Does AC have specific programs by age rating?
From the little I've read, AnthroCon apparently has both Family-Friendly and Adults-Only activities. Would someone kindly fill me in on this?
Doubt: Could the Family program (if there is any) be considered "patronizing" towards the audience? That's something specific that I despise within the general dung heap that is mainstream culture. While it's true that legal minors (like me, up until this point) can can have varying levels of maturity, we're not automatically stupid due to age, and I take as discrimination the act of companies creating and distributing books, comics/mangas, films, TV series or similar media that use the "Family Friendly" label as an excuse to market excessively PC (politically correct), unchallening, poorly written, and aesthetically ugly works that would have otherwise been rejected [manga publishers are prime offenders in this regard; shounen (teenagers') and kidomo (children's) series/franchises are mostly there just to make easy money, sometimes even massive fortunes, off the poor unsuspecting saps].
Thank you for responding. Best wishes to you!
Hola y Saludos, Stupid Ocelot!
...excessively PC (politically correct), unchallening, poorly written, and aesthetically ugly works that would have otherwise been rejected...
Interestingly enough - there are some furs who would say that this describes the majority of the "adults-only" material, and that the real imaginatively creative and engaging stuff is the general, family-oriented product, on account that the former requires little imagination or effort, and the latter requires some effort to make, and make attractively. 
As for myself - I couldn't possibly say. But at the age of 54, I've found stuff which holds my interest and is engaging for the long-term.
Good Luck!
Wasn't the fandom formed off dark and edgy fiction like Albedo, combating the "cute animal" stereotype?
I guess I can agree. ArtSpots.com would make for a better art gallery than many bland "contemporary" exhibits* (it avoids the NSFW fetish crap that proliferates on other furry sites, and the drawings' technical and aesthetic quality is incredible), plus I've heard many good things of the Usagi Yojimbo comics. Furrydom in general seems to be a very inventive subculture. I found part of my identity in it partly because of everything that I appreciate about it. The mainstream is in large part a boring homogenous mass.
*I also dislike recent "smooth" jazz. It sounds more like elevator music than real pieces of work like Louis Armstrong's.
Wasn't the fandom formed off dark and edgy fiction like Albedo, combating the "cute animal" stereotype?
To say that would be like saying that the original use of golf clubs were to smash in people's faces, and then the small bumpy balls came in to play to combat the violence.
Nobody really "made" the fandom. Anthropomorphism has been around for thousands of years. Someone just put a name to it and thats how it started gaining popularity and recognition.
That's the video game industry to you. Thanks to it becoming higher-budget and more mass-market in the 32-bit days (3DO, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar, and PC-FX were the systems; 1993-2001 was the time space). You'll now be hard-pressed to find quirky, creative or weird software on any of the current-generation consoles (at least in store shelves, downloadable games are another story).
If you're still around, then what illustrators or writers would you recommend? Thank you. I hope I can hear you more on these forums.
What would you recommend?
These replies were directed @VulpesRex. May you enjoy the rest of your years.
So, let's cover a few basics here. Anthrocon considers itself a family-friendly convention. Much of what we feel that means is covered in our standards of conduct- certain types of PDA are not permitted, certain adult artwork and panels are restricted from minors to attend, etc. The amount of "Adult-Only" at Anthrocon is rather small: The adult art show, and maybe a half-dozen of our hundreds of events, if that.
Now, there is a specific "Family" track, designed for the youngest of attendees.. generally under 13. A lot of hard work is put into that track to ensure the works presented are both entertaining and appropriate for the younger minors. Now...
The vast majority of the convention is simply 'General Programming and events'. Things like the masquerade, the fursuit parade, Kage's Story hour, or smaller panels like the "African Animals Roundtable", "Introduction to Webcomics", or "Animal Anatomy 101". While an attendee at age 7 or 8 may certainly attend such[*1], they're not as likely to have their attention held the way a more mature attendee, whether 15, 25, or 65 would. These panels tend to skew towards the larger portion of the attendee age bracket, which runs from 16-40.
Now, quite a few of our older attendees enjoy the more family-oriented events; while those are not designed in specific for them, the panelists and programming staff attempt to make them enjoyable for all. But our older minors- those from 13 to 17 years of age- are more likely to enjoy our more general programming and events.
--Chi
[*1] Minors under the age of 10, to note, are expected to be accompanied by a parent at all times at Anthrocon.
*nods with Chiaro*
I'm the Family-Friendly Track lead. The events in this track are specifically designed to give parents and children something they can do together. That's all, just a way for them to have some bonding time with their children while hanging out at the greatest convention on earth.
All ages are welcome, and the majority of those that attended these events were adults.
And can more programming be directed to the 30 and up age group?
Is there specific programming you had in mind that you'd like to see?
The vast majority of our programming is designed and put on by our own attendees. so if there's something you'd like to have that's not being done right now, it might be a good time to ask, "Can i make it happen?"
The Family Friendly Track lets parents know that these are designed for children, because the majority of the programing is designed for 15 and up with a furry theme. Art, acting, puppetry, Fursuit building, etc. If you look at the registration stats you can see that the largest majority of attendees are between 15 and 30 years old. So the majority of programming is designed by them for them. I'm 34 years old, and the programming I would design for those in my age group is programming they can do with their children. The reason being that most 30-50 year-olds have children under 18 living in their house. So, in a way the programming for 0-13 also works for most 30-50.
I would also reiterate Desteredra question, do you have something specific in mind? We have forms to submit ideas to the programming team. We love new ideas, and try to be as inclusive as possible to all age groups. Just ask Kage's mom.
I'm not prepared to say that most 30-50 year olds are living with minors, though many do; there's nothing strange or wrong about not having or living with children, just as there's nothing strange or wrong about having children and bringing them with you.
But to the extent that our adults have kids with them and want programming they can share, i agree with you that family programming is programming that answers needs of 30+ year old attendees.
If there were any attendees under 10 the moment I went to the Con, would I be allowed to wear a creepy-looking fursuit and scare them? Just kidding. An idea of what I would base it on: http://berserk.wikia.com/wiki/Hellhound
I guess if I went, I'd like narrating stories. Or selling artwork and producvts that aren't NSFW.
Thanks for your courteousness.
Well, as for the suit, as long as you don't do something inappropriate, I don't think wearing that suit is going to violate any rules of the convention, but those wouldn't be my rules to verify.
As for helping by narrating, we have a good narrator for the Fursuit story hour, but if you have something else in mind, please fill out the Even Request Form for consideration.
For the moment, these are just suggestions. I may be able to go only at a date later than 2011. For now, attending AC 2011 is a best-case scenario. I'd really like to, but I'm not sure my circumstances are favorable towards that turn of events. Thank you anyways.
The Dealer's Room, Artist's Alley, and Art Show have specific rules for the sale of adult artwork and materials; you would have to abide by them.
"...artwork that ISN'T NSFW..."
I don't like the pr0n. I meant more "appropriate material.
Whoops. Sorry, my tiny mongoose brain got confused by the double negative.
We all wish we were more stylized creatures, but you're fundamentally a human (or maybe a very intelligent chimp or gorilla, one never knows-just kidding) behind the keyboard. Wait until gene- splicing apparatuses become commercially available, so your Chiaroscuro personality can take over. 
WRT "patronizing", I've been to both Fursuit Story Hours and they were great - the narrator included enough asides geared towards adults to more than make up for any over-familiarity/kiddie nature of the stories. In fact, I don't remember whether there were any kids at this year's...
@RonBauerle: Hasn't the Fursuit Story Hour satisfied all demographics? You don't necessarily have the brains of uncooked tapioca (quoting a certain friendly user that I meet often on Furcadia) just because you're young. It's one of the reasons Pixar and Studio Ghibli, for example, managed to make a name for themselves in the otherwise stagnant mainstream animation industry. Most of their films have enough narrative, visual, and aural chutzpah (for lack of a better word) to satisfy "serious" filmgoers and maybe even make the little squirts think a little about war (Grave of the Fireflies), environmental destruction, corporatism and cultural/moral atrophy due to our excessive material commodities (Wall-E), and so on.
It's just that too many political and economic interests wouldn't benefit from people using their brains at a young age
To make it clearer, I reposted this comment as a reply.
Sorry for not responding sooner. My computer stopped working and my dad had to get one of his friends to repair (I know Hewlett Packard isn't a benchmark of quality, but papa was short on cash when he bought it).
EaglesFlight, Chiroscuro, Desteredra, Ron Bauerle, Glelin, Vulpes Rex... Thank you all for illuminating me on AC's programming. With such quality, why doesn't attendance double every year? If I were a 35-year-old man with reasonably smart kids right now, I'd say "Screw DisneyWorld/Land! We have AnthroCon!"
an average 14% growth every year is quite enough to keep us busy. 
A few millions are estimated to be furs, right? Because it seems like it. AnthroCon seems to be prospering (along with the other ones, and I hope you keep at it). And furs are seen online in most places.
I think if the attendance doubled poor Chiaro would have a nervous breakdown. Uncle Kage probably wouldn't fair much better.
One thing, Ocelot. If you want to reply reply to a specific click on the "reply" link that is at the bottom of that persons post instead of just using the post box at the bottom of the page. That way your reply will be shown under that post as slightly indented (like Chiaro's and my post are under your post). It will make it a whole lot easier to follow replies on a specific line of posts. As you see your reply to RonBauerle is getting further and further away from his post which makes it a little harder to follow.
Got it.
Does the Convention Center not have enough room and faciltities to support 6,000-8,000? With all the positive press, millions grossed, and constant attendance that AC enjoys, it might someday be as big as ComicCon (who knows?). AnthroCon's name may not have brand power like the major theme parks (Disney World/Land, Six Flags, Universal) or somewhat similar cons and festivals like Cannes or E3, but you're certainly no underdogs. Some Pittsburgh stores and restaurants even welcomed attendees in the past years.
Furrydom's influence seems to be growing, as Megaplex, Califur, Eurofurence and other conventions are also doing quite well (to my knowledge).
The Convention center could easily support a doubled Anthrocon, yes; area hotels is another matter. We filled the room blocks at 4 hotels this year and are considering a fifth.
Moderate growth is just fine for us, though. Anthrocon is entirely staffed by volunteer labor; while there are modest staff perks, we're not paid a dime. It's a significant undertaking to do each year as it stands.
Based entirely on volunteer funding and activity? Then you must be working really hard on it every year. I hope to high heaven that you are rewarded somehow for hosting what looks like a nice event (haven't gone yet, would like to attend 2011, in a best-case scenario, or if not, 2012 or 2013).
Well, we do charge for our Memberships each year, so it's not 'donations only'. Though our Sponsors and Supersponsor, in a large way, help fun the convention. We also have other revenue sources - the con store, and advertising in the con book.
We are rewarded for hosting a nice event by having that nice event occur every year, and making over four thousand people happy. That's pretty darn good.
Agreed.
Knowing that I've helped over 4000 people have a safe, fun weekend hanging out with their friends from around the world is awesome.
Getting to hang out with my friends from around the world doesn't hurt.
BTW: Volunteering is a good way to reduce the overall cost of attending. Every year volunteers get perks for the hours they work. Like free registration for the next year, free con-shirts, and other cool stuff. You not only get to help your fellow Furs, but you can help yourself as well.
Check out the FAQ and come help us help you help us all.
@RonBauerle: Hasn't the Fursuit Story Hour satisfied all demographics? You don't necessarily have the brains of uncooked tapioca (quoting a certain friendly user that I meet often on Furcadia) just because you're young. It's one of the reasons Pixar and Studio Ghibli, for example, managed to make a name for themselves in the otherwise stagnant mainstream animation industry. Most of their films have enough narrative, visual, and aural chutzpah (for lack of a better word) to satisfy "serious" filmgoers and maybe even make the little squirts think a little about war (Grave of the Fireflies), environmental destruction, corporatism and cultural/moral atrophy due to our excessive material commodities (Wall-E), and so on.
It's just that too many political and economic interests wouldn't benefit from people using their brains at a young age.
i just thought i would point out, as no one else seems to have done so ( an oversight, im sure) that really, besides the artwork, the ONLY thing that could be considered "Adult" would be the charity show, with 2 and Kage, in which you have to buy a ticket for anyway.
2's Rant is usually considered to be for adults only as well. Still, that's not a lot of 'age-restricted' activities compared to the number of activities offered by Anthrocon...
Something can be considered 'adult' even if so-called 'offensive language' is not used. Suppose the talk were about drinking alcohol. This is legal for adults (like 2), but is prohibited to legal 'children.' That is, certain subject matter, no matter how cleanly it's phrased, is designed for adults.
Although as I previously said, a lack of age or experience isn't synonymous with a lack of intelligence. I'm 17, but just because I've read reviews of tobacco and alcohol-related products in magazines, or seen advertisements for them on TV and the Internet, doesn't mean I want them. In fact, I chose the route Muslims supposedly take (avoiding all intoxicants). Not for religious reasons, but because I know they're glorified ways of frying your body and your brain. I think they deserve more legislation than pornography and adult media.
And let's not forget, raising your kindred with an overly sanitized, rainbow-colored view of the world won't do them much good either, will it?
Sigh. What I (or what the individual members of the Anthrocon Board of Directors) feel is irrelevant. The basic age of adulthood in the US is 18 for some things, 21 for others. I've known 16 year-olds who can be trusted implicitly and 30 year-olds who cannot be trusted with a burned-out match. Anthrocon works on the age of 18 because it's something that can be verified, unlike emotional maturity.
17? You seem to have a lot of opinions for such a young age! I see intelligence as how efficiently people use what they know. I see wisdom as the realization of how little we actually know. I feel you will come to realize this when you enter college years! On that note, have you decided where you want to go?
No offenses, but the way Skyfox takes his foxiness seriously reminds me of a little kid that thinks he can fly or animation is real. Even though quantum physics and spirituality may prove him right, it looks he has enveloped himself in a very fragile emotional bubble (and which I seem to have burst). He does need help in that regard. Thank you for reminding me not to preach like Lisa Simpson or Brian from Family Guy (I don't watch TV in general, this is just to give you an example), but we all need to hear of our character flaws once in a while (just like how you and Skyfox replied to me).
I'm not a human atlas nor Jesus Christ, but after a while, you get a feel for how the world works. And I've thought hard about the value of criticising myself. If I find out that I'm somehow preventing the birth of the next Marcel Proust, Johann Sebastian Bach or Akira Kurosawa, I'd happily sacrifice myself. So I have plenty of things that keep my head down on Earth.
Everyone is different! There are so many different types of people who were brought up different ways.
Another reminder, insulting people in public is rude. Insulting people because they are different is the act of a bully. Throwing around stereotypes that you don't know to be true is ignorant.
When it comes to the Furry Fandom as a whole, I like the quote from The Shining: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." The Furry Fandom is fun! Take three days out of the year to pretend that something entirely preposterous is true!
What I said was improper, but I meant to comment on those furs that take their fursonas with all the literal seriousness in the world (haven't you heard of the Otherkin?)I didn't mean to insult anyone in particular.
A stereotype? While it IS one, you also said that there are extremists in every group. I was talking about THEM.
"The Furry Fandom is fun! Take three days out of the year to pretend that something entirely preposterous is true!" But some seem to eat, breathe, and live in the fandom. Most aren't like this, but they do exist.
I'm so sorry for this mess. I just don't agree on some things.
Then lets agree to disagree! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions!
My opinion is this: What seems weird to one may be considered normal to another. There is no law defining what is weird and what is not. Its okay if some people [eat, breathe, and live in the Furry Fandom]. It is nobody's place to judge another's way of life, because in the end, we are all functional members of society (who also happen to contribute over $3 million to Pittsburgh's economy every year!).
btw, the stuff in the square brackets [] can be replaced by almost any special group, culture, fandom or interest.
And this is my final word on the subject.
I've now learned my lesson. Thank you.
Then. I'm also sorry. I just don't understand him, and I didn't mean to insult him.
Of note: This may shock you, but I feel like I'm going to vomit from how mainstream education treats me and most young people. Isolated in a room, for thousands of hours per year, just copying from generic coroporate/government textbooks and cramming so I can throw it all up on a test sheet, with bullies (or at least mean kids) and a stifling bureaucracy that loves meddling with you? Thank you, Secretary of Education, for puppeteering my childhood and adolescence! I feel like I'm scripted for (political and economic) interests that aren't my own.
This should give you an idea of why I fully support homeschooling and democratic schools: http://www.cantrip.org/gatto.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html
http://lifelearningmagazine.com/blog/2010/07/12/the-fast-food-model-of-education/
I only came across one adult-only part of the whole con. That is the adult art section.
Minors are required to have their parents with them or have a notarized permission form to attend Anthrocon. There are staff members guarding the entrance to the adult art section. The badge of a minor has the word "MINOR" in really big letters so they can't see the adult material.
It doesn't matter how mature a minor is. Its the LAW that regulates things like that. To allow a minor to see adult material would be "Corruption of a minor" at the very least. Parents could then file a lawsuit for emotional harm among other things.
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