Hello, I hope you are having a good day. I just want to be honest as a physical nonhuman (not targeted at anyone specifically, just your post made me want to speak up)
I personally loathe the shift of therians to using the term holothere (and other terms). Every time we try to make our community, we get pushed out of it. I was mutuals with the one who coined the term, I was around when it was created. It is and has always been for those who are not humans in any way. It literally means "wholly animal", for any reason, spiritual, delusion, anything, nothing more, nothing less, it has never been about superiority, just about simply not being human
I and many other physical nonhumans are tired of being robbed of our community. I myself just left any therian/alterhuman/nonhuman community I was in, privating all my nonhuman sideblogs, only keeping two mutuals on Tumblr, because I was just too tired and bitter after years of straight up hatred directed at us physical nonhumans and of constantly watering us down and stealing what we make to use it for themselves
Do I miss the community as a whole? Yes. I had lovely mutuals I sometimes spoke with and enjoyed back and forths of reblogs, reading what others had to say, just talking about whatever... But at one point the bad outweighed the good for me. My health, both physical and mental (brain is literally degrading and I am gradually losing the ability to write, think and read (getting help to write this ask)), have just been worsening too much to be able to safely handle it all. I just hope one day physical nonhumans will finally have a place to belong. I just hope one day this will be a true community where everyone is respected, psychological and spiritual therians alike, otherlinkers, physical nonhumans, everyone. Not for me since I likely cannot safely return, but for everyone else, for mutuals I had to leave behind. We (or you (at community) since I had to leave) are stronger together
~ signed, a very tired snow bear
I'm sorry it took me a few days to answer this. I have been busy and wanted to actually take the time to sit down and respond. I don't have a ton to say because I think your message really does speak for itself.
It really does hurt me to see this sentiment so so often. You've all had to face so much bullshit, I can not really blame any of yall for leaving the greater community. I can not think of a single physical nonhuman (and I mean that in the non-metaphorical sense) who has not faced intense backlash for the mere crime of existing publicly. Many blogs that I have admired have gone very silent or migrated elsewhere. It's hell for anyone in your position, regardless of their physical or mental health.
There is a power dynamic going on with these appropriated terms. I won't get into the details with it here but I do think it's worth noting.
You deserve a community that will keep you and comfort you, and the nonhuman community has failed greatly at that task. I'd like to hope that by talking about the this more, we can finally carve out a safe space for yall that are not so isolated and insular. Or at least inspire a few to look more critically at themselves and their actions. The absence of physical nonhumans/holotheres/CLCZ/and others just completely neuters the community, and the sooner we realize that the better!
I appreciate you speaking up a lot, I am glad that post has inspired more physical nonhumans to talk about what's going on. I sort of hate that yall have to constantly recount your mistreatment to get anyone to listen, but hopefully some good comes from this conversation.
Thank you again, I hope you have a good day!
