Modern Day Shamanism

While reading "The Emerging Geographies of Virtual Worlds" the author invoked the feeling that virtual worlds create a shamanistic quality by flying over virtual geographies (Taylor, 1997 pg. 185). That got me thinking about furries and their desire to transform themselves into wolves, tigers, etc. That's another example of the desire for a shaman like experience. Then I got thinking about how children are entertained by anthropomorphic characters: Mickey Mouse, Thundercats (Hooooo!), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the list goes on and on. Even literature and religion use these to explain morales: Animal Farm, Jataka Tales, Aesop's Fables.

So what does it say about our culture, when we use anthropomorphic characters to entertain and teach morale issues, then expect people once they come of a certain age to "grow up?" I don't know the answer, but it gives me pause before I start getting pissed about stuff like this [NSFW](which still freaks me out, but I don't HATE on em now).