Some thinking on mockery and 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book
This will be spoilerific. I haven't rewatched yet, but I've seen some other people's reactions, and it's made me examine my own discomfort.
I think they were lovingly mocking fandom. I think they genuinely think some of us are batshit insane. Because some of us are. The thing is, though, we know that. We sign on for all of that when we allow ourselves to become faniliciously wacky over a TV show or a boyband or a group of actors in a series of movies (just to name some of my own obsessions, past and present).
I saw someone (not someone on my flist) who was very hurt over the portrayal of Fangirl #1 with the tattoo and the fierce protectiveness of "her boys." This girl has the tattoo (and her LJ name is some variation of "deangirl"). She felt personally mocked...because she was. But I don't think we need to have "dean" or "sam" in our user names or have the tattoo to be that Fangirl ourselves. And as much as the people involved with the show love us, we are worthy of mockery.
I know lots of people who have tattoos related to their fandom. Multiple fandoms, even. Does that make them crazy? Perhaps. But what it (also?) does is mark something important in their lives. I would hope that it's marking passion and friendship and joy, because those are the things I think of when I think of my own fannish pursuits. Fandom is silly and entirely worthy of mockery, but it also brings people together and changes peoples lives, often for the better. I know it has done for me.
In another way, I think this episode can also serve as a lesson to fandom about crossing lines. I really hope that the icky feeling of having them poke around in our lives a little bit makes people work a bit harder to keep some fannish things more on the DL, because sometimes, seeing how someone else views you? Isn't so pretty. My, what timing Show has! ;)
So, yeah. There was some wickedly barbed stuff flung around in that episode tonight. I caught a few in some tender spots. Ultimately, though, I am going to wince a little because they got it right on the whole, and appreciate the fact that they made us part of what we love, as we are--warts and all, because I think it shows that they love us, too. Maybe next time, they won't pull our pigtails quite so hard, and maybe we won't pull theirs quite so hard (where they can see) either.
I think they were lovingly mocking fandom. I think they genuinely think some of us are batshit insane. Because some of us are. The thing is, though, we know that. We sign on for all of that when we allow ourselves to become faniliciously wacky over a TV show or a boyband or a group of actors in a series of movies (just to name some of my own obsessions, past and present).
I saw someone (not someone on my flist) who was very hurt over the portrayal of Fangirl #1 with the tattoo and the fierce protectiveness of "her boys." This girl has the tattoo (and her LJ name is some variation of "deangirl"). She felt personally mocked...because she was. But I don't think we need to have "dean" or "sam" in our user names or have the tattoo to be that Fangirl ourselves. And as much as the people involved with the show love us, we are worthy of mockery.
I know lots of people who have tattoos related to their fandom. Multiple fandoms, even. Does that make them crazy? Perhaps. But what it (also?) does is mark something important in their lives. I would hope that it's marking passion and friendship and joy, because those are the things I think of when I think of my own fannish pursuits. Fandom is silly and entirely worthy of mockery, but it also brings people together and changes peoples lives, often for the better. I know it has done for me.
In another way, I think this episode can also serve as a lesson to fandom about crossing lines. I really hope that the icky feeling of having them poke around in our lives a little bit makes people work a bit harder to keep some fannish things more on the DL, because sometimes, seeing how someone else views you? Isn't so pretty. My, what timing Show has! ;)
So, yeah. There was some wickedly barbed stuff flung around in that episode tonight. I caught a few in some tender spots. Ultimately, though, I am going to wince a little because they got it right on the whole, and appreciate the fact that they made us part of what we love, as we are--warts and all, because I think it shows that they love us, too. Maybe next time, they won't pull our pigtails quite so hard, and maybe we won't pull theirs quite so hard (where they can see) either.