As we look through the Otherkin community, we see two very different
schools of thought on humans; one which is not very fond of humans and
can even go so far as to use the word as an insult, and one which
believes the first group is foolish and childish.
Can there be no middle ground?
First
of all, it's very natural to try and separate yourself from humanity,
particularly in the beginning. Even if you choose to consider yourself
human you are certainly unlike most other humans. It's difficult to
explore this new aspect of yourself while also trying to be no
different from the "average" human. So let us go over a few of these
points.
Is a Therian still Human?
That
really depends on how you look at it. Many would leap up and begin
screaming at you that you're immature for thinking that you're not
human, but I challenge these people to consider transgendered people
for a moment. When a person is transgendered it means he or she
identifies with a gender other than what they were born with. This is usually
the opposite gender but there are those who identify as being either
hermaphroditic or genderless. If a person is born as male, but
identifies as female, this person is often considered a she, even if
this person never has a gender-reassignment surgery. A man is
considered a woman because that's the gender she identifies with.
Would it not then reason that a human is considered a tiger (for
example) because that's the species he or she identifies with?
What
you wish to view yourself as is entirely up to you. Just be aware that
most people will not respond well if you declare that you are not
human, even if you explain that it's a matter of identify.
Are Therians superior to Humans?
Another
common point of disagreement. Are Therians superior in some way to
Humans? Who knows? It's entirely possible that Therians are superior
due to more accute instinct and a stronger connection with the wild.
On the flip-side, Humans
could be the superior ones. After all, Therians have a tendency toward
problems such as insomnia, strange phobias, disturbing dreams, and of
course we sill sometimes have mental shifts when we just don't want
them. Most probably it's a fair exchange; we are superior to Humans in
some things but are inferior to them in others.
Are Humans evil?
This is a very common first response from Therians. Humans dislike the Therian for his or her strange behavior and, even worse, Humans are often unkind to our kinspecies and their habitats.