Theory of Human Hate in a Catlow-ian Universe (Long)

TetSolfire · Post by **TetSolfire** » Thu Nov 08, 2001 2:15 am

Once again, we jump the gun of vengance when it comes to those Not-Nice boys and their intent of problems. "They" hate us and agressor at us, we fly off handles plotting righteous squishing. In the end, feelings will not have changed, but blood will have been shed. Both sides slink off to lick their wounds, feeling secure that They Were Right In What They Did.A bit harsh, but as I see situations, not exactly untrue.Given the Real World issues that have cropped up recently, with $GroupA hating $GroupB. I've been looking closer at both sides of the arguments, why A and B hate each other.1: Furries disliking humans. Now the precise nature of this dislike stems from a past we have not yet seen, but is hinted at. Cotton gives the Slightly Evil Mr. Avariss'(Who's name I may have wrong, I can't scroll back through the pages, Keenspace is being bitey today) karmic vengance for his past. In that there is hints that this world has had times in its past where 'Furries' were treated like, hating to use the obvious, like animals. Hunting and killing them was quite legal, most likely during a time when they were considerably sentient creatures not much different from now. Perhaps there is also a tinge of "Furries Were Slaves", and were treated with less value than a human with the same capabilities, a random slaying of a furry would be shrugged off by "The Law" as it were. And it also shows that Furry Hate is not something whispered behind closed doors, some Humans are more lax at showing their hate.This condition has existed in Our Own Society until not to very long ago, and exists to this day in some places. If you don't get my understanding, look up Rosa Parks. (Which I must admit is not a perfect example, but gives the closest example I can think of, if not metaphorical in this case.)2: Humans disliking Furries. Lets set aside the whole "They're Different From Us" matter. That applies to both sides of this, and we can look beyond it for purposes of example. Furry A and Furry B may have as much in common ancestry/genetics, as Furry A and Human A. For example, Furries now have what appears to be their Own Town. We have this in our own society. How many neighborhoods have definitive boundaries because "its where all the $Ethnic_Group live"? This is not a bad thing. People with common interests and common pasts are -going- to congregate together. "Furrytown" Is no different in many ways from (as an example) "Chinatown". Furriston in this case appears to be a city/metropolis rather than a large neighborhood.But lets put that aside. Why Would Humans Hate Furries. Or more importantly, why do I see that The Antagonist(s) here, aren't Out Just To Be Evil. There is no more good and evil anymore. We're all in a shade of grey.A: The playing field is leveled. Unlike our world, Humans aren't the only ones with guns. Humans are suddenly realizing that -they- are the least likely to survive in hand-to-hand. No claws, no fangs. Our Ace in the hole is also in our opponent's hand too.B: Abilities That We Don't have. Cotton has "Sight of the Soul"... he's not the only one. And quite apparently Avariss knows about it. "Hell, if that ONE rabbit can get into my head, how many others can? How can he use that against me?" Would -you- want someone inside your mind? "ItaX... He's got twin personas. One of them appears to be psychic (I admit, My knowledge of this intriguing character is not the greatest.) MORE psychic furries! Are our minds safe?" "Sunblaze won that eating contest, geez, she ate more in one sitting than my family eats in an entire month. If a single furry like her can do that every day, How will that affect MY grocery bill?" "Gymnastics is boring to watch, its always a ferret or ermine who wins, Humans don't stand a chance in flexability." "That lioness over there is sure tearing into that turkey leg. What happens if she decides -I- am food? Her claws and fangs would make quick work of me, I'd better carry a gun so that any time a feline smiles at me funny, I'll be ready!" Gene and Catswhisker (for example) are the two main characters that are as "baseline" as they come, especially in the current plotline. And who would you put money on in a fight? Gene, or John Average Human? (hypothetically, Geeners is very Zen-like, it would seem to be be very out of character for him.) We spend all this time enjoying Gene's amazingly real world, without realizing that the society that exists there, if existed in OUR world, wouldn't exist as harmoniously. Xenophobia is a Very Real Problem. One that Gene is addressing better than any other writer I've seen to date. How many of you would be on the human side, wondering if that furry you passed slipped into your mind and stole your bank account info? Or your neighbor accidentally belches flame when he snores, setting fire to your apartment building. Hell.. Fleas, Rabies... How many of you would want to sit on a bus with a handful of wet furries during the rainy season?The boys aren't necessarily setting out to Do Evil. They're boys. Kids are THE #1 cruelest creatures in the universe. Perhaps they have a parent(s) who lost their job to a 'Damned godless beast'. (A reason for them to be hunting out one specific fur.) Kids do not fully grasp the consequences of there actions. After Columbine, how many Taking Gun(s) To School stories did you hear? How many were barely outside the age of reason? Kids spending time with Grandma and Grandpa who lived a good long time in an age when it was not only -normal-, but -expected- to consider "Furries" as Filthy Beasts. Or their parent would read the paper and let slurs fly without regard? You've most likely heard one of your own family members, that you never expected, say "Dirty $Ethnic." Lets not even get into the whole Shadow Characters and that midnight conspiracy. That in and of itself is a Very Large Reason for humans to hate the furries. Which we know currently very little about. Gene/CW hinted on their knowledge that the leak of that fact would be Very Bad. If not it, of other things, the knowledge that "There Is Something Very Serious Being Hidden From Me", will cause dissention/dissenting thoughts in even the most loyal person.Biblical reasons? No, lets not go there. Assuming "Humans" and "Furries" have lived side by side since Day 1, there's a ton that would have changed. Noah? He'd be a "Human Traitor", saving all those furries while His Own Kind perished. St. Francis of Assissi? Furry Sympathizer. Santa Claus? Human Hero. Forcing all those reindeer slaves into pulling his sleigh around the world to deliver Good Things to Human Kids. Would the sacrificial Lamb of biblical tales be revered as a Holy Icon in "Furry" culture? Would the story of Abraham and Issac been different? Jonah and The Whale? Furry Vore Stories, or Gallant Whale Furry Saves Human!We don't have to look further than our own societies to see that the one portrayed in Gene's is NOT that unbelieveable, and one that WE can put ourselves in. I don't want to live in a 'Furry + Human' society. We've proven that we can't even live with each other.How many people on 9/11, and for days afterwards, found themselves unable to think of Muslims, Afghanastanians, or the like without a sense of Anger? How many "Hate Crimes" happened in those fallout days?Yes, There are furries who like humans, and vice versa. There will always be sympathetics in any two sided state. Gene's world is not utopian, and I think has only scratched the surface of the iceberg. This current plotline will probably dig deeper into the distrust and dislike between the two "Cultures"Gene's comic has deeper layers of complexity than any other comic I read right now. Or perhaps I'm reading too deep into it again. Gene's had this all planned out in advance. Long in advance. I wouldn't be a tiny bit surprised if he was five whole stories ahead of us in planning, if not further.-Perpetually excited to see the next one,
Tet

UncleMonty · Post by **UncleMonty** » Fri Nov 09, 2001 6:53 am

Whoa! Very enlightening, and all that. Here I was just thinking it was a very good comic strip, with a bunch of folks having a heck of a good time pretending to play some of the character's parts. Ah, well! Live and learn!