i guess i'm just goth

[mellowtigger]

bitterlawngnome pointed out a picture gallery devoted to wresting the name "bear" from its traditional base and giving it solely to the devotion of hairy fitness buffs. It's been a while since I posted my own definition of bear, but this new picture collection called "Bear | Not Bear" (semi-safe viewing for most workplaces) seems diametrically opposed to my definition.

Basically, I think that "bear" includes the unpopular kids, the D-list crowd, all the folk who don't fit the popular culture's image of what is desirable. We remind each other that we don't have to be X, Y, or Z in order to be desirable.  We innoculate ourselves against the contamination of popular culture's dislike of fringe appearance or fringe behavior.  I enjoy thinking of bears as the Stuart Smalley fan club: "We're good enough, we're smart enough, and doggone it, people like us."

When the bear population grew large enough to attract mainstream attention, then suddenly the popular kids developed an interest. Nothing good can come of that mixture, and the discord is effectively satirized in the South Park episode about the Goth kids being overtaken by the Vampire kids.  Their tension is presented in this video segment...

You guys, I do not want to be grouped in with douchey little vampire kids. ... Get out of our space you little twerps!
More preppy straight-A students turning into vampires. What the hell is going on?
- http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/210819/douchey-little-vampire-kids

... and the difference is skillfully defined in the closing moments of the episode.

Fellow students, over the past week there has been a lot of confusion, and so we have asked for this assembly to clarify the difference between goth kids and vampire kids. Let us make it abundantly clear. If you hate life, truly hate the sun, and need to smoke and drink coffee, you are goth. If, however, you like dressing in black 'cause it's fun, enjoy putting sparkles on your cheeks and following the occult while avoiding things that are bad for your health, then you are most likely a douchebag vampire wannabe boner because anyone who thinks they are actually a vampire is freaking retarded.
- http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/137227/detail/

So the metaphor of the popular kids trying to steal a movement from the unpopular kids is what I use to interpret the recent "redefining" of bear.  Unlike the resolution in the South Park episode, I don't know that the bears can actually reclaim their original identity.  Words are fluid, though, and language always changes, so maybe there's still reason to hope.

Or maybe we need to take a cue from Dan Savage and go on the offensive.  We could create our own new word to apply to these people, thereby deflecting their criticism of the original bear culture.

Comments

[foeclan.livejournal.com]

Our only solution is to burn down Eddie Bauer.

[furr_a_bruin]

If any stupid attitude-oozing fucktard ever has the nerve to try and tell me I'm "not a bear", he's gonna find out why pissing off a grizzly is never a good idea. Though I have to admit, it will be difficult to NOT start off with the Patsy Stone line, "Oh, you little bitch-troll from hell!" *grin*

I've been a "bear" since shortly after the concept took off amongst furry gay men in the '80s; if anyone can claim to "know what a bear is," I'd say that my qualifications in that area are impeccable. Hell, I was published in BEAR Magazine when it was still digest-size!

A lot of people seem to want to make it very psychological - but for me, it boils down at the core to "A Bear has fur." On the face, on the body - preferably both - but there's gotta be fur. Whether the body under the fur is muscular, skinny or chubby makes little difference, though the "archetypical" bear is stocky/burly, after our namesake animal. (And if some guys identify more with "otter" or "wolf" - that's up to them. Wolves and Otters and Bears, oh my!)

Because, you see, there's nothing wrong with NOT being a Bear, and to me - if "anyone can be a Bear" then the term has no meaning.

As for the sewage-filled skinbags attempting to co-opt beardom, all it takes is for those of us who've been Bear longer than they've known where their cock is to stand our ground, channel our inner Grizzly and snarl at them until they run for cover.

[bitterlawngnome]

This back and forth is an inherent part of bear culture; there was never a Golden Era when everyone agreed on what a bear was. Not even in 1989; we were already having this argument. I remember sitting on the couch with my partner of the time trying to figure out what it was all about - so many different opinions LOL

About the best you can do is put *your* opinion out there. While there's a buck to be made off the name there will always be musclebears.