Snowflake challenge - day 15

[dizzojay]

 Challenge 15

In your own space, opine on the Future of Fandom.  Leave a comment in this post saying you did it.  Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

 

After Supernatural ended, I was prepared for the fact that the fandom would dwindle, and that many of us would go our separate ways.  Many fandoms have the strength and cohesion to continue long after their media has ended and I was hoping that Supernatural would be one of them.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the sheer toxicity that would tear the fandom apart after the show ended.  It seems that there is a particularly vocal sector of the Spn fandom that aren’t happy unless they’re spreading hate and negativity because others’ interpretation of – for instance - the ending of Supernatural, or J2’s relationship, or Dean and Castiel’s relationship doesn’t conform with theirs.  I don’t know whether they’re the biggest section of fandom, or just the noisiest, but not a day goes by that I don’t hear of some new target for their rage.

Not believing that Dean and Castiel are in a sexual relationship does not make one homophobic, but that’s a charge they love to throw around, particularly at Jensen because he doesn’t humour them or their crap.

And on that subject, the hate toward actors is particularly worrisome.  There have even been death threats.  Anyone who follows my journal will know that I’m a Jensen girl.  But I have nothing but respect and affection for Jared and Misha too.  Why shouldn’t I?  They’ve never done anything to hurt me.  But these people are seemingly incapable sharing the love.

Destiel fans are hating on Jared, Misha fans are hating on J2, Jared fans are hating on Jensen and Misha.  It’s pathetic to be splintering into factions and screaming over something so pointless as a fictional TV programme and professional actors who earn a living pretending to be someone else.

I have very little experience of other fandoms, so I don’t know if this kind of infantile and dangerous behaviour is common, but if it is, I don’t see a bright future for fandom.  I sincerely hope I’m wrong, because twelve of the happiest years of my life have been because I discovered Supernatural and its fandom.  I have kept out of the way of all this toxicity and blanketed myself with fantastic people, who radiate light and humour, many of whom have become lifelong friends. That’s why I’m not active on Twitter and I refuse to have a Tumblr account

I hate the howler monkeys that create all this mayhem because they and their petty personal shit-throwing vendettas have vandalised something that was so precious to me.

I will continue to enjoy fandom in my own way, and with my own people, so despite everything I’ve just said I’m not going anywhere.  I won’t let them win.

Comments

[muccamukk]

I think this is pretty common in a all big fandoms, and an unfortunate number of smaller ones. I haven't figured out what to do about it other than block everyone being abusive, and focus on stuff one loves. But it's difficult sometimes, knowing stuff like the goss sites are out there, even if one personally tries not to look at them, and doesn't interact.

[sandy79]

Like you, I have mostly witnessed this in the SPN fandom, which hurts me just as much as you, especially when so-called "fans" attack any of the other actors.

There are definitely a number of them in the MCU fandom as well, but the worst thing I have come across so far is their call for cancelling the entire MCU, which usually comes when a movie or a TV show isn't to their taste (though they never can really agree on who's done the worst - the producers, the actors, the writers or the directors). The only actors who I remember being called out for even the littlest things are Jeremy Renner and Letitia Wright.

As for the Star Wars fandom, the worst thing I have come across so far were the personal attacks on both Moses Ingram and Vivien Lyra Blair from "Obi-Wan Kenobi". While Ingram was attacked right after her casting announcement for being a POC and therefore, in the eyes of certain "fans", not fitting for the role of an Inquisitor (funny enough, there was no such protest when Sung Kang was cast as the Fifth Brother), young Miss Blair was under fan fire after the show aired. Most of them were calling her a "disgrace" (and worse) to the legacy of Carrie Fisher, but to me, she was simply perfect. Maybe some scenes with her would have worked better if they were shot differently, but that's hardly an actor's mistake than a writer's or a director's one. I haven't found anything in Vivien's case, but in Ingram's case, Ewan McGregor even issued a video on his social media channels and called out these people.

[fairyniamh]

Wow, I am experiencing deja vu. This happened in Star Trek aos. Spock/Kirk shippers vs Spock/Uhura shippers. I was a Spock/Kirk shipper from the original series. When they started to attack me I just said, f*** it and started to ship Kirk/McCoy instead.

I was chewed out for not liking a Teen Wolf character. They insisted it was because of my main shipping pair. Nope, I told them that the character was evil. Guess what? She was evil!

Fandom can be so toxic sometimes, but I'll ignore the haters and keep being me.

[tsuki_no_bara]

this is so sad - my active time in spn fandom was a lot shorter than yours but they were wild and glorious years and i remember them fondly - but unfortunately i think it's just something that happens in big fandoms. i think daisy ridley was basically hounded off social media by pissy star wars fans, and kelly marie tran came in for a lot of vitriol for what looked like the "crime" of being not male and not white. i'm not really in the fandom so i don't know what the shipping wars look like, but i'd be very surprised if there weren't a lot of splinter groups punching at each other. i think in the end all you can do to fight the negativity is to find your people and hang on to them, and know you're not alone.

[sandy79]

I AM in the SW fandom, and while I can confirm what you said about both Daisy and Kelly (though I only heard about it all afterwards), I also have no idea what the shipping wars really look like. I mean, there are those who love Reylo (Kylo/Rey) to a fault, and others who prefer to ship them with other people. Like Dizzo, I try to stay away from these shipping wars (and I'm a multi-shipper anyway. There's not many pairings in any of my fandoms that aren't at least worth giving it a try. I only draw the line on any pairing that has even the tiniest flavor of non-con to it)

[kingstoken]

Because SPN is such a large fandom that I think the negative fans seem really overwhelming. That being said, I do think they are a small percentage of fans overall, but are very vocal, so you have to go out of your way to avoid them.

[sparrow2000]

Wow, I knew SPN had its issues but I had no idea it was that bad. Howler monkeys is a great way of putting it and I think you are very wise to keep out of the mayhem and embrace the positives that fandom have given you. I'm in the Buffy 'verse and even though it's been off the air for 20 years, there are still shippers who hate each other because it's their way or the highway and I'm very glad I have never been involved in those ships although I do get depressed sometimes by the vitriol given to some of the characters I love and I have to remind myself that their hate doesn't negate my own character love. So good for you, enjoy fandom on your own terms and don't let anyone spoil your love.

[silveradept]

It's not a universal fandom experience, luckily, but it can be a common one, depending on the tenor the fans take with each other and how much they're invested in their shop either being the canonical one or the only one without "problematic" elements. As much as I'd like to say we learned something from the last round of ship wars, it's not always the case.

[apachefirecat]

Unfortunately, such hatred is VERY common in fandoms, especially the big ones. You just have to do exactly as you've done: steer away from the bad and lean into the good! I've never understood it, and never will, but it is truly as though people think that tearing down someone else's likes will make their own preferences better. I've had this argument with MANY people, including those near and dear to me, but it's an argument I wouldn't suggest having if you can avoid it. Just stick to your good places and your trusted friends. That's what I tend to do. :)

I've never had an interest in Tumblr or Twitter, but this is exactly why I moved away from FFN YEARS ago.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Not believing that Dean and Castiel are in a sexual relationship does not make one homophobic, but that’s a charge they love to throw around, particularly at Jensen because he doesn’t humour them or their crap.<<

While I enjoy Dean/Castiel, I also like the "angels don't have sex/gender" approach common in Good Omens and found in most other angel fandoms. It's very popular with acespec fans and they need places where platonic ships fit well.

>>And on that subject, the hate toward actors is particularly worrisome. <<

Not new, but getting worse. It certainly doesn't encourage people to become actors or interact with fans, which you'd think would be desirable things.

>>I have very little experience of other fandoms, so I don’t know if this kind of infantile and dangerous behaviour is common, but if it is, I don’t see a bright future for fandom. <<

It's a lot more common than it used to be, and that's a growing problem. However, the proportion varies greatly. Some fandoms have very little, others have a great deal. Part of that is size: the bigger the group, the more its troublemakers add up. But a large part is the content, because that's what attracts fans, and different types of content will attract different personalities.

Supernatural is a very rough and violent show. This makes it a comfortable place for rough personalities. The same is true for other rowdy shows, like Stargate. A gentler show, if you can find one, will tend to attract gentler people. I haven't seen nearly as much fracas in Good Omens, for instance. Small fandoms are often less fractious, partly because they have fewer troublemakers and partly because they can't afford to split up or there'd be nothing left. But there are surprises too. The Magnificent 7 seems to run heavily to hurt/comfort and low fan conflict, even though it's a rough-and-ready Wild West fandom. The small size is likely a factor there.

You might try browsing around different fandoms to see what the atmosphere is like, and whether you find something you enjoy. Snowflake is perfect for that with the recommendation challenges.

>>That’s why I’m not active on Twitter and I refuse to have a Tumblr account<<

Same here. You get what you permit. If people go on venues that are toxic, that just perpetuates the problem. If they leave in favor of venues with better moderation tools and more civil atmosphere, then it helps solve the problem.

>>I hate the howler monkeys that create all this mayhem because they and their petty personal shit-throwing vendettas have vandalised something that was so precious to me.<<

Agreed. It's among the worst things that the mainstream has dragged into fandom.

You might like my post "Firing the Fandom Police."

>>I will continue to enjoy fandom in my own way, and with my own people, so despite everything I’ve just said I’m not going anywhere. I won’t let them win.<<

Go you! The world needs more people like you.

[dizzojay]

It's just so sad that people feel they need to behave like this. I just don't understand it. I don't want to either.

[dizzojay]

Some people really do need to grow up. That sort of toxicity is a blight on the human race, it really is.

[dizzojay]

'll ignore the haters and keep being me.'
I think that's all we can do, those of us who have some self-respect, as well as respect for others, the last thing we would want to do is drag ourselves down to their level

[dizzojay]

It's so sad that something that brings so much joy to a lot of people has to be tainted with that sort of toxicity. I read about the abuse that Kelly Marie Tran got, and it was vile. That poor woman.

[dizzojay]

I think you are very probably right!

[dizzojay]

Wise words, and it's definitely how I want to enjoy my fandom, I just can't help feeling a little bitter that something so precious to me has been tainted by these idiots :(

[dizzojay]

Nope, they learn nothing. I particularly hate the way they drag the actors into this crap. Jensen has every right not to enjoy Destiel; that doesn't make him homophobic. But honestly, some of the abuse he and Jared have thrown at them and, to a lesser degree I think, Misha, it's absolutely foul and hideous. All because of some stupid fictional headcanon .

[dizzojay]

Good advice. I don't understand it, and like you, I never will. I don't particularly want to understand it either.

Re: Thoughts

[dizzojay]

Thanks for your thoughts, it's reassuring to know that I'm surrounded by people who think like me. Despite the bad parts, Fandom can still be a wonderful safe space.

[silveradept]

Oof. Yeah, that's the sort of thing the fourth wall is supposed to protect actors from, and that everyone who gets into fandom is supposed to understand that whatever they feel for the characters, in the end, the actors are still actors and separate from the characters.

[spiralicious]

It looks like everything I would have said already has been, but I would like to send you a hug and reassure you that enjoying fandom in your own way, is the best way. Also, you have been a highlight in the supernatural fandom for me.