A Rant About Fandom
Okay, so I was looking into the "Hetalia" fandom on a recommendation and... God no. Just, no.
I like history. I like modern history. I like things that are still within living memory. I particularly like hearing the stories in my family from WWII where my paternal grandfather was in battle, I had an uncle in the SAS, and my Italian maternal grandfather deserted the Italian army when it joined league with the Nazis (kicked out of Italy for his morals).
And I have the simple, glossed over stories. They're tame. Nothing compared the horrors other families faced, and nothing about the civilians back home praying their loved ones return alive (though since I have a brother in the army, I'm fairly well-versed in that when he went to Croatia and Bosnia as a young age).
So I looked into an anime fandom described as "cutsey" and "historical", then ran across this. So some fans think it's funny to pretend to be fascists. Good to know... I get that it's a small group, and people are pissed off.
Then there's this reactions and my first instinct involves a "fuck you, you uneducated bitch." I don't care how good the art is, or how well-handled the history is (It's the fucking Second World War! You do not make light of one of the darkest spots in human history, and something that still stands as testament to human cruelty and fanaticism), I'm pointing to these things as my reasons to stay the fuck away.
Yes, minorities within the fandom. Cons make people do stupid things (oh, god, I know. Sexual assault is apparently funny if you're dressed like a pervert from an anime/manga, or encouraged by a video game company with very questionable marketing campaigns). Yes, I get it. I've been to FanExpo, I know that the idiots berating other idiots for a costume that isn't 100% identical to the source is a staple in these things (so're Klingons).
But that? That post, that picture? Whatever common sense switch triggered off for those kids (because they are kids, and should be treated as such) to think it's funny to salute the world's biggest war criminal on Passover, in front of a church, in public... I don't know. It's an argument against human decency and I sincerely hope those kids have that picture follow them to every con, curious person looking up their interest, and used as a visual example of "why you keep your wits about you in a convention" in lectures.
And based purely on the defending of these idiots from another handful of people in that fandom, I'm keeping this remembered as an example for that fandom in general. You know what, you're only as stupid as your most idiotic members, and while I'm happy to see other people in outrage, the guys defending it... Yeah, congrats! you're officially new representatives of the fandom. I'll be pointing in your direction next time someone asks if I've heard anything about this show/comic.
Not that it's any better than the fucking creepy people in Supernatural fandom who think that they have a shot at a relationship with the actors, or get carried away and seem to think that the actors owe them something or appreciate absolute fanatical attention. But they end up acting as representatives too. There's a general joke about how creepy SPN fangirls are, even in public-- which is why I tend to preface most conversations about my interest as "look, I can tell fantasy from reality, and I don't think the actors are literally their characters. Sure, Misha Collins seems like a great guy and sociable, but that doesn't mean I'm going to get into his space and spaz out, or ask about secret relationships, or do something that will embarrass him, me, or the fandom on whole."
I love the fandoms I'm in. I go buy paraphernalia, I encourage others to gain interest, I go out of my way to stay as current as I can in the fandom and occasionally contribute. But there is no way fast enough to separate myself from the idiots who get wrapped in shipping wars, or scream at the actors, or basically spaz out for no apparent reason.
TL;DR: It's possible to be a fan of something and still conduct yourself with some measure of dignity. It's more than possible to remember that famous people are people, and it's very unlikely that the cute boy on TV will ever want to fuck you, or do anything other than live their lives and enjoy their work. It's possible to remember that characters are not actors, social taboos are sensitive subjects for a reason, and you (a general, individual fan) aren't owed a single thing by anyone involved in the creative process.
Also, if you do stupid shit in public, prepare to be called on it.
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Picked up extra hours (16 extra hours)at work this week. And I have my final essay to write and submit by tomorrow night (takes me four hours to write an eight page essay... I think I can do this...), which has yet to have a thesis and solid argument base because it requires three of the primary texts (what the fuck? three? That's a lot to juggle).
Two exams next week. Then I'm a university graduate.
I like history. I like modern history. I like things that are still within living memory. I particularly like hearing the stories in my family from WWII where my paternal grandfather was in battle, I had an uncle in the SAS, and my Italian maternal grandfather deserted the Italian army when it joined league with the Nazis (kicked out of Italy for his morals).
And I have the simple, glossed over stories. They're tame. Nothing compared the horrors other families faced, and nothing about the civilians back home praying their loved ones return alive (though since I have a brother in the army, I'm fairly well-versed in that when he went to Croatia and Bosnia as a young age).
So I looked into an anime fandom described as "cutsey" and "historical", then ran across this. So some fans think it's funny to pretend to be fascists. Good to know... I get that it's a small group, and people are pissed off.
Then there's this reactions and my first instinct involves a "fuck you, you uneducated bitch." I don't care how good the art is, or how well-handled the history is (It's the fucking Second World War! You do not make light of one of the darkest spots in human history, and something that still stands as testament to human cruelty and fanaticism), I'm pointing to these things as my reasons to stay the fuck away.
Yes, minorities within the fandom. Cons make people do stupid things (oh, god, I know. Sexual assault is apparently funny if you're dressed like a pervert from an anime/manga, or encouraged by a video game company with very questionable marketing campaigns). Yes, I get it. I've been to FanExpo, I know that the idiots berating other idiots for a costume that isn't 100% identical to the source is a staple in these things (so're Klingons).
But that? That post, that picture? Whatever common sense switch triggered off for those kids (because they are kids, and should be treated as such) to think it's funny to salute the world's biggest war criminal on Passover, in front of a church, in public... I don't know. It's an argument against human decency and I sincerely hope those kids have that picture follow them to every con, curious person looking up their interest, and used as a visual example of "why you keep your wits about you in a convention" in lectures.
And based purely on the defending of these idiots from another handful of people in that fandom, I'm keeping this remembered as an example for that fandom in general. You know what, you're only as stupid as your most idiotic members, and while I'm happy to see other people in outrage, the guys defending it... Yeah, congrats! you're officially new representatives of the fandom. I'll be pointing in your direction next time someone asks if I've heard anything about this show/comic.
Not that it's any better than the fucking creepy people in Supernatural fandom who think that they have a shot at a relationship with the actors, or get carried away and seem to think that the actors owe them something or appreciate absolute fanatical attention. But they end up acting as representatives too. There's a general joke about how creepy SPN fangirls are, even in public-- which is why I tend to preface most conversations about my interest as "look, I can tell fantasy from reality, and I don't think the actors are literally their characters. Sure, Misha Collins seems like a great guy and sociable, but that doesn't mean I'm going to get into his space and spaz out, or ask about secret relationships, or do something that will embarrass him, me, or the fandom on whole."
I love the fandoms I'm in. I go buy paraphernalia, I encourage others to gain interest, I go out of my way to stay as current as I can in the fandom and occasionally contribute. But there is no way fast enough to separate myself from the idiots who get wrapped in shipping wars, or scream at the actors, or basically spaz out for no apparent reason.
TL;DR: It's possible to be a fan of something and still conduct yourself with some measure of dignity. It's more than possible to remember that famous people are people, and it's very unlikely that the cute boy on TV will ever want to fuck you, or do anything other than live their lives and enjoy their work. It's possible to remember that characters are not actors, social taboos are sensitive subjects for a reason, and you (a general, individual fan) aren't owed a single thing by anyone involved in the creative process.
Also, if you do stupid shit in public, prepare to be called on it.
-------------
Picked up extra hours (16 extra hours)at work this week. And I have my final essay to write and submit by tomorrow night (takes me four hours to write an eight page essay... I think I can do this...), which has yet to have a thesis and solid argument base because it requires three of the primary texts (what the fuck? three? That's a lot to juggle).
Two exams next week. Then I'm a university graduate.