Will these complaints be addresses?

Furfright is, indeed, an excellent convention. Perhaps I'll see your "furiend" there.

This has already been addressed numerous times. We are working on it.

Personally, I found the Westin's "Heavenly Bed" to be extremely comfortable. I don't think the hotel would be amenable to exchange every one of their 900-plus beds for your friend's benefit.

I'm confused as to whether your friend stayed in the Westin or the Omni. Regardless, the Omni is a luxury hotel, not a convention hotel, and is nowhere big enough to hold something the size of Anthrocon in its entirety.

It costs us $1000 to keep the fursuit lounge refrigerated to the temperature that it was. I think that we might have to raise membership rates a wee bit if we asked that the entire convention center be cooled that far.

Anthrocon does not pick its panelists for their political views, and in fact was not aware that any political discussions were being entertained during its programming time. We are a furry convention, not a political lobbying group, and I find it very hard to believe that every one of our panelists happened by chance to be a Leftist.

This is something that is only observed at Anthrocon, and not at any large gathering of human beings?

To the best of my knowledge it wasn't very hostile to any other sorts of furries. I cannot help but wonder just what sort of furry your friend is that he would invite such hostility from others.

Terribly sorry that we will not see him again. Please assure him that we will work very hard to remedy those issues that are within our control, and that I wish him luck in tackling those issues that are within his.

Wow, I guess I missed all of the interesting conversation. Where did your friend hang out? I didn't hear anything like that. Of course I was busy attending panels, browsing the dealer den, fursuiting and dancing.

As a business traveler, the beds and showers were among the best I have ever enjoyed. The ladies cleaning floor 11 were friendly and always made sure our room was check-in perfect. The one issue I had with customer service at the hotel was addressed directly with the hotel management and on my AC survey.

I really want to attend Furfright too, it is so close to MFF so maybe next year I can save a little extra cash and make it there.

Regarding political tones, didn't notice anything myself. Of course, this country overflows with a variety of political views and I find the conversation engaging and stimulating.

I didn't see any attendees breaking any laws regarding person to person contact in public places.

I hate to see any furry leave the fandom due to events they perceived at one particular convention. I would suggest your friend fill out the AC survey.

PIRATE

Member: Stuck In The Elevator Club

I personally felt like the organization of this con was handle very well. Anyone that wants to complain about that is reaching for something to complain about

Hotel beds were fine by me.

The Omni is not next door to the Convention Center. Still many Furs stayed there and walked back and forth...your furiend could do the same if he liked.

I love the cold (one of the reasons for my fursona being an Arctic Wolf), but I didn't notice it being that hot in the center. I start sweating if the temp is much higher than 80 deg. F, so since I wasn't sweating the whole time, it must not have been that bad.

I'm a Christian, conservative, Furry from the South, and I didn't feel there was a hostile environment in the air. I heard a few "Bash Bush" jokes, but he's no less a screw-up than the rest of us, so I don't see how anyone can take offense to it. I noticed a few shirts that had negative statements directed at my faith, but living in the US means allowing freedom of speech...even speech I don't like.

"promiscuity theme" ???
There was a "promiscuity theme" to AC? I thought the theme was "Looking to the future".

"The people that show up and are nasty and talk non-stop about all that is nasty,"
That's a common over-generalization. By this you are putting every Furry there into one big stereotypical yiff-freak category. Ever wonder why the "mundanes" think Furries are nothing but sexual deviants? Comments like this from other Furs feeds that mis-judgment.

"The people that show up and are nasty and talk non-stop about all that is nasty, drive those who are like me away. I cannot meet my true friends in this anymore because the environment is inherently hostile to furries like me."

"These behaviors and situations at conventions make the atmosphere hostile and I refuse to spend $1,000.00 on any more of these just to go and have a mediocre time. It will not happen again."

This statement sounds like my 9 year old cub throwing a temper tantrum.

Ok, I'm just gonna go ahead and say what everyone's thinking:

There were like four total complaints from AC this year and all of them were followed by 10,000 comments and all manner of joy. I'd like to say that the furry fandom is the single most welcoming, accepting and open group of folks I've ever seen, heard about or have come across. But seriously. I mean REALLY. Come on.

If you hate the hotel, book the Omni next year and enjoy the walk. If you're hot, buy some water. And seriously? if you can't stand liberal politics and a bit of adult conversation, bring your mom with you next year so she can put earmuffs on you when the big people say something naughty.

Spending 1,000$ in July is *always* difficult. But you know what? It's an *honor* to be able to attend AC every year and have the time of my life no matter what. I've run into major problems in years past, personally and financially and I've never once considered the money I've spent on AC a waste, EVER. Not a freaking penny, even that year they overcharged me for parking nearly double.

Tell this friend that a convention is about one major thing: (I'm sure the roach will back me up here) Having a good time. (And yes, I realize how hard that must be for you Kage!... And Giza!)

So if I could give *one* word of advice to this "friend of yours" it would be:

RELAX.

I can't imagine how your friend gets through an average day in the real world if he couldn't stand the 'excesses' of Anthrocon.

Now see I had the exact opposite problem. I found the convention center unbearably frigid at times. And I brought heavy socks and a long shirt to cope with that! My roommate and I ended up practically sitting on each other in the game room at one point so we could try and get some body heat off each other.

I suspect the game room was so frigid due to the cold leeching through the wall from the headless lounge. They were next to each other. Swapping the location of the tabletop games and the video games might be a good idea. The video game equipment throws a lot of heat all on its own, plus has all those heat generating mammals stuffed in with them. Switching the video games to be next to the blast chilled fursuit lounge would probably keep the video gamers coolers and keep us poor tabletop gamers from having to cling to each other for warmth.

Uncle Kage has already said he's taking into consideration all the complaints that can be addressed without doubling the admission's price or altering the laws of physics. He's the one giving the OFFICIAL responses. I'm just one attendee- albeit an attendee that's attended a bunch of conventions of varying types, many of which were in the summer.

That having been said, I don't think anything ANYONE can do will be enough to satisfy your friend. Why?

"...who had already been considering leaving the fandom..."

Frankly, having read his complaints, I think he'd already made up his mind to leave, decided to attend one convention to meet up with friends, and gave himself a task-intentionally or not- of coming up with a 'laundry list' of things to be dissatisfied with-
"and THAT'S why I'm leaving the fandom!!!!1111111!!!!"

I don't think this was an HONEST appraisal not a FAIR appraisal in any way that was done by your friend. I had a few friends who made this their first convention. They're not big into furry and are not diehard furries. However, they had a blast and want to attend again next year. In fact, there are a few non-furries I know who expressed at least a little interest in attending next year, based on some things they've heard from attendees.

Ok, addressing the concerns anyway...

Your friend seems to have missed ANTHROCON- or has completely unrealistic expectations as to what a convention staff can perform. Based on my experience with previous conventions, I can honestly say I can't find ways to improve AC'07. (Other than the ones which were not controlled-like the fans damaged in transit. They're already committed to not damaging the fans in transit for next year, and I hardly need to tell them that...)

The things that needed management were managed quite smoothly. Perhaps your friend was testy about standing in the long registration line. To that, I say, PRE-REGISTER. I pre-registered this year, and it was completely painless. (For ME it was painless-the GOOD organization probably cursed my late planning. But next year I plan to do it sooner.)

If AC was held in October, it would conflict with Furfright, and a LOT fewer people would be able to attend. If a convention is the wrong time of the year for you, feel free to happily attend the conventions that are more conducive for you (like Furfright.)

Two of the big fans at AC were damaged in transit. They didn't PLAN on damaging them. However, they're already looking into more fans, undamaged fans, and so on.

As for access to water, there was water at EVERY SINGLE EVENT I attended. (I don't know about the Headless Lounge-but I'd be amazed if it wasn't there also.) What was he looking for- water-stations every 50 feet across the convention center?

"Places to sit?" We had LOTS of space-and LOTS of places to sit, whether in the Westin, or in the convention center! The only time I got tired with no place to sit was when I was standing up because I CHOSE to do so at an event (where there were chairs nearby but I elected to be seen and heard better.)

The Westin's beds are QUITE comfortable. For not sleeping at home, it was very comfortable. I slept just fine, and a lot of people I know slept just fine. One person staying at the Omni catnapped in my room at the Westin for convenience. They slept just fine. I'm unclear what level of expectations he had that this violated.

As Uncle Kage pointed out, the Omni is unable-for space reasons-to host the convention. The Omni's a LOVELY hotel, with LOVELY rooms. That has nothing to do with the Westin's rooms. When it comes to a convention hotel, whether it is AS posh as ANOTHER hotel is IRRELEVANT. How it performs FOR THE CONVENTION is the issue. How DID it perform? Check-in was seamless (as much so as a check-in CAN go), the room was comfortable, as were the beds. I have no complaints about the staff, the bathroom, or the decor. (Why did I need a hotel with more decor? I'm just passing the decor to get to an event. I just need the decor to be not-unpleasant, and the Westin exceeds this.) As for the restaurant, I think we could have benefitted from more reasonable prices. However, since the Steel City Diner is around the corner, it's not that big a deal. Otherwise, I have no complaints about it-and I ate there twice. Then again, considering the specific complaint, the problem with the Westin's restaurant is that it's not POSH enough. Where, exactly, does your friend eat when he's not at convention?

When looking for a hotel room in vacation, the primary concerns are CLEANLINESS (and the Westin is clean) and QUIET (and the Westin is quiet). COMFORT is the next concern, and the Westin is plenty comfortable. It is not a LUXURY hotel, but did it NEED to be? I'm happier with the Westin-and its location- than I would be at the Omni- and its location. The beauty doesn't erase the distance. That having been said, anyone who WANTED to stay at the Omni COULD stay at the Omni. (For that matter, the Courtyard was across the street and comfortable-nobody stopped him from staying THERE and the pricing was reasonably cheap.)

So, the Westin's "bad" because it isn't the Omni.
Is this a REASONABLE complaint?

I carry a few pounds, and I prefer (not coincidentally but not solely because of it) that a room I'm in be COOL. That having been said, I was plenty cool at the Westin AND the convention center. The only times I was hot were when I was on the street, and right after that when I re-entered the Westin or the convention center. Perhaps the longer walk from the posh Omni was overheating your friend. Was he wearing his fursuit down the street? Was he remembering to cool down when re-entering an air-conditioned area? Nobody's going to spray ice-cold water on him when he enters one, or blow cold air directly at him upon entering, he needs to cool down normally. (Or is your friend a native of Alaska or somewhere up in the mountains, and unfamiliar with summer weather?)

I didn't hang out that much at all the Guest of Honor events, and missed any "liberal democrat tone" at any of the ones I attended. There were THREE of them, not TWO. Was he even aware of this?

Or is he confusing them with "Uncle Kage's Story Hour" and "2 the Ranting Gryphon"? I sat in on part of the Story Hour, and I didn't detect ANY political tone or ideology at it (same as last year.)

As for 2 the Ranting Gryphon, I do something I call ATTENDING OTHER EVENTS. I don't like 2's style, so I don't attend 2's events. Therefore, I miss any "liberal democratic tone" that might offend my "moderate democratic sensibilities". Attendance at 2's stuff, UKSH, and even the GoH talks, by the way, are all OPTIONAL. There was LOTS of stuff going on, and there was time to meet up with friends. I was able to skip 2 without any gaps in my schedule, no matter HOW many times he was scheduled. The AC schedule is PACKED with stuff. (Having staffed 2 events, I'm well aware
there was plenty at the same time-I had 2 people not attend one event because of committments at other panels.) For that matter, I'm not even clear when 2's rants were, since I focused on WHAT I WANT TO ATTEND, and IGNORE WHAT I DON'T WANT TO ATTEND. Did someone shoot him with a tranquilizer dart, cart him to 2's Rant, tie him to a chair, then wake him as the event started?

He didn't like a FEW of HUNDREDS of events on the schedule. Is this a reasonable complaint?

He was in the wrong conversations.
I didn't really meet up in an organized way with friends, but I had ZERO discussions on politics, ZERO on promiscuity, and so on. (Nobody came up and propositioned me, but I'm not sure if that's something to complain about or not. Either way, it's outside the scope of the convention center staff.)

I DID have a number of serious conversations, some with friends, some with strangers as the result of panels. I don't remember being solicited for discussion that was not fully welcome. (Except for the interesting lesson in 'Texas Hold 'em' I agreed to in the Zoo, while waiting for arrivals Thursday morning, and HOLDING A DECK OF CARDS, which to me suggests I was INVITING card games with the Zoo attendees. Plus, the lesson, as I said, was interesting.)

Politics and promiscuity? Maybe he was positioning himself where he was on ground zero for all of that. Me, I had no difficulty avoiding both-and I hardly was at prayer meetings all convention. (Just the one.)

Again, I say he placed himself where he was going to be offended. I placed myself where I was NOT going to be offended, and I was ALL OVER THE PLACE, and ALL SORTS OF EVENTS. AC is a FAMILY-FRIENDLY convention. Had I seen anything contrary to that, I would have called over one of the Dorsai, and let them do their job and enforce the FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICY.

This may surprise you, but anywhere you go, you will find people you disagree with, and people you don't like. At AC, I hardly find such folk (and I've attended the last 3 AC's), and they hardly drive me and mine away. I would have little
difficulty inviting MY OWN parents to AC. (For that matter, I've told them they are welcome to attend.)

AnthroCon '07 was NOT hostile, and was FAMILY-FRIENDLY. I have no difficulty participating as a full attendee and as a panelist, and do not anticipate any problems with either. I anticipate-and have had- a better-than-mediocre time. It will happen again.

Sorry AC can't be all things to all people, but it sounds like your friend set out to have a bad time, to have a lot to complain about- and succeeded. I had another friend who suffered the loss of a wallet, and arrived at AC nearly broke, who nevertheless had a great time, even limiting herself to a shoestring budget. If your friend had a better attitude about AC, perhaps he would have joined the vast majority of us who had a good time and have no problems attending again if we so choose. I don't consider my AC experience perfect, but I do pass along the few things I think can be addressed, and I understand that some things are outside the control of humans.

In conclusion,
Uncle Kage, ever the class act, is sorry whenever someone has a less-than-grand experience at AnthroCon. Myself, I find that those who arrive with unrealistic expectations for a convention, or otherwise PLAN on having a bad time, can cast a shadow over the events they attend, and would rather have a smaller convention attendance if we can skip the "wet blankets" rather than a larger convention where they're going around with a clipboard, manufacturing complaints.

I hope your friend manages to enjoy himself wherever he DOES go, and you can do the same, whether that's at AC or anywhere else.

You know what; I have been going to AC now for 7 years. It was my first furry con, and because of AC I have branched out to attended other cons. I have found that there is no better organized and SAFE con out there than AC. All your friend needs to do is look at some of the positive comments that have been posted.

I am sorry that your friend was unhappy, but it sounds like there is issue with the fandom its self. To me, this post sounded a bit like nit picking, almost like he was looking for things to complain about.

It’s not fair to the hard working staff of AC, to make posts like this on issues that no one else has seen. Maybe next year he can show up with a more positive attitude

If anyone feels I am to harsh in this reply, I am sorry. I just get tied of the staff getting slammed each year over non issues.

Just my two cents.

Sharky

I do believe that a situation like this is best left for Uncle Kagé to answer, but I will state my opinion.

Regardless of being rushed to the hospital during Anthrocon and dealing with a few snobby artists, I must say that I had a wonderful time which was well worth my $2,000.

(Yes, you read that right.)

Lets see here I didn't mind the heat nor the humidity cause there was water ever place I turned. I myself am a heavy sat man and sweated till I was almost dehydrated a few times, but oddly besides that the heat did not bother me for once.. Must been all the fun I was having

What the hell here? I've slept in many different types of beds from in my school years of staying with friends. (Anyone tries to crack something perverted and I'll eat them) And the westins beds was down right one of the best beds I ever slept in. I always have trouble sleeping and in these beds it was like sleeping on a cloud and I had no problems drifting to sleep.

Politics? Where do your friend hang out or who with? I didn't hear one politic thing at the con other than my car ride up and I wanted to know what my friend thought about some things, but once I got to AC I didn't here one thing and I got around alot at the con.

"Hostile to furries like me" I don't know what kind of fur your friend is, but adults will be adults. Though again as I was a well travled fur this con (since it was my first) I did hear some of this "nasty talk" but no so much as it ruined my chances to get with friends. I don't know how your friend was raised, but from the looks or sound of it he lead a very shettlered life.

Hostile? I only ran into one really hostile thing at this con. A furry that came after me because I gave his girlfriend (my friend) a hug, but you could smell the booze on his breath and I was told later he was drunk and shouldn't been out of his room... And refuse to spend 1k again? Tell your friend he was lucky to have that kind of money to mess around with. Why? I went on the grace of my friends. My one friend paid for my room and my ex paid for my food (though most of the con I went hungry cause of different times we wanted to eat) I was lucky to grab two meals a day at times and I only had roughly 150ish dollars to spend.

Anyhow I'm done adding my 2 cents

Okay, my turn:

I was unable to attend AC this year due to financial constraints, but my sons (16 and 20) both attended. We also are (I beleive) the only full family unit other than Uncle Kage who have attended AC for the previous 10 ACs (AACs, etc)Now, if you do the math, that make them 6 and 10 when we started.

From the tone of CCs emssage, this fella was looking for a good set of reasons to go. Con organization? Well, maybe if we had a highly paid staoff of a couple hundred, there'd be improvements. But I doubt it. Our team, from Kage and Giza, down to the Dorsai, to the gophers, give on HE@#$ of a lot of their personal life to do this. They are VOLUNTEERS.

The hotel, I found to be very nice. I also attend MFM and FurFright, and their hotels are also nice. The only gripe I had last year was the lack of realtivly cheep places to nosh on Sunday. I heard that the Pitrtsburgers corrected that this year, with open arms.

Bad timing of the con? Try finding places that can host that many people in various months. You had 2800+ people. That ain;t your 'little getogether'. So, they did what they could

The convention center can only do so much with HVAC, and all beings are individuals. I know, as my wife likes it arounf 80, I like it around 65. Adapt and adjust.

Politics? That is inevitable. Yes, I beleive furrydom is a predominatly left of center, but that is becasue we seem to beleive more individually in this. I have never been: preached to, harranuged, proslytized, etc. Individuals do this sometimes, yes. But there is this little edit control called 'get up and leave' .I have found myself offended by some talk from some furries, but simply walked away. LIke another commenter said, thwe price of freedom is occasinaolly being offended by the free speech.

The prmoscuity thing, well, there are some points here. But again, it is a free soceity. If you and the one you love (diffwerent or same sex, or multiple, or what have you) wish to be affectionate a bit, that is fine. MORE than that needfs a room. And from what I have seen at 10 ACs, damn near every body does move certain things to a room.

Now, one lastthing, and it is MY personal aggreivance is: The whole convention ashould NOT designed specifcally for the delight of fursuiters. I agree in making significant accomidations for them, as they do need cooling, extra water, places to plop when thos costumes get hot, etc, but there are (if my estimate is correct) about 13 non suiters to each suiter. So, if you have a bitch and gripe about not being accomodated to every little need, remember: AC really goes out of its way for what is in truth the minority. (Not that I don;t like fursuiters; I actually envy you guys! *grin*)

So, if this fellow decided to leave because of these points out of ALL of furrydom, I wish him the best and hope he is not disappointed by the way the world is.

This is just one foxes opine, and does not refelct the ideals or views of any Anthrcon personnel or the organziation in general. And spelling errors are my bad.

Brian the Sylverfoxy

"Reality is Simply a Matter of Your Point of View!"

Cloudchaser,

It is sad that your furiend had an unpleasant time at AnthroCon; but it is hard to tell if he (or she!) is just disappointed with AnthroCon, with Furry Conventions in general, or with the people who make up the fandom.

Perhaps it would be easier (and quicker) to tell us what your furiend likes about furry, and what said furiend's expectations are for a fun experience? Believe it or not, there is a very large portion of anthropomorphic fans and students who do NOT go to, have never been to, and may never go to a convention; they can enjoy the stories, the art, the community through shared virtual experiences or small-scale "furmeets" with folks who are of like-mind and tastes. So I think that your furiend's condemnation of ALL FANDOM, excepting a few furry furiends, is a bit unjust.

As to specifics:

The time of year is sort of traditional, it is just about right for almost all students being out of school by now, yet early enough to not interfere with too many family summer vacations. It is conventient for most of the staff - the volunteer staff - to be able to make the time to do all the work of the convention, without losing salary or pay from their real jobs (or at least, not a lot), and fits into their own alotted holiday/vacation time.

While other times would be more conducive to friendly weather, those are just the times that large-scale conventions of corporations, trade groups, service organisations, reunions, weddings, sports championships, - not to mention other regional furry conventions - are scheduled. Given the resources available, the money available, the facilities available, and the time available to the attendees, it is rather harsh to fault AnthroCon for being set in late June/early July. And it is a mid-atlantic state, eastern seaboard event; the weather can be at best, whimsical, but the same can be said for New England at this time of the year.

Besides - I'm not a fur suiter, but most of the "fursuiting" that I have been witness to takes place in the immediate vicinity of the convention hotels and their associated facilities. This means, for the most part, in-doors. While I know of fursuit outings to various places and locations Outside, these are usually NOT in the context of a convention, but local furmeets. Even if the weather were good for it, I can't picture 300+ fursuits marching off to Fort Pitt, through the city.

Sorry, I've never been - but I will take your word for it. There was a slip-up at AC regarding the fans, and the chairman has promised to address that particular complaint.

I did not sleep at the Westin this year - but I did last year, and found my bed, and the general room quality to be very much superior to what was had at the Adams Mark in Philly, indeed at a lot of hotel/event centers in the east.

This year, though, I slept at the William Penn...

The Omni William Penn is truly an outstanding hotel, but it is from a different era, when a hotel was something more than just a bed and a room for the night. WHen it was built, just before WWI, it was the premier place for out-of-town visitors to stay - built for the "Carriage Trade", as they used to say. At the turn of the 20th century, Pittsburgh was a city with as many millionaires and captains of industry as New York, rich and powerful men and their families who wanted a showplace for their town. The well-heeled would arrive from Chicago or points east at the beautiful Pennsylvania RR Station, just across from the Westin, under a very grand (and ostentatiously expensive) rotunda, to be picked up by horse-drawn carriage and driven to the William Penn, which would see to every earthly need, literally as a home-away-from-home, perhaps for months on end. Of course, that hotel has been modernised over the years, but it is still a gilt-and-brass luxury hotel, where people might stay for _years_. They hold a high tea every afternoon, and jazz concerts, and have a grand ballroom, as well as the eating-and-pub establishments. But it couldn't possibly host anything like a convention on-site, even with the Grand Ballroom.

And it is a good 4 blocks from the Westin. I got blisters from walking from the Omni to our convention space. Not good in rain, not good in heat.

The Westin is from a different era altogether. It sees to your lodgings while here for business or conventions, it is more of an event hotel, as opposed to a residential hotel. People don't come to the Westin to experience the amenities, per se, they are here for other reasons, and the hotel provides event space and services complementing those of the DLCC, and a place to sleep and freshen up. It has a competent housekeeping and bell staff, room service, and associated dining, and a concierge service. For the price AND the convenience, it is pretty good.

The DLCC encloses a space equivalent to several airplane hangars. It has a glass ceiling to take advantage of natural light. I am sure that it must be a real B**ch to keep the environmental controls up and running. The HVAC bill and the power consumed are probably greater than the costs of environmental control at the Westin itself. If we actually filled the entire convention center, we might need it chilled to that extent, but then with an attendance of 15 - 20,000, we might be able to afford it. Otherwise, the expectation expressed here is quite unrealistic, and can't be blamed on AnthroCon.

By "Both of the speaking persons", I presume that was aimed at the evening speakers from Friday and Saturday? I have heard 2 the Ranting Gryphon "Ranting" once before and it was enough; he isn't to my taste. But since he does do critical stand-up comedy, he is bound to be critical of those in the public arena, including politicians and sitting presidents, and world events. I am willing to bet that he ragged on "Slick Willy" when Clinton was in office. As to 'Uncle Kage's Story Hour, well I _did_ see that, and aside from one shot aimed at the current president and what his administration seems to be both doing and not doing, there was no political slant to his humorous stories, certainly no more than Hal Holbrook would have done while touring the country as Mark Twain, or even Bill Cosby does on occasion.

In any event - _neither_ of these gentlemen presume to represent the political views of anyone except themselves; and though others may share those views, it is certainly not expected that everyone must. And neither of these two get paid for this gig; your convention dollars help pay for the event space for the duration of the con, NONE of it goes to 2 or Kage. There wasn't anything in the way of policy statements or political endorsements in what Kage said, anyway, and his story about General Steuben and Washington's Army was an amusing historical fact, related to regional history, not a thumb-in-the-eye of any personal values.

What, Fan Politics, or Civil Politics? Fan politics are unavoidable; there are cliques and factions on either side of nearly everything in any organised group, always splitting and reforming. If you mean Civil politics, well - certainly you didn't come to a Furry Convention to engage in debate about matters of State and War and Security and World Affairs, did you? And I gather that your furiend isn't so insecure in his or her beliefs and partisanship that he or she risks having his or her whole philosophy and values system upended by what a few Furry Fans may say? Especially after expressing such a low opinion of said furries?

Promiscuity "theme"? I didn't see anything with AnthroCon's imprimatur that advocated promiscuity, or even mentions it. But considering the age cohort of most of the attendees - just about college age - well, that is pretty much the age where people experiment with their lives. This is so for others besides furries.

Unfortunately, we live in an Information Age; we are the Most Informed Generation that there has ever been. Mind you, we aren't the Best informed, merely the Most informed. We are flooded with "news" which is either shallow and incomplete, or out-and-out fabrication, thanks to the phenomenon of Blogs. We have been lied to by our leaders and decision-makers. We have been manipulated by private parties wishing to push either a commercial product, a point of view, or an agenda. We have been intentionally misled, deceived, and left in the dark on certain matters. And having the desire to try and winnow out the wheat from the chaff is, given the flood of rumor, lies, falsehoods, and wishful thinking claiming to be fact, difficult for even the most determined. I have to admit, that in this particular regard, I find the average furry fan to be less than determined. Many of them, despite higher-than-average intelligence, are quite gullible, and are not unlike the sheep in "Animal Farm".

"Talk non-stop about all that is nasty"...Define that. Do you mean Sexual matters? Or people condemning certain political views or religious groups, or Religion in general? Goodness, we have a Spectrum here, running from followers of Shamanism to Goths, and a strong contingent of Christians, both Protestant and Catholic; we have at least one priest, a few pastors, I think a rabbi or two; We have XianJaguar, we have the "All God's Creatures" Christian Furries; we have Ken Pick and Eric Hinkle and Rev. Alan Loewen. We have Jim Groat! THEY seem to survive the weekend without imperiling their mortal souls nor their hairless hides. And a good chunk of that same group holds very staunch Conservative Republican principles, or at least ones opposed to what THEY see as liberal influences. And none of THEM are likely to abandon AnthroCon - they LIKE it here!

"...Inherently Hostile to Furries Like Me..." again, you would have to define that, before anyone could begin to help address that particular complaint.

Once there was a small, regional convention called "ZonieCon"; it was held in Arizona, the first one at Casa Grande, the rest at Tucson. The core staff and supporters were a group known in the fandom as "The Tucson Mob", and at times included Jim Groat and Steve Corbett, and Michael Scot-MacMurray, and Ted Sheppard, and Darrel Exline. The culture of ZonieCon could best be described as "Pizza, Root Beer, and Cordite", with a heavy dose of Rockets and Machine Guns - yes, I said Machine Guns. The chairman was Scott Malcomson, The only Furry Fan to run for Governor of a state, on the same party and platform as Ross Perot and Jesse Ventura. The rest of The Mob helped.

I remember, on the last night of the 1st convention, at the dead-coyote party, a discussion ensued about the ATF and Waco. I was the oly one there who held the opinion that the ATF did the right thing vis-a-vis Vernon Wayne Howell, also known as David Koresh. Suddenly these folks, who were willing to share their hospitality and their rootbeer and their 9mm ammo with me, as though I was a brother instead of a mere and unknown Furry Fan, felt a little betrayed. They "went for me", rhetorically-speaking, and I got it from all sides. Had I had my copy of the Report on the ATF Investigation - US Gov't Printing Office, ISBN 0-16-042025-3, get your copy NOW! - I doubt that I could induce any of them to read it.

...And yet - the very next ZonieCon - the same folks welcomed me with open arms, were willing to share their vast collection of Furry Comics and Samurai Pizza Cats DVDs and other Anime, not to mention their machine guns and ammo and rootbeer and pizza, and we all had a good time generally, through all 5 ZoniCons, Shooting and launching and blowing things apart, and various other crazy things, and I have the only existing video - an MPeg - of Lisa Linx/Lisa Sample/Ermine the Chromat firing a machine gun, and pictures of Mitch Beiro with a 1918 Spandau-made Maxim machine gun, and Karno and Schirm standing shoulder-to-shoulder, and shooting at something besides each other.

It is absolutely amazing, just what - and who - Furries can accept and tolerate. With most furries, true hostility just isn't an issue, and Not at a place as representative as AnthroCon.

Quoted from Unclekage & Cloudchaser:
"The people that show up and are nasty and talk non-stop about all that is nasty, drive those who are like me away. I cannot meet my true friends in this anymore because the environment is inherently hostile to furries like me."

To the best of my knowledge it wasn't very hostile to any other sorts of furries. I cannot help but wonder just what sort of furry your friend is that he would invite such hostility from others."

I to heard from friends of mine about a slight hostile situation but that was outside the convention center involving some protesters to the convention and not the attendiees themselves, it makes me wonder if he had an encounter with one of them, and , like any fur/human, just couldnt enjoy themselves afterword.

Other than that I was told it was a great run...