Furries And The North/South Divide

[lupestripe]

Reading some of the reviews of the London Furmeet got me thinking about whether the infamous North/South divide in the UK is also reflected in the Fandom. It has been known for a while that RBW and ConFuzzled's rivalry is far from friendly and on many occasions it has become downright personal. Added to this, there is a significant section of furries who fly the flag for their respective regions.

Some of the Northern Furs believe that London Meets are cliquey and unfriendly, often citing toilet escapades and drama that has long been consigned to the past as their reason not to head to the capital. Meanwhile, some London Furs believe that it is not worth venturing north of the Watford Gap because London is THE place to be.

Of course a lot of this relates to local pride and this is why Northern and Southern Patriotism (if we are to call it that) exists in the UK as a whole. I think this is reflected in the Fandom too and I am unsure as to whether it is constructive. We are a small group so is it worth dividing ourselves even further?

It is fair to say that in my experience, meets in the North differ to those in the South. I agree that the Northern meets are often friendlier but does this reflect the oft cited friendliness of Northerners or is it because the size and dynamics of the meets are different? Some people believe that the Northern meets have lost impetus recently and need after-parties to boost their reputations and profiles. Whilst I disagree vehemently with this, if people think this then clearly there is an issue somewhere.

I know there are advocates of both regions but why is this the case? Is it a sense of local loyalty or something deeper? Is it related to a dislike of the other contingent? Is it a friendly rivalry or something more bitter? Is it politically or socially motivated? And are their regional rivalries between furries in other countries?

Comments

[slinkat.livejournal.com]

I think London meets have become too large to allow people to just turn up and expect people to talk to them, but then that's a mark of their success. If it was only 10 people sat it a pub then obviously it would be easier to talk to people, but the scale just doesn't allow it. That's the same outside the furry World. Case in point being the fetish munch I went to last week. I could've gone to one in London, but I'm told there are usually 170 or so attendees, so it would be really hard to meet people, yet this one had about 30, so was a nice size and I didn't feel like I was intruding. The pre-meet thing is generally a good idea, as at the very least it allows you to know a few faces before taking the plunge. I just don't see where this notion of Southern furs being arrogant or elitist comes from, I really don't. I blame the internet, to a degree. What with things like Facebook, there's this idea that to be someone's friend you simply have to click "add", yet this doesn't work in the real World, and I feel some people don't seem to realise that.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I think this is the nub of the issue - I don't know how strangers find the massive Manchester meets - if they find a similar thing, then I guess we have found the root of the problem. If there is a mass of people and they are all friends, it is easy for the stranger to get drowned out - which is why I would advocate meeting people on the Internet beforehand (may be worth putting that in the LF meet rules or something).

I don't know where the arrogant or elitist accusation comes from either to be honest, it's not something I have ever experienced at a London Furmeet.