A retraction and clarification of yesterday's post
Please allow me to recant yesterday’s post. I am embarrassed that I have done one of the very things I despise: I generalized. I am deeply ashamed. I am sorry.
Of course, I don’t hate all fans. Not all fans are bad. I am a fan myself, though I feel dirty when I say it because of having to deal with, read about, and actually meet bad fans.
I hate bad fans. I don’t say that lightly. Bad fans have tainted fandoms forever. While that may be my fault for allowing them to do so, I do try to interact on subjects I rather enjoy. Yet, I can set my watch to some motherfucking dipshit wandering in and sucking the fun out of the room.
At the center of a bad fan is pure and utter selfishness. A bad fan never realizes that the movie/television show/character isn’t his or hers. He or she never understands that said show does not owe him or her thing. The bad fan is not entitled to the movie/show/character. It isn’t there for their sole enjoyment. Yes, it’s shiny and pretty, and he or she may love it very much. It is still not nor will it never be his or hers totally.
Fandom isn’t singular; it is a group thing. Once a fan becomes part of the group, selfish, self-centered actions, in most cases, only damage the group. A bad fan doesn’t care others still enjoy the movie/show/character. His or her “pain,” “anguish,” “disappointment,’ or “hatred” comes first and everyone must know. Why should it matter that others in the fandom still enjoy the show? Apparently, those other fans are not as wise as the bad fan and must have the bad fan’s opinion hammered into their skull.
Never mind that the bad fan bad mouths something others care about. Hell, never mind that he or she belittles something a friend may care about. The bad fan’s opinion matters most.
I am not describing critique. I relish fine critiques of a movie/show/character, provided the person critiquing understands that it involves a skillful judgment as to the truth, merit or worth of the movie/show/character and not finding fault too readily or judging through tinted glasses too severely. While a good critique may not change opinions, I end up learning something new about the movie/show/character that I would’ve never come to on my own.
The bad fan never realizes that the movie/show/character’s creators, producers, staff and crew are the reasons they became fans in the first place. A bad fan has a very narrow field of vision. Once a bad fan is a fan, he or she knows better. He or she wants to see the move/show/character done their way. Everything else and every other possibility are wrong. A bad fan either vows to never watch the show again or announces the show’s quickly coming to an end when the movie/show/character’s creators, producers, staff and crew do not listen to the bad fan.
A bad fan fears the messages and/or life lessons that the movie/show/character can bring. Instead of opening up to the experience, he or she would much rather hide away. Never mind experiencing some of life’s nastier moments in the safety of fiction where it isn’t real where he or she could learn how to cope. The bad fan will sit in his or her cave and then be destroyed when some nasty karma bomb explodes.
A bad fan takes ever bit of press as truth, especially if it supports his or her desires. It never dawns on the bad fan that the quotes are out of context or the interview was bad or quite possibly the journalist sucks. Nope, all press media is true, goddamn it.
A bad fan never waits to see. A bad fan takes casting news, crew changes, and spoilers and immediately wails that the end is near. Once again, he or she bemoans the show’s demise and simultaneously condemns anyone who still enjoys it as stupid, tasteless swine (maybe not intentionally, but the bad fan rarely thinks anyone else in the fandom has as sensitive a soul as he or she). Bad fans ignore the fact that said news has not come to past. The news is set in stone and will not change in the six months prior to shooting or airing - or quite possibly, the information is wrong. The bad fan cries from the top of their lungs that the news is bad, that the spoilers will done in the worst way possible and vows to stop watching even before it can air.
A bad fan uses the phrase “I want” and “my” far too often when referring to the movie/show/character. Instead of using their emotional outrage to fuel their logic and form an enlightening perspective, the bad fan emotionally masturbates onto the page (or post, as it were), believing it to be an acceptable form of writing (they silently wonder why no news agency or magazine hasn’t made them an offer). Instead of saying, “I would like to see [insert character’s name]…” or “I think it would be interesting if the movie/show went in this direction…”, the bad fan wastes little time on phrasing their opinions for others. “I want [insert character’s name] to be [some descriptive term].” “The [insert movie/show name here] should do [insert some half-thought plot idea] because it would be so much better than what they’re doing.”
That isn’t to say speculation is wrong. Again, I have spent enjoyable times discussing “What Ifs.” The fun is trying to figure out where the plot is going or what this character may do next - or how a plot might have changed if this one instance happened instead. What If is a great game, but a bad fan takes it to the extreme. His or her What Ifs are superior and should be canon even though the movie/show’s producers are too stupid to realize it.
A bad fan firmly believes that he or she knows everyone on the movie/show personally. Interacting with the show/movie’s cast, crew, writers, etc. doesn’t require manners or personal respect. The bad fan doesn’t realize that he or she is unknown to the cast and crew, so their familiar and friendly actions or words, the same type of actions or words he or she would use with their best friend, make people uncomfortable simply because no friendly connection exists.
So, let’s recap: a bad fan is
• Selfish
• Self-centered
• Uncaring about their impact on the fandom
• Believe they are entitled to say and/or do anything they want towards said movie/show/actor
• Has a narrow field of vision
• Would rather bad-mouth and belittle when things don’t go their way
• Cannot understand that the reason they became fans was because of the producers/creators/actors/etc
• Believes everything in the press
• Refuses to wait and see but instead condemns and scorns
• Rarely takes the time to compose their thoughts and emotions
• Believes treating the cast/crew as best friends is okay
I cannot say I have been guiltless in some of those items. I believe everyone has done one or two from time to time, but to continually do all of the bullet points over and over - that’s just a bad fan. Unfortunately, I have run into far too many bad fans to ever, ever participate in another fandom again. While I am the type of person who seeks out the light and will cling to it despite the darkness surrounding it, I find my arms simply do not have the muscle to cling in fandom.
A bad fan happily dwells in darkness. A bad fan thrills at bring gloom to others. A bad fan refuses to see the positive or hope for the best, because it does not happen (even though time and time again, it does). A bad fan finds it far too hard to have Hope when it’s so much easier to drag others down with him or her. A bad fan believes he or she is cool because he or she is a bad fan
But my bottom line is this: it’s just a movie/show/character. It’s art and/or entertainment, meant to enrich and lighten your life. If a movie/show/character ceases in that function, why not simply find another? Why is it a moral imperative to ruin it for everyone else? Your joy is gone so now it must be so for the fandom.
I don’t understand it. I doubt I ever will because I don’t want to understand it.
And as Dennis Miller says, “I rant, therefore I am.”
No, wait. That’s not the one I wanted. Here it is, “Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.”
Of course, I don’t hate all fans. Not all fans are bad. I am a fan myself, though I feel dirty when I say it because of having to deal with, read about, and actually meet bad fans.
I hate bad fans. I don’t say that lightly. Bad fans have tainted fandoms forever. While that may be my fault for allowing them to do so, I do try to interact on subjects I rather enjoy. Yet, I can set my watch to some motherfucking dipshit wandering in and sucking the fun out of the room.
At the center of a bad fan is pure and utter selfishness. A bad fan never realizes that the movie/television show/character isn’t his or hers. He or she never understands that said show does not owe him or her thing. The bad fan is not entitled to the movie/show/character. It isn’t there for their sole enjoyment. Yes, it’s shiny and pretty, and he or she may love it very much. It is still not nor will it never be his or hers totally.
Fandom isn’t singular; it is a group thing. Once a fan becomes part of the group, selfish, self-centered actions, in most cases, only damage the group. A bad fan doesn’t care others still enjoy the movie/show/character. His or her “pain,” “anguish,” “disappointment,’ or “hatred” comes first and everyone must know. Why should it matter that others in the fandom still enjoy the show? Apparently, those other fans are not as wise as the bad fan and must have the bad fan’s opinion hammered into their skull.
Never mind that the bad fan bad mouths something others care about. Hell, never mind that he or she belittles something a friend may care about. The bad fan’s opinion matters most.
I am not describing critique. I relish fine critiques of a movie/show/character, provided the person critiquing understands that it involves a skillful judgment as to the truth, merit or worth of the movie/show/character and not finding fault too readily or judging through tinted glasses too severely. While a good critique may not change opinions, I end up learning something new about the movie/show/character that I would’ve never come to on my own.
The bad fan never realizes that the movie/show/character’s creators, producers, staff and crew are the reasons they became fans in the first place. A bad fan has a very narrow field of vision. Once a bad fan is a fan, he or she knows better. He or she wants to see the move/show/character done their way. Everything else and every other possibility are wrong. A bad fan either vows to never watch the show again or announces the show’s quickly coming to an end when the movie/show/character’s creators, producers, staff and crew do not listen to the bad fan.
A bad fan fears the messages and/or life lessons that the movie/show/character can bring. Instead of opening up to the experience, he or she would much rather hide away. Never mind experiencing some of life’s nastier moments in the safety of fiction where it isn’t real where he or she could learn how to cope. The bad fan will sit in his or her cave and then be destroyed when some nasty karma bomb explodes.
A bad fan takes ever bit of press as truth, especially if it supports his or her desires. It never dawns on the bad fan that the quotes are out of context or the interview was bad or quite possibly the journalist sucks. Nope, all press media is true, goddamn it.
A bad fan never waits to see. A bad fan takes casting news, crew changes, and spoilers and immediately wails that the end is near. Once again, he or she bemoans the show’s demise and simultaneously condemns anyone who still enjoys it as stupid, tasteless swine (maybe not intentionally, but the bad fan rarely thinks anyone else in the fandom has as sensitive a soul as he or she). Bad fans ignore the fact that said news has not come to past. The news is set in stone and will not change in the six months prior to shooting or airing - or quite possibly, the information is wrong. The bad fan cries from the top of their lungs that the news is bad, that the spoilers will done in the worst way possible and vows to stop watching even before it can air.
A bad fan uses the phrase “I want” and “my” far too often when referring to the movie/show/character. Instead of using their emotional outrage to fuel their logic and form an enlightening perspective, the bad fan emotionally masturbates onto the page (or post, as it were), believing it to be an acceptable form of writing (they silently wonder why no news agency or magazine hasn’t made them an offer). Instead of saying, “I would like to see [insert character’s name]…” or “I think it would be interesting if the movie/show went in this direction…”, the bad fan wastes little time on phrasing their opinions for others. “I want [insert character’s name] to be [some descriptive term].” “The [insert movie/show name here] should do [insert some half-thought plot idea] because it would be so much better than what they’re doing.”
That isn’t to say speculation is wrong. Again, I have spent enjoyable times discussing “What Ifs.” The fun is trying to figure out where the plot is going or what this character may do next - or how a plot might have changed if this one instance happened instead. What If is a great game, but a bad fan takes it to the extreme. His or her What Ifs are superior and should be canon even though the movie/show’s producers are too stupid to realize it.
A bad fan firmly believes that he or she knows everyone on the movie/show personally. Interacting with the show/movie’s cast, crew, writers, etc. doesn’t require manners or personal respect. The bad fan doesn’t realize that he or she is unknown to the cast and crew, so their familiar and friendly actions or words, the same type of actions or words he or she would use with their best friend, make people uncomfortable simply because no friendly connection exists.
So, let’s recap: a bad fan is
• Selfish
• Self-centered
• Uncaring about their impact on the fandom
• Believe they are entitled to say and/or do anything they want towards said movie/show/actor
• Has a narrow field of vision
• Would rather bad-mouth and belittle when things don’t go their way
• Cannot understand that the reason they became fans was because of the producers/creators/actors/etc
• Believes everything in the press
• Refuses to wait and see but instead condemns and scorns
• Rarely takes the time to compose their thoughts and emotions
• Believes treating the cast/crew as best friends is okay
I cannot say I have been guiltless in some of those items. I believe everyone has done one or two from time to time, but to continually do all of the bullet points over and over - that’s just a bad fan. Unfortunately, I have run into far too many bad fans to ever, ever participate in another fandom again. While I am the type of person who seeks out the light and will cling to it despite the darkness surrounding it, I find my arms simply do not have the muscle to cling in fandom.
A bad fan happily dwells in darkness. A bad fan thrills at bring gloom to others. A bad fan refuses to see the positive or hope for the best, because it does not happen (even though time and time again, it does). A bad fan finds it far too hard to have Hope when it’s so much easier to drag others down with him or her. A bad fan believes he or she is cool because he or she is a bad fan
But my bottom line is this: it’s just a movie/show/character. It’s art and/or entertainment, meant to enrich and lighten your life. If a movie/show/character ceases in that function, why not simply find another? Why is it a moral imperative to ruin it for everyone else? Your joy is gone so now it must be so for the fandom.
I don’t understand it. I doubt I ever will because I don’t want to understand it.
And as Dennis Miller says, “I rant, therefore I am.”
No, wait. That’s not the one I wanted. Here it is, “Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.”