Finnish blog article about otherkin

[frameacloud]

Content warnings: none.

A skeptical Finnish-language blogger wrote an entry that covers some basics about otherkin. Google Translate handles it poorly, so I'm not sure of the article's thesis or attitude.

Source

Ez. "Seikkaluja internetin harhamaassa: oletko sinäkin oikeasti eläin?" May 28, 2014. Tämä Päivä (Today). (Personal blog.) http://tamapaiva.blogspot.fi/2014/05/seikkaluja-internetin-harhamaassa.html

Comments

[cavefelem.livejournal.com]

Hi, native Finnish speaker here. Thought I'd lend a hand. :)

The gist of the article is that otherkin are either teenagers playing make-believe, which is probably harmless, or if not, then "potentially mentally disturbed". Apparently otherkin also shouldn't be surgeons.

I find the article too rambling and tedious to translate completely, but here are a few bits which should make the blogger's attitude clearer:

"'Kin are a consequence of people misunderstanding what trans people are about. Being transgendered is not people just deciding to be whatever, there is even a real, sometimes physically measurable phenomenon, such as a chromosome aberration or hormonal abnormality, behind this phenomenon [sic]. If people don't understand this, they might think trans people just decided one day that the gender they were born as is wrong for them. And this is not what trans people are about (at least not in the majority of cases), but it is what 'kin are mainly about."

"So, in principle, people have the right to assume an identity as a wolf, a bear or a garter belt, but if there is no basis for this identity, others don't need to take it seriously. A person who claims to be a bear can claim that if they like, but they might need psychiatric help."

"It might be useful to point out how an otherkin identity can be seen as a negative characteristic in a person. If a person imagines themselves to be something they can't prove in any way or that it's not even possible to be, what does it say about their powers of discernment or their worldview? The ability to believe in the absurd and internalise a totally impossible identity are not positive characteristic in a person, and they don't encourage belief in the person's other capabilities, such as the capability to perform a demanding operation on a patient, either."

"This thing rarely spreads from the Internet into the Real World, which is probably good, because their fate wouldn't be very pretty."

The post is tagged with "Animal, Delusions, Internet, Otherkin, Minority".

[greenreaper.livejournal.com]

there is even a real, sometimes physically measurable phenomenon, such as a chromosome aberration or hormonal abnormality, behind this phenomenon

I wonder if we will every find the furry gene . . .

[zeeth_kyrah]

I'm pretty sure that the same fact of differences in brain activity between trans persons and those just pretending are likely to be found between otherkin and those just pretending. Insanity is hardly the correct diagnosis for someone who simply functions better when taking their correct identity into account.

[frameacloud]

Thank you very much for the translations, Cavefelem.

[cavefelem.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

I find it interesting that the author uses the word "otu" (which I translated above as 'kin). It's short of both Otherkin and the Finnish word for "creature" (otus) and not very common as far as I know. I remember it from the late 90s onwards, but didn't think it would be widespread enough to be in common usage.

[(Anonymous)]

The actual author of the quoted article here!

Kudos to cavefelem for translating parts of my article. I apologize if it felt tedious, but when writing to audiences not familiar with a phenomena, I find it useful to try to be a bit more wordy when explaining some of the concepts, before getting to a point. Also this article started out with a long opening due to it being the first in a series that I've later continued by looking into other Internet phenomena.

Anyhoo, just putting in one correction. I didn't mean that otherkin shouldn't be surgeons, mostly that an otherkin identity could very well come back and bite you in the ass when applying to become one. The quote was about credibility, not capacity.

[(Anonymous)]

Almost forgot:
The term "otu" was the best Finnish term I've come across for otherkin. Its short, catchy and works. What would the preferred Finnish term be if this one is out of favor?

[cavefelem.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't mean to say it shouldn't be used, just that I was surprised to encounter it, because I don't remember it being a commonly known and recognised word. Maybe it is nowadays.

I don't know what the preferred term in the Finnish-speaking otherkin community would be, as I'm not a part of one or even really know if one exists.