On "Doctor" Phil

So the recent news Dr. Phil wants to do a show about furries is the latest thing to sweep the fandom.

I’ve been around this fandom a LONG time - nearly twenty years at this point. And I have seen this same thing play out over and over and over again. It will go something like this:

1. TV show wants to do a show about the fandom, so they put out a call for someone to talk about their experiences.

2. Some well-meaning but clueless furry decides to take it upon themselves to “make the fandom look good in the media,” because they think they can finally “tell the truth” about the fandom and miraculously make everything sunshine and rainbows.

3. When the well-meaning but clueless furry goes on the air, because they have no experience dealing with media, they end up making a fool of themselves and talking about all kinds of crazy things.

4. Show is further edited to make it look even worse.

5. Show airs, we all look like idiots.

So I’m going to this again, as clearly as I can:

If you have the thought go through your head that you can “make the fandom look good in the media,” you are not the right person to be talking to the media.

Being media savvy is just not something most people are capable of doing, especially in situations like this one. People go to school for years to learn how to work with the media, and you think you can just waltz in there and make everything okay? You think every other furry that’s appeared in front of the camera hasn’t had the exact same thought process you do? And how has it ended for them?

You’re dealing with a show that is defined by conflict, and the people that run shows like this one are experts at finding (or creating) conflict. This is not some local news interviewing a random furry on the street - this is a TV talk show whose producers are experts at exploiting vulnerable, unsuspecting people (which, let’s face it, is the majority of the furry fandom).

If you decide to go on this show, I guarantee you it will end badly. You will be made to look like a simpleton at best, and a completely depraved pervert at worst. And, it will be construed as to reflect all of us.

But it’s going to happen, unfortunately. They will find someone - there’s always someone out there who thinks they can magically pull this off. And will end badly, and we will all look like fools. Again.