conventional sense of what is being portrayed here. I've always been interested in roleplaying and, to a lesser extent at this point in life, costuming. Well into my mid-teens, I would dress up as a cowboy or a pirate or some such character for my own personal amusement. It was escapism, pure and simple.

When I was twelve or so, I got the idea that it would be cool to be a professional mascot. I was into all things baseball, and also thought it would be a wonderful job to be a play-by-play announcer. As a nonathletic person, I could be involved in a sport I loved (and still do) in a professional capacity. Ironically, I do work in radio, but in music rather than sports.

Later on, I got a job at a public library. It was pretty simple college student work: shelve books and clean up after the patrons leave. It was very tedious, and I soon became rather disenfranchised. But I was offered the ability to become the library's mascot. I jumped at the chance to live out the ambitions I had as a kid. And so, for several years, I would dress up as a dog and go to all sorts of public events for the library. I marched in parades, I visited schools, I even attending city council meetings dressed up in a dog costume. It was a lot of fun.

This is why I don't consider myself a furry: I was always financially compensated for what I did. If you took the money out of the equation, I still would have done it, but I would not have had the same motivation. And, at that point, I never really knew that such a subculture existed within fandom. Now that I do know, though, I doubt I'd be involved. I don't have time to hang out with other gamers that often as I'd like because my life's too busy.

I can relate to much of what the furries said. Putting a suit on like that can be an empowering experience. I had a different persona when I wore the suit, and I could get away with much more. Kids liked me, parents liked me, I got much more attention in that suit than any other time I go out in public. Most of that was positive, but some people reacted quite adversely. I suspect that people who don't like mascots and furries also have issues with clowns, and for many of the same reasons.

So I take furries at face value. They enjoy what they do. When not taken to extremes, it can be a positive hobby, just like tricking out a car or taking up a musical instrument. However, just like any other activity, one has to question whether or not an overriding behavior is a negative force in their life. I think the furries posting here would agree with me that balance is key.

Apologies for the long post.