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First of all, well done. I would never have attempted writing about the furry fandom in high school, and even now, ten years after having joined it, I still find the thought of trying to write a paper on it daunting.
–I think there is a missing distinction; the difference between “furry” and anthropomorphism in various cultures throughout history. The ancient Egyptians for instance had gods with animal traits, and the Native Americans believed in power animals. Both instances used creatures from the world around them to bridge the gap between what they understood and the mysteries that were beyond their understanding. Today we still have strong anthropomorphism in most of the cultures around the world. Even in our country, we use anthropomorphism to reinforce an idea. That person is “fierce as a tiger”, or “hungry like the wolf”. Marketing uses the same psychology which is why we have so many animal mascots in sports, cereal boxes, and other places in the media. We have animal cartoon characters for the same reason. But none of this is specifically furry. So I think saying furry dates back to hundreds of years just because a culture used anthropomorphic creatures is a stretch.
The other point I think you could probably expand on is on page 2 where you try to define the furry fandom – which admittedly, is something VERY difficult to do. You say:
“Music, literature, drawings, paintings, photos, and costume making; are just some of the forms that are used to express one’s self within this fandom. Conventions are large gatherings of people from this fandom in one location, usually at a hotel with convention space. One of the best reasons why people love being in this fandom are that sense of a tight community or family. Where everyone cares for everyone, and there is a sense of belonging; where there is no discrimination or hatred. That is the Furry fandom.”
You have just described fandom in general. You have described the science fiction fandom, you have described the Anime fandom, and you have just described the Steampunk fandom, among all the other unmentioned fandoms as well (although to say no discrimination or hatred seems romanticized). You do go on to add some clarity on page 3, which overall I think you do a good job with. My only true disagreement is how you have sited furries, such as Kage for quotes. People outside of the fandom will not know who you are referencing, and for that specific quote, it’s not a quote at all – it’s the definition of the word, straight out of a dictionary. He might have said it, but he’s just quoting it from a dictionary.
Overall I think you did a commendable job. The furry fandom is something very hard to write about, and I absolutely love discussing it with people and tugging at the threads that make up the tapestry of this fandom. I think if you want to learn more about the fandom, seek out Flip (Procyon here on the forums). He’s seen multiple generations of the furry fandom and I think his insight into the evolution of our group, as well as where we came from, is unmatched.
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