i don't get you, fandom
It's strange but I often feel that online fans, or even just long-time users, are more intolerant than people I see in real life. It's strange because the internet is supposed to be an open place but even here there can only be one perspective allowed, dictated by the people who show the most rage and comment with the wittiest gifs stolen off tumblr. The more you 'side-eye' and heave with 'omg i can't believe these people' the more you are considered to be In The Right. Add a different perspective that's just as valid and you're shot down with oppa didn't mean it, as if being a fan of /anything/ devoids you from sound reasoning. I hate how fandom makes every personal opinion into a court case, only 'innocent until proven guilty' is tossed out the window in favour of 'if my moral compass points to G, then you are guilty.'
I understand that interpretations and the emotional reactions to them are personal and vary from individual to individual, but I just can't understand why people are so quick condemn when there are alternative explanations. Thinking critically =/= assuming the worst. Why would someone choose to be angry? Of course that's not being fair either since emotions are not quite within each person's control, but even people who clearly aren't as affected by a topic take the time to get on their high horses and toss around 'smh' and 'i can't ever like this person anymore' with a haughty sniff. Thank you for voicing your moral superiority, but no thanks, I'm not tempted to kneel at your feet with a +1.
My favourite though is 'this person is definitely off my bias list'--because people carry lists now. I'm guessing that makes it more convenient to spread judgement and label people as Good or Bad, because that's all there is. A two column table. Reality is, in fact, a Disney movie, did you not get the memo?--But what about a middle ground? What about human complexity? What about context? Answer: oppa didn't mean it. Either pick up your pitch fork and rally along or gtfo with your cray. Black or white, choose your colour.
And it's funny because these are the same people who sneer at fans and try to enlighten us--because we're clearly blind and desperate for moral guidance--with 'these are people, not gods. they can be wrong gdi'. People and not gods. Exactly so. But then why the lists? Or do people really tote around Burn Books a la Regina George in real life? Do people really approach each other with a moral scanner, assessing all their personal opinions to make sure they're on the side of The Righteous and worthy of their friendship? And what if the scanner blips? Do you cross their names from your ledger and rename them as Bad People? If so, then I live in a different and more tolerant world. If not, then it's not the fans who need to hear this because we're aware of the 'flaws' that seem so shocking to others. We're not the ones who see people as robots, pristine and programmed to function according to your moral code. While you're furiously crossing names off your list, please take a moment to put down your pen and actually understand what it means to be human.
I think what disappoints me the most is when it's the fans of an idol (or whoever, really) themselves who easily wash their hands off said idol, regardless of cultural differences or language barriers, because to me, context is always important and the person from whose lips the controversial phrase drops, the person who stirs the storm, is also part of that context. It saddens me how a few casual words or actions that are open to interpretation can somehow trump everything else you know about that person. One naive slip weighted as equivalent to a hundred qualities and incidents that made you a fan in the first place. This upsets me because I always try to give people, including strangers, the benefit of the doubt and if it's about someone I actually know to a certain extent, someone who I have actually invested time in getting to know about, it's natural that the room for my doubt expands because I have that much more context to understand the words (or actions). It's their prerogative of course but this type of shunning behaviour upsets me because it makes everything seem so shallow--what difference does caring or knowing a person's contextual background make when your reaction is the same as the stranger who doesn't even know the person being judged?
My disappointment in regards to this isn't exclusive to fandom alone because things like this affect my ability to make friends. It's partly why I hesitate to talk about myself lest I send someone's moral scanner off and end up being dropped like a rock. I'd rather not give someone the opening to fling their Criteria of Superiority at me, which is something fandom loves to do.
I'm sorry for bringing this to your fpage btw ;_; I just needed to get this off my chest because the same issue keeps cropping up every few months; fandom can't go so long without getting its judgeface on. Thank your for bearing with me :( ♥♥