Fandom ... one must love it... really ...

[jhava]

Firstly: yes, I'm backing everything up (which I haven't done in a few months). But, I don't think LJ is going anywhere that quickly. If you read various posts by people within the IT industry, you'll be reassured that LJ won't collapse overnight. These types of sites can run for months with minimal oversight (absent a major server failure). What

Comments

[txvoodoo]

I think the problem with fandom movements to boycot for one of the reasons you list is that fandom isn't ONE thing - that which offends some, will not offend others. Some satires are offending to some people, others perceive them differently.

Another issue is that there's room in the world for popcorn and fluff. For brain candy.

And one more thing is that some fans want to see misogyny/homophobia/etc/whatever eliminated - and yet, fiction sometimes has to reflect life as it is, not life as we want it to be. It can be authentic for a character to behave “badly” (for lack of a better word. And not all characters should be regarded as role models.

For me, flawed characters are fascinating. They create dilemmas. If all characters were paragons of PC perfection, how boring would it be?

[jhava]

fandom isn't ONE thing

And that point was missed entirely by the OP; we are shaped by so many different factors that it would be impossible to arrive at any type of consensus.

Simply put, if you find something offensive, turn it off. There are certain matters which are socially and legally deemed offensive and should be criticized; otherwise -- live and let live in my opinion.

And yes -- why can't we have brain candy? Thank you. Fandom is my hobby; it's what I do for "fun". And I like my fun fluffy at times.

And I completely concur with you that flawed characters are fascinating and fandom loves to explore the dilemmas they create for themselves. Thank you!

[txvoodoo]

You're very welcome

[loreley_se]

Yes, yes, and yes.

If people want to dissect TV shows on their PCness and historical accuracy, and write long learnt articles about them, that's great. What annoys me though is when these people get on a high horse vs those like me who are in fandom because it's a distraction from RL, rather than a mirror of it. I'm in it for the shiny and the boytoys, that's fandom for me, and I object to people wanting me to feel bad about that.

[txvoodoo]

Oh, historical accuracy. *laughs*

I adore movies/tv about the Tudor era. Elizabeth? WONDERFUL. The Tudors? SUCH FUN.

I know the historical accuracy is, at best, dubious. The Tudors? They eliminated an entire sibling of Henry VIII. The way they've done it, Mary Queen of Scots wouldn't exist! But it's FUN.

I know the history. I read TONS of history books. But I'm able to divorce that knowledge from fluff ;)

[loreley_se]

OMG I love the Tudors. And every crappy movie on any historic or legendary character as long as Clive Owen is in it.

[jhava]

What annoys me though is when these people get on a high horse vs those like me who are in fandom because it's a distraction from RL, rather than a mirror of it.

Girlka, you know my feelings mirror yours. Fandom is my break from the realities and responsibilities of RL.

And, if we asked Captain Jack his preference, I'm inclined to think that he would say -- oggle the shiny (and preferably oiled) boytoys!!!

[jhava]

Most fiction is utterly and completely outside my own real life experience - and that's why I partake of it!

To borrow a much used phrase, "amen".

I'll tell you something else that all these posts involved in this meta discussion seem to include: the idea that 2 men in a show (i.e. Supernatural) shouldn't behave like they do - that their lack of homo-friendly behavior is wrong. NEWSFLASH: straight men don't tend to think of each other in gay terms. That's why they're STRAIGHT. Not doing so doesn't make them homophobic. It makes them STRAIGHT.Oh dear. You nearly made me choke while I was laughing. Does this mean I have a cause of action against you? There's causality, isn't there

[txvoodoo]

Ummmm, should I make everyone sign a disclaimer before posting? NOT LIABLE! NO! NOT! ;)

"And it's actually fascinating talking to a non-fan about a particular programme and their view on it; that's when you realize how ... influenced we can be by fandom alone."DUDE. OK, see, I don't watch any of the SG universe regularly. I catch an ep here and there, but there's only so much time, and I have a LOT of things I like to watch, sooo, yeah. Maybe someday I'll get the DVDs, marathon, and love

[txvoodoo]

OH. ALSO.

"And how easy it is to get caught up in the non-canon sexual relationships. "

There's another pitfall in this - fans read/fangirl those non-canon relationships, and then are disappointed when the original source material doesn't deliver on that. They forget that it was never set up to do so!

[jhava]

They forget that it was never set up to do so!

Wot? You'ze mean Artur and Merlin won't be happy ever'after?

::slaps my own wrist::

Seriously though, I'm flabbergasted by the fans who truly believe that TPTB will write their boys/girls (whatever combination) into a happily ever after.

The only time I've seen it remotely intimated was in the final ep of dueSouth. That was ... remarkable actually.

[ms_maree]

The only time I've seen it remotely intimated was in the final ep of dueSouth. That was ... remarkable actually.

Well there was Xena ;)

And oh, Willow/Tara, I remember when people were like 'Oh noes, that's so not going to happen' when the subtext started, and to me it was so damn obvious.

Then Whedon made it canon, and I was in squee-land. Also, Spike/Angel is fairly canon as well, but not in the lovey/dovey way some fans would like.