Regarding the MTV “‘Otherkins’ Special” posted on Youtube within the last week, with Shiro Ulv as the main (and only) otherkin speaking on behalf of otherkin…
I don’t agree with it. I don’t think that anyone should have volunteered to assist MTV with that (hopefully discouraging them from going ahead and actually making the video in the first place), but out of all of the individuals who have been in the community for a notable length of time, I definitely think it should not have been Shiro.
Don’t misunderstand me–I have nothing personal against him. But the fact of the matter is, Shiro, being in the limelight again, after his practically legendary failure with the ‘I Think I’m an Animal’ documentary, which resulted in the well-known On All Levels Except Physical, I’m a Wolf meme, is nothing more than a bad idea. It brings back things which, for lack of a better way to put it, need to stay buried. It associates us with a quite literal joke first and foremost in people’s minds.
Past that, the video itself, while not wholly awful, is, make no mistake, not particularly good. The definition given is only partially accurate–they misspell the word ‘otherkin’ in it, for gods’ sakes!–and, while Shiro does shed some light on the fact that otherkin can identify as quite a lot of things, that’s about all that’s spoken about that really applies to otherkin. Past that, it’s mostly about Shiro, and his history.
He looks completely unprofessional (and, although I hate to use this word…fluffy as hell. Wolf t-shit, paw prints behind him, a wolf tapestry hanging on his wall…), sounds as though he doesn’t really cares, and even gives a personal jab at the end of “Yeah, I’m weird but what are you doing with your life?” He mentions his past history as a furry, something I fully believe you should never do in a very short introductory video about otherkin unless its being done to say something along the lines of, “Hey, people confuse these communities, but they’re actually not the same thing and quite different!” And it essentially boils down to the classical stereotype of some kid getting picked out and then gaining an odd sort of superiority complex from what caused them to get picked on in the first place, to somehow being great for being the “outcast,” as is stated in the video.
At the end of the day, I think this video really was just an incredibly bad idea. It gave practically no information on otherkin, and it what information it did give was shoddy and half-accurate–though why anyone would expect anything better from MTV, I can’t possibly imagine. It portrays the community in, while not necessarily a bad light, certainly not a good one, and is most likely going to have a much more negative effect overall than a positive one.
I wouldn’t encourage anyone to follow Shiro’s example, as things like this really do more harm than good, and if his interactions with the media has taught us anything, it’s to be very careful, and very wary, when interacting with them, if we have to at all. I also wouldn’t suggest individuals support this video (or any misinformation it may perpetuate).
Wait…. theres ANOTHER tv special? Shiro did another one? After the last time the entire community basically tore him a new one for it?
After we told him time and time again it would be senzationalized and he would be represented badly, and then surprise surprise were right even afyer he defended it vehemently?
Ok, full fucking offense what the fuck is wrong with him
No one should volunteer for these shit shows. The people who make these “documentaries” are after ratings, not reality. Even if you portray yourself as otherwise “normal,” they will cut and paste what you say to make you look nuts. Maybe if people stop volunteering, they’ll stop making them.
