Furries And The North/South Divide
Jul. 28th, 2009 09:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeReading 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?
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?
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no subject
Date: 2009-07-28 05:51 pm (UTC)The comments I have read after Saturday have implied that people found themselves in the same situation I found myself in two years ago. Perhaps they should have made more effort to meet people and not expected people to come up to them spontaneously but I know how difficult it can be in these situations. A major issue, I imagine, is the division of #uk and #northuk in IRC - I am sure that Southern furs feel the same way about Northern furs and vice versa and I imagine that this lack of online cohesion may be partly to blame for it. I don't want to say more than that really, there is stuff I can add but it is not suitable for a public forum.
Just as I have heard bad things about London Meets, I have heard similar untruths about Northern Meets. I am intrigued as to why these rumours start and, more importantly, why they persist. Calihusky remarked that there is now no RBW ConFuzzled rivalry - that may be - but its legacy is going to live on, like the London Meet legacy is living on now.