Is furry really "just" a hobby?
Ive noticed lately an abundance of replies to a variety of discussions as topics answered or replied to with the phrase "Furry is just a hobby" or something of the like. Ive always found that answer/response to things feeling lacking or downplaying what this community is, at least to me. When i think of a hobby, its usually a bit more focused on a specific thing external to us. Think sports, activities, collectors, etc. On the flip side, when i think of a hobby, I dont think of broader more internally assosciated ideas like community, identity or culture like I do with the fandom.
I understand that furry is also, kind of what you make it, so for many maybe thats all it is for them? Solely just a matter of liking this specific art and thats it? Maybe its simply a matter of semantics where we use the word hobby differently? Id like to posit that we are and should see ourselves as more than that and instead focus on ideas like community or culture.
Speaking from my own experience, the vast majority of my friends even in real life are all a part of the fandom. Same goes for those friends social circles. I cant seem to imagine being in a relationship outside the fandom (happily married to my husband also in the fandom) and it seems to be the case for most everyone i know on that front as well, online or offline. From my view, our social circles largely exist revolving around the fandom to a higher degree than a simple hobby.
Our community, for a lot of people, also ties deeply in with identity. For a lot of us, our fursonas feel deeper than just some cute character we whipped up for fun. Its part of how we see ourself and I believe the heavy involvement on us getting these characters made by people, especially in more NSFW situations substantiates this idea. Id even have to say, to me, NSFW parts dont feel like they fall neatly inside just being a hobby. Associating with themes on identity, we can also assosciate this with the heavy presence of therian and other kin individuals. I can only assume that for those folk, hobby doesnt feel quite right either. I think this also helps to explain why we see so many furs feel an urge to "come out".
To wrap it up back around, I think when we refer to the community as just a hobby, were talking one level down from what it truly is. There are for sure hobbies within the fandom, like art, suit making, dance, etc. Maybe its time for us to be a bit broader in how we communicate our view of what the fandom actually is? Id love to hear other peoples thoughts around this, maybe im just a bit goofy on this one. Are these valid criticisms of the hobby framing?
Update: I really didnt think id get this many thoughtful replies on my late night reflection, but i appreciate every one of you sharing your view of the fandom. I wish I had time to reply to each one of these with a well thought out response, I hardly have time to read through all of em! I hope that whatever your stance is, you can take a minute to take a peek into how other furs view our weird little community of misfits and monsters.