the how's up to us
People, there is one unbreakable rule of fandom and that is, thou shalt not out a fellow fan to her family/friends/employers/significant others/etc.
It is cause for immediate shunning and banning, one strike and you're out. Assholes who do shit like this do not deserve to be trusted after they've betrayed and broken our trust in them, and they make it harder for everyone else to relax and have a good time.
Personally, my family and friends all know about my fannish involvement - my LJ and website are bookmarked on my dad's computer and my niece has me friended (or she did; man, how uncool would it be to be defriended by my niece? eek); there have been discussions at family gatherings of the types of porn I write, and even the fictional incest isn't a secret (e.g., I consulted my mom's vast Regency romance knowledge when writing the girl!Sam Regency AU).
That doesn't mean I would like any prospective employers to know what my hobby is. I would rather not have to explain it to them, and that is just the first level of badness. I would also not like to lose a job over it, which is a terrible but entirely likely outcome for many, many people.
My level of comfort is mine. You don't get to decide it for me or for anyone else, just like I don't get to decide it for you or anyone else but me. It's a shitty thing to do and it cannot be spun otherwise. It's damaging both to the individual who gets outed and to the community, such as it is, as a whole, and every time it happens, I feel sick to my stomach, even when I don't know the fan in question, as is the case here.
***
I watched "A Trip to the Dentist" and "Leave It to Beaver" earlier, and I still think ATttD is up there with some of the best hours of television I've seen. Yeah, I still have quibbles (mostly related to the ups-and-downs of the Veronica/Logan relationship), but the episode contains a showstopper of a scene - Duncan and Veronica on the porch, talking about what happened at Shelley Pomeroy's party. That scene still gives me chills and makes me teary, even knowing how it all turned out. And while my hopes for seasons 2 and 3 were sadly left unmet and unfulfilled (and other speculation turned out to be false), I still stand by my original post-LItB analysis of Veronica Mars as neo-noir, and how season one's themes and resolution can be slotted pretty neatly into that genre, which is why I found it satisfying then, and why I found it satisfying on the first rewatch I've done since that summer. I am just going to pretend most of seasons 2 and 3 didn't happen, so I can ignore the retcons. (I am keeping Weevil and Keith Fight Crime, though. You can't take that away from me!)
I know a lot of people were very unhappy with the end of season 1, that there was a lot of craziness in its aftermath, and I'm not trying to change anybody's mind. I'm just glad that I was able to watch season 1, which I loved when it aired, without any real bitterness from the latter two seasons tainting it.
I am still afraid to rewatch BtVS, because a combination of poor writing choices on the show and fandom insanity made me loathe Spike in later seasons, and I am afraid season 2 will be tainted by that. Maybe I will attempt it soon, though. Who can say? There's so much other tv to watch!
Tonight, I have to not record The Office, because Bones is on for two hours, and Supernatural is on, and then after that, Burn Notice is back, and for this I am kind of glad I am home with nothing to do but watch tv, so I can stay on top of things. The silver lining of my unemployment. Heh.
***
Other news and links of interest:
= Joss Whedon and Brad Whitford team up to make a horror movie. I am not a fan of horror movies, but this one I might have to see. Josh! Joss! Anyone wanna lay odds on whether there is a waiflike, broken, yet superpowered teenage girl involved? Likely a brunette with barefeet and psychic tendencies?
= Paging Dr. Ross! Dr. Doug Ross! Okay, I admit, I stopped watching ER after George Clooney left (except for the episode where Lucy was murdered - that I watched), but I have been wondering if he'd come back for the end. I hope he does. I would watch. Doug and Carol both, since I was hopelessly hardcore OTP about them back in the day. Sigh.
= I am really shocked The Dark Knight didn't get a best picture nod, nor did Nolan get a Best Director nomination. Otoh, go Melissa Leo! I haven't seen that movie, but I will root for her on principle (though I think Anne Hathaway was fantastic in Rachel Getting Married). Also, I am sad Wall-E will have to settle for Best Animated instead of Best Picture.
= I know you've all seen these awesome Obama action figures by now, yeah? I like the samurai!Obama one myself.
= a chandelier and other sculptures made out of gummi bears. I... I got nothing.
***
Now, I think I shall attempt to make some fried rice, and then I will write.
***
It is cause for immediate shunning and banning, one strike and you're out. Assholes who do shit like this do not deserve to be trusted after they've betrayed and broken our trust in them, and they make it harder for everyone else to relax and have a good time.
Personally, my family and friends all know about my fannish involvement - my LJ and website are bookmarked on my dad's computer and my niece has me friended (or she did; man, how uncool would it be to be defriended by my niece? eek); there have been discussions at family gatherings of the types of porn I write, and even the fictional incest isn't a secret (e.g., I consulted my mom's vast Regency romance knowledge when writing the girl!Sam Regency AU).
That doesn't mean I would like any prospective employers to know what my hobby is. I would rather not have to explain it to them, and that is just the first level of badness. I would also not like to lose a job over it, which is a terrible but entirely likely outcome for many, many people.
My level of comfort is mine. You don't get to decide it for me or for anyone else, just like I don't get to decide it for you or anyone else but me. It's a shitty thing to do and it cannot be spun otherwise. It's damaging both to the individual who gets outed and to the community, such as it is, as a whole, and every time it happens, I feel sick to my stomach, even when I don't know the fan in question, as is the case here.
***
I watched "A Trip to the Dentist" and "Leave It to Beaver" earlier, and I still think ATttD is up there with some of the best hours of television I've seen. Yeah, I still have quibbles (mostly related to the ups-and-downs of the Veronica/Logan relationship), but the episode contains a showstopper of a scene - Duncan and Veronica on the porch, talking about what happened at Shelley Pomeroy's party. That scene still gives me chills and makes me teary, even knowing how it all turned out. And while my hopes for seasons 2 and 3 were sadly left unmet and unfulfilled (and other speculation turned out to be false), I still stand by my original post-LItB analysis of Veronica Mars as neo-noir, and how season one's themes and resolution can be slotted pretty neatly into that genre, which is why I found it satisfying then, and why I found it satisfying on the first rewatch I've done since that summer. I am just going to pretend most of seasons 2 and 3 didn't happen, so I can ignore the retcons. (I am keeping Weevil and Keith Fight Crime, though. You can't take that away from me!)
I know a lot of people were very unhappy with the end of season 1, that there was a lot of craziness in its aftermath, and I'm not trying to change anybody's mind. I'm just glad that I was able to watch season 1, which I loved when it aired, without any real bitterness from the latter two seasons tainting it.
I am still afraid to rewatch BtVS, because a combination of poor writing choices on the show and fandom insanity made me loathe Spike in later seasons, and I am afraid season 2 will be tainted by that. Maybe I will attempt it soon, though. Who can say? There's so much other tv to watch!
Tonight, I have to not record The Office, because Bones is on for two hours, and Supernatural is on, and then after that, Burn Notice is back, and for this I am kind of glad I am home with nothing to do but watch tv, so I can stay on top of things. The silver lining of my unemployment. Heh.
***
Other news and links of interest:
= Joss Whedon and Brad Whitford team up to make a horror movie. I am not a fan of horror movies, but this one I might have to see. Josh! Joss! Anyone wanna lay odds on whether there is a waiflike, broken, yet superpowered teenage girl involved? Likely a brunette with barefeet and psychic tendencies?
= Paging Dr. Ross! Dr. Doug Ross! Okay, I admit, I stopped watching ER after George Clooney left (except for the episode where Lucy was murdered - that I watched), but I have been wondering if he'd come back for the end. I hope he does. I would watch. Doug and Carol both, since I was hopelessly hardcore OTP about them back in the day. Sigh.
= I am really shocked The Dark Knight didn't get a best picture nod, nor did Nolan get a Best Director nomination. Otoh, go Melissa Leo! I haven't seen that movie, but I will root for her on principle (though I think Anne Hathaway was fantastic in Rachel Getting Married). Also, I am sad Wall-E will have to settle for Best Animated instead of Best Picture.
= I know you've all seen these awesome Obama action figures by now, yeah? I like the samurai!Obama one myself.
= a chandelier and other sculptures made out of gummi bears. I... I got nothing.
***
Now, I think I shall attempt to make some fried rice, and then I will write.
***