So, this is something that I normally wouldn't talk about publically, but I figure it's worth it just to like... get my thoughts out there. Oh, uh, big trigger warning too.
There's a new effort to drive Cub Artists out of the fandom, which... I mean on some level, what else is new? The Burned Furs live eternal, only dying when people realize meaningless gatekeeping doesn't work and most people don't care, and coming back to life with each new generation of furries. This one is more Twitter-savvy, but that's about the extent of the larger difference.
However, one new popular claim they're putting forth is that Cub Porn is being used to groom children for real life abuses. This seemed absolutely ludicrous on its face. It didn't make any sense to do it that way. But then I talked to somebody who explained their own experiences with it, and it... well. It hit me hard. Really hard. I had to start asking myself a lot of questions about what I'm doing, what it means, and whether it's doing more harm than good.
Anyone who follows my art knows that cub stuff is... not even a significant portion my thing. It's a side-interest that I do just, sometimes, and it's usually variants that most other cub enthusiasts don't like. But I decided that it was okay to start drawing it because:
a) It's fictional,
b) No kids are harmed in the making of it, and
c) I wanted to present an alternative to self-deprivation, which a vast majority of the time turns into dehumanization of the targets of one's lusts
But if it was possible that even my own stuff could be used to actually abuse a real child, the idea really... really really bothered me. It still does. I mean, it makes me very upset to imagine it.
But when I stopped having bad feelings, I sat down and really thought it out. The case I'd been told about wasn't someone else's art being used for that purpose- the person in question had made it themselves, of the child in question, in the context of a relationship they had no business being in.
When I consider it, the argument being made here is that cub porn is making it easier for predators to groom children. But... if you know anything about how these assholes do that, it usually isn't porn at all, because children aren't interested in porn. It's not even sexual, grooming can be anything, like a child's favorite book or a sport, anything that lets the person get closer to them, to ingratiate them. If all cub porn disappeared tomorrow, would it make it harder for them to do that? Well... not really, for the aforementioned reason. Ultimately, cub content doesn't affect whether someone has the intent to do this- they'd have to have that behavior within them to begin with, and they'll do it regardless of the materials available to them. If you want to remove every tool a predator has to groom their victim, you'll have to ban everything children enjoy...
To say nothing of the fact that- based off of the way that all facets of this work- if you remove the release valve, the sex crimes will go up. They just do, every time, without fail. We know this, we understand this. Taking a puritanical approach is not the answer.
That said. This is not a "Not My Problem" type of deal. I really want to impress on everyone that it's important that we keep an eye out for this type of behavior. Age gaps in online relationships can be a big red flag, and it's up to each and every one of us to make sure that this isn't happening in or out of our community.
Thanks for your time while I... sort of emotionally figure this out.
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5 years, 11 months ago
20 May 2018 06:34 CEST
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