I really don't know anymore. Initially I thought it wasn't pedofilia because it's purely an online thing but people keep saying it is and its a real hot topic to talk about.
I know there are other gross things like scat, gore, rape, etc. and of course I find them weird but they don't seem to be treated as bad as loli or cub? Especially in a porn setting, is there some kind of moral boundary am I missing?

ultimately I think it's best it these things are just kept in their respective circles as long as they aren't hurting anyone. but who knows man

In the most literal definition, as in the definition of the fetish itself, yes, in the same way bestiality content (and arguably the attraction to the animalistic traits of anthropomorphic characters in general) is inherently zoophilia. There is a vast, vast difference between fetishes and thoughts, versus actions. However, people have a weird mental barrier whereby what they personally are grossed out by is easier for them to treat differently than, logically, things they enjoy that are just as bad on paper. "I don't like it, so it's wrong".

Fictional characters are not real. Fictional stories are not reality. The horse is made of pixels, the cub is made of pixels, the blood is pixels, the cannibalism is pixels, the words are text on a screen. Just bear in mind the same people that try to say that shit probably play Call of Duty and magically don't consider themselves war criminals, or GTA and don't consider themselves serial killers, or are into Rape and Vore, and god knows what else.

A lot of people conflate their feelings with morality. They see something that grosses them out, and think "This grosses me out, therefore it is bad". They reason that if they find something gross, everyone must find it gross and thus it should go away. Then when others point out the flaws in this reasoning, they respond by creating rationalizations for their feelings and accusing their critics of bad behavior. All this creates a lot of drama that could have been avoided if people would just learn to accept that people like things you don't like.

its only pedophilia if its based on a real child, personally i am okay with all types of art even it features things that gross me out as long its doesn't exploit anyone

ryonascum said:
its only pedophilia if its based on a real child […]

Pedophilia is a mental illness that must be assessed by a psychiatrist.

This means any young artwork, regardless of if a real child was used as a model or not, isn’t pedophilia. If an image contains a real child, it’s child pornography and illegal, but the image itself is still not pedophilia.

I know this doesn’t add much to the conversation, bothers me a little to see the terms be mixed up.

As long as killing someone in a videogame doesn't land you in jail for murder, then no, it isn't p*dophilia.

Also I would argue that cub content tends to attract a certain type of loud minority than other fetishes don't.
In fact, just by looking at the numbers, young (234k posts) tends to be more popular amongst furries here than say, scat (10k posts) or rape (43k posts).
Again, it's mostly a loud minority of people that make all the noise, so I wouldn't put much thought into it.
It's only a problem if people make it a problem.

is there some kind of moral boundary am I missing?

This is furry porn we're talking about here, people talking about the morality of this or that is simply... funny.

ultimately I think it's best it these things are just kept in their respective circles as long as they aren't hurting anyone.

You nailed it.

Common sense implies that fantasy should be exempt from moral questions and it pouring into reality is exclusively the responsibility of whoever couldn't contain themselves. That takes a high level of maturity though and it is far easier to just point fingers and censor things because otherwise everyone would have to deal with them. Just let people who aren't doing anything illegal irl enjoy their thing in peace.

And yeah society doesn't like it at all, neither does the general furry community, e6 seems alright with it and inkbunny accepts it even more. Not sure about other platforms. It's not worth your time to ponder over such questions too much, what does everyone else think of it, it gets to you mentally.

Let me preface this, lest I get railroaded for my comments. I'm not the police, and I'm not telling you not to like something, alright? This is just an opinion and probably one that's shared by many in the fandom.

The way I've always looked at is unconscious desires. No, it's not the same thing as reality, but I do question how someone can enjoy fictionalized versions of rape or pedophilia. It's not as simple as "this grosses me out so it's bad" lol it's "this parallels a real social issue that is illegal for good reason, and that's why I have an issue with it."

pheagleadler said:
No, it's not the same thing as reality, but I do question how someone can enjoy fictionalized versions of rape or pedophilia.

Same reason video game violence and other simulated versions of taboos exist.

Rape fantasy is EXTREMELY common in general, to the point where there have been multiple studies surrounding it.

in the end of the day, what you need is to form your own beliefs. taking insight from others will obviously help, but it's up to you and your own personal morals if you find the content you consume, no matter what the topic is, taboo or not.

Legality is obviously a different can of worms, but this is an art archive site, and art is commonly, no matter the content, just art.

pheagleadler said:
but I do question how someone can enjoy fictionalized versions of rape or pedophilia.

I have a theory, it has all to do with power and/or control over someone who is inferior in one or more ways, be it physically, mentally, financially, emotionally, etc.
So fiction can be an "outlet" for such desires with none of the real life consequences, similar to how I enjoy getting a kick of adrenaline from playing horror games but let me assure you, I'd rather not experience those same scenarios presented in said horror games in real life.

pheagleadler said:
Let me preface this, lest I get railroaded for my comments. I'm not the police, and I'm not telling you not to like something, alright? This is just an opinion and probably one that's shared by many in the fandom.

The way I've always looked at is unconscious desires. No, it's not the same thing as reality, but I do question how someone can enjoy fictionalized versions of rape or pedophilia. It's not as simple as "this grosses me out so it's bad" lol it's "this parallels a real social issue that is illegal for good reason, and that's why I have an issue with it."

I'll point to my above comparison point. I cackle like a maniac in Overlord, Dungeon Keeper, Fable, and similar games when I find new and interesting ways to massacre people in the most horrific, evil ways imaginable. I delight in splattering civilians in Carmageddon and eating them in Prototype. Why? Because this is a thing I would never do in the real world, I find it fun because it's such a huge disconnect from my actual actions. Taboo things, in fiction, appeal, because it's an outlet to explore them without actually engaging in the taboo.

votp said:
I'll point to my above comparison point. I cackle like a maniac in Overlord, Dungeon Keeper, Fable, and similar games when I find new and interesting ways to massacre people in the most horrific, evil ways imaginable. I delight in splattering civilians in Carmageddon and eating them in Prototype. Why? Because this is a thing I would never do in the real world, I find it fun because it's such a huge disconnect from my actual actions. Taboo things, in fiction, appeal, because it's an outlet to explore them without actually engaging in the taboo.

That Or Because It's The Medium Of Art People Like How It Looks. Music Could Be Disturbing, Serious, Or Depressing. Still Sounds Good. Art Could Be Disturbing, Serious, Or Depressing. Still Looks Good.

My Argument Is Always The Fact That Despite The Fact That We Don't Know How Explicitly Art Affects People, Most Furries Who View Such Art Still Hate The Act.

I Feel As Though Many Forget Why Such Things Are Crimes And As Such Just Spray Their Words Blindly Into The Crowd Of Debate. Zoophilia Is Bad Because Animals Cannot Consent. Which Is Because Of The Definitive Difference Of Intelligence. Which Is The Same Reason As Why Pedophilia Is Bad. Neither Can Give Proper Consent Because Neither Has Enough Defined Intelligence To Know What They Are Doing. To Say Something Against It.

Art, Does Not Effect It. It's Fantasy. Whether Or Not People Like Art Depicting Such Situations, Actual Criminals Are Busy Actually Doing The Crime. They Aren't Likely To Be Looking At Pixels.

anderoas said:
That Or Because It's The Medium Of Art People Like How It Looks. Music Could Be Disturbing, Serious, Or Depressing. Still Sounds Good. Art Could Be Disturbing, Serious, Or Depressing. Still Looks Good.

My Argument Is Always The Fact That Despite The Fact That We Don't Know How Explicitly Art Affects People, Most Furries Who View Such Art Still Hate The Act.

I Feel As Though Many Forget Why Such Things Are Crimes And As Such Just Spray Their Words Blindly Into The Crowd Of Debate. Zoophilia Is Bad Because Animals Cannot Consent. Which Is Because Of The Definitive Difference Of Intelligence. Which Is The Same Reason As Why Pedophilia Is Bad. Neither Can Give Proper Consent Because Neither Has Enough Defined Intelligence To Know What They Are Doing. To Say Something Against It.

Art, Does Not Effect It. It's Fantasy. Whether Or Not People Like Art Depicting Such Situations, Actual Criminals Are Busy Actually Doing The Crime. They Aren't Likely To Be Looking At Pixels.

why are you typing like you're titling a light novel?

anderoas said:
That Or Because It's The Medium Of Art People Like How It Looks. Music Could Be Disturbing, Serious, Or Depressing. Still Sounds Good. Art Could Be Disturbing, Serious, Or Depressing. Still Looks Good.

My Argument Is Always The Fact That Despite The Fact That We Don't Know How Explicitly Art Affects People, Most Furries Who View Such Art Still Hate The Act.

I Feel As Though Many Forget Why Such Things Are Crimes And As Such Just Spray Their Words Blindly Into The Crowd Of Debate. Zoophilia Is Bad Because Animals Cannot Consent. Which Is Because Of The Definitive Difference Of Intelligence. Which Is The Same Reason As Why Pedophilia Is Bad. Neither Can Give Proper Consent Because Neither Has Enough Defined Intelligence To Know What They Are Doing. To Say Something Against It.

Art, Does Not Effect It. It's Fantasy. Whether Or Not People Like Art Depicting Such Situations, Actual Criminals Are Busy Actually Doing The Crime. They Aren't Likely To Be Looking At Pixels.

My brother in christ did you need to ping me in the most illegible manner possible on a month-dead thread?