I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly (as I mentioned in my other comment, I'm a little brain-fried this evening, so it could just be me having a case of the stupids - my apologies). In saying That doesn't describe most therians. It's possible to dislike being therian, of course, but usually therians don't feel they are "really human" but this animal thing is being forced on them outside their control., do you mean that "Therians do not think they are meant to be human, and the human animal is something they feel is forced onto them" or "Therians do not, unlike some clinical lycanthropes, feel that a non-human animal identity is forced on their human self," ? I think it's probably the second one and I'm just struggling with quotation marks, but in the even that it is the first one, I'd dispute that usually therians don't feel they are "really human" bit - quite a few folks seem to feel equally in tune with their humanness as with their animalness as far as I understand. I just wanted to say that because as someone who does feel quite in tune with being human as well as being animal, it peeves me a bit when people assume I'm somehow unhappy or at odds with being human, or that I don't think I'm really human. I understand that for people who do not feel comfortable with being human, it can be very important to make that distinction, and I respect that. I also feel that it's important for people who are fine with their humanity to voice that as well, for the sake of perspective, so I am. Again, sorry if I'm disputing based on a misreading - just wanting to cover that point in case.
I do agree that the identity part might be worth emphasizing along with the behavior/urge part. As someone who doesn't have a great deal of urges that I feel are separate somehow from my humanity, and who doesn't "shift", I'd say that the "identity" part might be a bit more encompassing.
Ugh, sorry guys - I feel really clumsy about my writing at the moment so I apologize if this isn't the most coherent, but I do care about it, so I wanted to comment while it was fresh in my mind. Might need to come back again later. ^^
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-11-09 01:26 am (UTC)In saying That doesn't describe most therians. It's possible to dislike being therian, of course, but usually therians don't feel they are "really human" but this animal thing is being forced on them outside their control., do you mean that "Therians do not think they are meant to be human, and the human animal is something they feel is forced onto them" or "Therians do not, unlike some clinical lycanthropes, feel that a non-human animal identity is forced on their human self," ?
I think it's probably the second one and I'm just struggling with quotation marks, but in the even that it is the first one, I'd dispute that usually therians don't feel they are "really human" bit - quite a few folks seem to feel equally in tune with their humanness as with their animalness as far as I understand. I just wanted to say that because as someone who does feel quite in tune with being human as well as being animal, it peeves me a bit when people assume I'm somehow unhappy or at odds with being human, or that I don't think I'm really human. I understand that for people who do not feel comfortable with being human, it can be very important to make that distinction, and I respect that. I also feel that it's important for people who are fine with their humanity to voice that as well, for the sake of perspective, so I am. Again, sorry if I'm disputing based on a misreading - just wanting to cover that point in case.
I do agree that the identity part might be worth emphasizing along with the behavior/urge part. As someone who doesn't have a great deal of urges that I feel are separate somehow from my humanity, and who doesn't "shift", I'd say that the "identity" part might be a bit more encompassing.
Ugh, sorry guys - I feel really clumsy about my writing at the moment so I apologize if this isn't the most coherent, but I do care about it, so I wanted to comment while it was fresh in my mind. Might need to come back again later. ^^