Chlorine Gas Attack

[Hyena Dandy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...207-story.html

I have pretty much no words. This is just... Extremely fucked up.

Naturally, because it happened to furries, a lot of people I've seen this from find it hilarious. >_<

[HYHYBT]

The comment thread on that one is awful, even for what it is.

That people have a hobby (or insert preferred term) many people find weird has no bearing on whether or to what degree poisoning them is bad. But whoever wrote that article deserves some of the blame for that attitude: saying *once* that it was a furry convention, and maybe a sentence to explain what that means since a lot of people haven't heard of it, would have been ample. Instead, they took the trouble to point out in several places what sort of convention it was, that this group or that person was in costume, etc. The effect that has, and probably the one intended, is going to be to make people focus on the convention-where-people-wear-animal-costumes part instead of the far more newsworthy poison-gas-released-in-a-busy-hotel aspect.

[Kara_CS]

Several articles are like that, and I've stopped reading them. The evacuation is practically being mentioned as an afterthought as the media focuses on people in animal costumes exchanging "high paws" and other such stupid bullshit. Because the real story here is that some people are weird and we should have a laugh at their expense, even when lives were threatened. I should have expected they'd report it like this, but it still pisses me off because I'm friends with several furries and they're some of the sweetest people I know.

[Jetfire]

I haven't seen many other media articles on it, but I found the CBC article was pretty well done.

They did describe what furries are and such, but it was pretty factual all in all. (And they did poke a bit of fun at having to evacuate to a location with a dog show). They didn't treat them as freaks or anything like that.

*skims the comments* On the other hand, Rule 1: Don't read the comments.

[Andara Bledin]

Someone on another forum I'm on actually made a comment blaming someone at the con for the incident. >_<

[Jetfire]

Just because it's someone at the con doesn't mean it's a furry. I've heard rumours from others saying that some suspects might be first-timers who bought passes with their real names and have disappeared since (or something like that). Since there are no limitations on who can buy a badge (nor should nor could there be), "someone at the con" is plausible, but not really incriminating.

[Rageaholic]

Yikes, some of the commentors say they encourage bullying of furries to make them stop. I never understood the amount of hatred for a harmless hobby.

[Andara Bledin]

Just because it's someone at the con doesn't mean it's a furry.

The person in question meant that it was specifically a furry at the con getting up to hi-jinks. Basically, they were talking shit about furries without really coming out and saying they have a problem with furries.

Yikes, some of the commentors say they encourage bullying of furries to make them stop. I never understood the amount of hatred for a harmless hobby.

Fear. Fear of the Other. Petty tribalism at its finest.

[siead_lietrathua]

i had a friend that was there. he says it was pretty unnerving shit.

i just don't see how people can justify using low-grade chembombs on a fucking fandom con. like, seriously, grow the hell up.

[Lindsay B.]

Rule 1: Don't read the comments.

Words to live by.

I remember looking at a YouTube video of that guy in San Diego who drove his car through an intersection filled with people who were taking part in a "Zombie Walk" for a comic book convention.

I stopped reading the comments when I got to the one laughing at the zombie cosplayers and saying that they should be happy because they've got "real blood" now.

There are some really sick people in the world.

[Kagato]

It's primarily because of the stigma surrounding Furry-fans that people are making light of it, if it was almost ANY other situation (Note I said ALMOST - I can think of other situations that people could/would make light of, but will not mention them to avoid causing offence) people would be kicking up one hell of a stink.

Remember people - Furry =/= yiffing (the 'ero' counterpart)

[anakhouri]

What on earth could be the motive for such a thing? Someone mentally unbalanced or just malicious? I hope they catch the person; I'd really like to know.

[Andara Bledin]

It's either a horribly ignorant and really fucking dumb prank, or it's essentially a hate crime. Or possibly a hate crime done for the lulz. >_<

[D_Yeti_Esquire]

I'd go with hate crime if we're going to recognize hate crime as a thing. I'm still under the opinion a crime is a crime. But yea, these people were singled out for q reason. It was a non specific attack on a group. Sounds pretty hate crimey to me.

And yea, definitely unbalanced. When killing =ok in a non life threatening context, you've lost the right to be considered rational.

[Andara Bledin]

Someone at Ars gave a really good reason why hate crime is given extra weight: because the targets are an entire class of people, not just the specific target.

It's a form of terrorism and a greater burden on society than an attack on an individual.

Either way, yeah, heinous act of depraved indifference.