Why I wish Aja wouldn't write that article
(Recap of the situation for those who aren't familiar: Aja Romano, a reporter who covers fandom for a few different web-based small news organizations, is writing an article about hockey fandom that will mention slashfic. Several hockey RPF authors have locked their fic out of concern about the publicity.)
I don't object to news coverage of fandom. I don't object to news coverage of RPF fandom. I don't like it, but I respect the right of journalists to write about publicly accessible fanworks. I don't object to news coverage of anything based on whether the reporter in question has a background in the subject; their job is to educate themselves on the area of interest and present the facts they learn. (I doubt Aja has done this adequately in this case, based on a comment she wrote referencing the NHL's current "blackout," but that's not my main issue here.) I don't even object to celebrities discovering slash about themselves--if it's out there and public, we can't rationally be upset if they find it. I'm not one of those people who curls up in the fetal position at the mere mention of RPF characters' real-life equivalents learning about slash. It makes me uncomfortable if they're uncomfortable with it, but if they're amused by it (e.g. Ken Jennings mentioning Ken/Alex Trebek fic in his book, or Victoria Asher leaving tongue-in-cheek feedback about characterization accuracy on fic about herself) I don't have a problem with them knowing.
But hockey RPS is different. There is a specific, solid, very important reason not to publicize this particular slash fandom at this particular point in time. Arguably, it's also a reason not to engage in it, and I acknowledge that I am something of a hypocrite for doing so myself. To be honest, I have a lot of cognitive dissonance about hockey RPF characters versus the actual players, and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up leaving the fandom because of it. But this isn't about me.
The reason I don't want Aja to publish this article is that American sports culture is in an extremely delicate position right now with regards to its attitudes toward homosexuality, and the NHL is the epicenter of that culture shift. There's a strong anti-homophobia movement that has a lot of momentum right now, led by one of the most powerful families in hockey. They've got several entire AHL teams on board, with every player signing a pledge to support potential gay teammates, and a bunch of NHL players have individually committed to the cause. There are NHL players right now who are thinking about coming out, who are paying very close attention to what the other players are saying about gay people.
If an NHL player did come out, I don't think hockey fandom would write a whole lot about it, unless the player in question was someone who already has a strong fanon characterization. We in fandom don't really fixate on people who are actually gay. Subversion is a lot of the attraction, and hockey RPS authors are largely also hockey fans who want to see this anti-homophobia initiative (which I'm not naming because Google) succeed. But NHL players don't know that. The fear of being fetishized by the internet--not that that's what we're doing, but that's how it would be perceived--could easily be another factor in their decisions to stay in the closet.
Aja says it's too late, hockey slash has already been covered in the media and mocked on Jezebel and entered the public awareness. And yes, it's true that other people have written about it, but here's the thing: public awareness is not an all-or-nothing event. Writing another article about hockey RPS is not like fucking a pregnant lady without a condom. It can have an effect. Believe me, if the hockey blogosphere had gotten wind of us already, they would have been all over that like parched two-year-olds on popsicles. There is absolutely fuck-all to write about in hockey right now; it would completely explode.
I'm not saying this article will necessarily attract any more attention than previous articles. It probably won't. But it's adding a few drops to a bucket I really, really do not want overflowing right now. I'm not locking my fic, and I'm not telling Aja she can't write whatever she wants to write. I'm just saying: this isn't about "omg they'll find us and call us weird" freakouts. This is serious.
ETA: Aja decided not to publish the article.
This entry was originally posted at http://jedusaur.dreamwidth.org/75990.html.
I don't object to news coverage of fandom. I don't object to news coverage of RPF fandom. I don't like it, but I respect the right of journalists to write about publicly accessible fanworks. I don't object to news coverage of anything based on whether the reporter in question has a background in the subject; their job is to educate themselves on the area of interest and present the facts they learn. (I doubt Aja has done this adequately in this case, based on a comment she wrote referencing the NHL's current "blackout," but that's not my main issue here.) I don't even object to celebrities discovering slash about themselves--if it's out there and public, we can't rationally be upset if they find it. I'm not one of those people who curls up in the fetal position at the mere mention of RPF characters' real-life equivalents learning about slash. It makes me uncomfortable if they're uncomfortable with it, but if they're amused by it (e.g. Ken Jennings mentioning Ken/Alex Trebek fic in his book, or Victoria Asher leaving tongue-in-cheek feedback about characterization accuracy on fic about herself) I don't have a problem with them knowing.
But hockey RPS is different. There is a specific, solid, very important reason not to publicize this particular slash fandom at this particular point in time. Arguably, it's also a reason not to engage in it, and I acknowledge that I am something of a hypocrite for doing so myself. To be honest, I have a lot of cognitive dissonance about hockey RPF characters versus the actual players, and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up leaving the fandom because of it. But this isn't about me.
The reason I don't want Aja to publish this article is that American sports culture is in an extremely delicate position right now with regards to its attitudes toward homosexuality, and the NHL is the epicenter of that culture shift. There's a strong anti-homophobia movement that has a lot of momentum right now, led by one of the most powerful families in hockey. They've got several entire AHL teams on board, with every player signing a pledge to support potential gay teammates, and a bunch of NHL players have individually committed to the cause. There are NHL players right now who are thinking about coming out, who are paying very close attention to what the other players are saying about gay people.
If an NHL player did come out, I don't think hockey fandom would write a whole lot about it, unless the player in question was someone who already has a strong fanon characterization. We in fandom don't really fixate on people who are actually gay. Subversion is a lot of the attraction, and hockey RPS authors are largely also hockey fans who want to see this anti-homophobia initiative (which I'm not naming because Google) succeed. But NHL players don't know that. The fear of being fetishized by the internet--not that that's what we're doing, but that's how it would be perceived--could easily be another factor in their decisions to stay in the closet.
Aja says it's too late, hockey slash has already been covered in the media and mocked on Jezebel and entered the public awareness. And yes, it's true that other people have written about it, but here's the thing: public awareness is not an all-or-nothing event. Writing another article about hockey RPS is not like fucking a pregnant lady without a condom. It can have an effect. Believe me, if the hockey blogosphere had gotten wind of us already, they would have been all over that like parched two-year-olds on popsicles. There is absolutely fuck-all to write about in hockey right now; it would completely explode.
I'm not saying this article will necessarily attract any more attention than previous articles. It probably won't. But it's adding a few drops to a bucket I really, really do not want overflowing right now. I'm not locking my fic, and I'm not telling Aja she can't write whatever she wants to write. I'm just saying: this isn't about "omg they'll find us and call us weird" freakouts. This is serious.
ETA: Aja decided not to publish the article.
This entry was originally posted at http://jedusaur.dreamwidth.org/75990.html.