Misconceptions

January 14, 2016

*Adapted from 30 Days of Otherkin Challenge

Otherkin are extremely easy to misunderstand, especially from an outsider’s point of view, and as a result, have become the butt end of many a joke. Honestly, it’s understandable, considering otherkinity is a very off-the-wall identity. However, there have been so many people trolling the otherkin community over the years (and I’d argue as otherkin become more visible online that this has only increased in frequency), that stories upon stories have been fabricated about the weird things otherkin do, and have subsequently passed around the dark corners of the internet. Of course, there are people out there who take these stories to be 100% true, and have a vastly flawed view of what otherkin are really like. So, with that, I’d like to clear up a misconception or two.

One misconception I’d like to clear up is that otherkin are crazy or fantasy obsessed. From my experience, a lot of otherkin are very reasonable people…people you’d consider pretty normal. Every community is going to have their weirdos, non-human communities included, but it seems a vast majority of people who identify as non-human are the kind of everyday people you’d meet walking down the street. Kind people. Intelligent people. Even successful and motivated people.

Those few otherkin I have known that did have “issues” had problems not because they identified as a non-human, but because they had classifiable disorders unrelated to their otherkinity. Otherkin can be mentally ill. Many are. However, that doesn’t mean that otherkinity and mental illness are mutually inclusive, or that one causes the other. Comments saying that otherkin are messed up and need help are common, and I’m sure there are otherkin that do have “issues”, whatever your definition of issues may be. However, I know a number of people (including family members, friends, and siblings of friends) who do not identify as non-human who are far more “messed up” than any otherkin I’ve known online or in person. These were people who were/are harming others or themselves, which is something I’ve never known to be caused by a non-human identity. Yes, there are harmful people in the otherkin community, but that’s true of any community of a decent size, and as far as I’m aware, there are not enough data to conclude these harmful tendencies are caused by non-human identity.

We don’t bark at the meat at the grocery store. We don’t eat rocks (unless you count rock candy, because mmm, delicious). We don’t rub all over strangers’ legs wanting to be petted. We don’t try to breathe water (although it seems many people would like us to try...). I promise. Unfortunately, it’s tough to get others without the experiences we’ve had to understand what we mean when we say we’re a wolf or a mermaid, without tripping their “crazy person” alarm. It’s so frustrating trying to sound reasonable when talking about otherkinity, therianthropy, draconity, etc., because saying something like “sometimes I feel like I have invisible cat claws where my fingernails are” sounds like it’s coming from a nut job, even though phantom shifts are common and can be experienced by non-kin and otherkin alike.

On the internet, it’s hard for others to see how we function in everyday life, and I get the feeling anti-kin and trolls think everything we do throughout the day involves our kintype(s). Do they think we run around yelling at people for not addressing us as our kin/theriotypes? Do they think we eat birdseed out of other people’s bird feeders for lunch everyday? I don’t know, but it seems like there’s a lot of senseless hate based solely on assumptions. It can be easy for newly Awakened to obsess over their otherkinity because discovering your identity can be an earth-shattering revelation, but once you have to start dealing with (or are already dealing with) other things like learning to live on your own, starting a career, going to college, etc., focusing solely on your otherkinity is nigh impossible.

Anyway, I just really want non-kin to know that past all the misinformation and weird crap that gets passed off as factual, a lot of people who identify as non-human are what you’d likely call “normal” (maybe even people you know and love, and would never suspect as being otherkin). I also want non-kin to know that otherkin can have boring normal lives while still being otherkin, or can go on to lead successful lives without losing sight of their otherkinity.

Basically, our otherkinity is part of who we are, but it’s not all we are. It doesn’t take a “crazy” person to identify as non-human.