It is our choices...
So, in all reality I should probably be doing one of two things right now. 1) Sleeping. 2) NaNoWriMoing. Obviously I'm not doing either, because something is bothering me a whole lot.
Where did all this animosity and disagreement in the fandom stem from? I mean, not even 6 months ago we were all pretty much inseparable. Well, at least as inseparable as online friends who live across the country from one another can be. Now it's like I'm back in a high school cafeteria with all the different cliques and the drama and such. What happened?
I've found some of the best friends I've ever had in this fandom, and I don't plan on that changing anytime soon. I know not everyone gets along all the time, that's to be expected with ANY group of people. The thing that bothers me the most is that people seem to have forgotten why we all came together and found each other in the first place. It seems that a lot of people are fans of the fandom now, and don't care about anything else. Yes, we have the conferences. And wizard rock. And the award-winning fansites, and the podcasts to go along with them. But there's so much MORE to get out of it all.
Maybe it's just a phase for some people. Maybe they've had their fill of the fandom, and now they're done with it. They got what the wanted, which was a new experience and some new friends, and now they're done with it and have moved on to something else. I don't want this to be a phase. As a matter of fact, it's NOT a phase for me. I have always, ALWAYS loved the fandom, even when I had no idea the fandom even existed, or what the heck a fandom was. I've always been a part of it, since the moment I opened the first book. And absolutely nothing is going to change that.
I'm sorry if you're done with the fandom. We'll miss you. I just hope you'll take with you the lessons you've learned from the books, and you'll see how much they really mean at some point.
I really hope we can turn all of this around and pick up the pieces. I'm not expecting things to go back to the way they were, I'd be absolutely out of my mind to think that would happen. Things have just changed too much for that. I think we all just need to sort out our priorities and figure out where we stand. If we have different opinions, then great! Let them be heard! The debates and having something to talk about is part of what keeps us all going. Without some sort of discussion, we'd be sitting around wondering what to do until the next movie comes out.
We have the unbreakable bond of one thing: our love for the books. And while there may be other things that interest you in the fandom more than others, you just can't forget why we're here in the first place. If you've learned one thing, just ONE THING from the books, it should be that the weapon we have is love. You can't get anywhere without it.
Love and friendship can do some powerful things if you know how to handle them the right way.
"...we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open." - Albus Dumbledore
Where did all this animosity and disagreement in the fandom stem from? I mean, not even 6 months ago we were all pretty much inseparable. Well, at least as inseparable as online friends who live across the country from one another can be. Now it's like I'm back in a high school cafeteria with all the different cliques and the drama and such. What happened?
I've found some of the best friends I've ever had in this fandom, and I don't plan on that changing anytime soon. I know not everyone gets along all the time, that's to be expected with ANY group of people. The thing that bothers me the most is that people seem to have forgotten why we all came together and found each other in the first place. It seems that a lot of people are fans of the fandom now, and don't care about anything else. Yes, we have the conferences. And wizard rock. And the award-winning fansites, and the podcasts to go along with them. But there's so much MORE to get out of it all.
Maybe it's just a phase for some people. Maybe they've had their fill of the fandom, and now they're done with it. They got what the wanted, which was a new experience and some new friends, and now they're done with it and have moved on to something else. I don't want this to be a phase. As a matter of fact, it's NOT a phase for me. I have always, ALWAYS loved the fandom, even when I had no idea the fandom even existed, or what the heck a fandom was. I've always been a part of it, since the moment I opened the first book. And absolutely nothing is going to change that.
I'm sorry if you're done with the fandom. We'll miss you. I just hope you'll take with you the lessons you've learned from the books, and you'll see how much they really mean at some point.
I really hope we can turn all of this around and pick up the pieces. I'm not expecting things to go back to the way they were, I'd be absolutely out of my mind to think that would happen. Things have just changed too much for that. I think we all just need to sort out our priorities and figure out where we stand. If we have different opinions, then great! Let them be heard! The debates and having something to talk about is part of what keeps us all going. Without some sort of discussion, we'd be sitting around wondering what to do until the next movie comes out.
We have the unbreakable bond of one thing: our love for the books. And while there may be other things that interest you in the fandom more than others, you just can't forget why we're here in the first place. If you've learned one thing, just ONE THING from the books, it should be that the weapon we have is love. You can't get anywhere without it.
Love and friendship can do some powerful things if you know how to handle them the right way.
"...we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open." - Albus Dumbledore