Fans and the People Who Love Them

[fangirljen]

I was confronted by something kind of random today. My co-worker, Matt, drew me into a conversation about Fandom. It was he who brought it up, which simply astounded me. He started the conversation by saying, "Hey, Jen. I think you should write a book about fandom." This is an idea that I've tossled about with for a while, but at the moment I'm still not sure what I have to say about fandom. I guess I'm still formalizing my thoughts some more. I know my thesis: fandom is love. But where I go beside that, I'm not certain. In additon to this book idea, Matt started telling me about his mathmatically brilliant cousin. His cousin lives in fandom, as well. Her fandom is Backstreet Boys. Her obsession has brought her to the point of making a cake and sending it to her favorite member. My co-worker also mentioned how his cousin's mentality is younger than she actually is (about 21). He didn't go into detail how, so I'm wondering if it's just the obsessive/fandom nature he's seeing.

While looking through my flist today, I came across another example of extreme fandom. I love this woman, I gotta say. I love that she's happy with who she is despite what others might say about her. You'll see that some of the responders to the vid left some rather unkind comments, responding to the fact that this woman spent about five grand on two Ninja Turtle heads. They suggested that she could use this money on helping people. Now really, the way she spends her money is her own darn business. Last year, I spent at least fifteen hundred on fandom, but likely into three-thousand. This including the costs of my admission to the conventions I attended, the hotel costs, airfare to Atlanta, spending money at said conventions, and general articles of merchandise that I've purchased throughout the rest of the year. I'd estimate that, in three months, I've already spent about 400 dollars on my Doctor Who fandom. But it isn't on big market items. My most expensive item so far has been Billie's auto-biography, at roughly fifty dollars. In addition to that, I've purchased all of the 9 and 10 novels, the two guides to aliens, the unofficial guide, a retrospective book that tracks through Doctors 1-9, one audio book, an issue of Radio Times, Jack, the Doctor, and Rose figures, a David Tennant calendar, a Doctor Who calendar, and a sonic screwdriver. This doesn't include the movies of Tennant's and Eccleston's that I have purchased or rented, or the CDs with songs that remind me of Doctor Who that I've purchased. My expenses are more spread out, but they probably are of the same amount, or close. But my involvement in fandom with these purchases would be taken better than this woman. But as long as enjoyment is had by the person who purchases the merchandise, and the person isn't harming herself or himself, why should it matter where the money goes?

So, I'm curious. :) What are your thoughts on fan people who go to any level of obsession to interact with their fandom? Do you think fans should be able to go to the extreme in their fandom if they want to? Do you look down upon fans who take their fandom more seriously than you do? And the real thing I want to get to the bottom of: what do you think makes people become fans in the first place? Why is it we do what we do?

Comments

[claudiasharon.livejournal.com]

Some people and fandom are scary and they do take it too seriously.

Fandom is just there for our entertainment. To let ourselves get lost in other world, another place, while staying exactly where we are.

Music, TV, Movies, all of it. Those people are real people. What we obsess about it just their jobs.

It'd be like, everybody at work obsessing over one of our supervisors because they all know his name. "OMG IT'S JEFF! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. Sign my shirt!" xD He's just doing his job...the whole workplace knows who he is, he's considered famous and suddenly everybody loves him. Except for those who like Charmaine better as a supervisor. Then you get conflict, shippers, slashers, fandom wank and overall insanity over two people just doing their jobs.

That's my real life comparison.

In the end...fandom is life and those that obsess over it (in a not creepy way) are fun and great and I love them and they love their fandoms.

I love obsessing over my fandoms, buying stuff for them, being overall fangirlly for them. But in the end, these are just real people, getting paid lots of money, to have people love them. And sometimes enjoying their jobs.

I'd never spend thousands of dollars for fandom. That's insane. But you know, people who do, it's what makes them happy. To each their own.

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

If I had the money, I think I would spend the money on fandom - but not just any. I'd have to say that for Star Trek I'd go crazy, even though my primary fandom is Stargate. Go figure.

[silver-x-cross.livejournal.com]

I spend quite a large amount of my money on my fandoms (take Serenity/Firefly- I've spent quite a bit on buying orginal One Sheet posters, the DVD from various regions, books and autographs- probably doesn't add to much but for a student income! the BF has spent a fortune on his various Star Wars stuff over the years) It's my money, I earned it, and if I want to buy collectbles that may grow in value, that's my choice- I find people who try to disrespect other's choices really irritating.

I don't look down on people who go further than I do- but I think it does go to dangerous levels when people start to lose their grip on reality for their fandom. When people start to genuinely believe the fandom is 'real' it can start to get scary!

As for the 'why do we become fans' I think it's because we have the imagination to look beyond the canon. The original stuff inspires us enough to fall in love with it.

Did any of that make any sense?! I'm still waiting for the morning coffee to kick in! I think you should write the book- I know I'd buy it.

[honeydew-melon.livejournal.com]

As for the 'why do we become fans' I think it's because we have the imagination to look beyond the canon. The original stuff inspires us enough to fall in love with it.

I think you just hit the nail on the head (one of them anyway). A couple of years ago I read some books and went online looking for a fandom, only to discover that the author was violently against fanfiction. I remember thinking, "Lady, if you ban fanfic, you've got no fandom." Because that's exactly what fanfic is: imagination to look beyond the canon. If you take away the readers' freedom to imagine, what else do they have to do?

[thirdblindmouse.livejournal.com]

"Lady, if you ban fanfic, you've got no fandom."

What about meta? That's not to say I don't think banning fanfic is a stupid thing to do, since a lot of people really love the stuff, but meta is another very big part of fandom. I was in the Tolkien fandom for years before I realized that anyone wrote fanfic for it.

[honeydew-melon.livejournal.com]

That's true. But meta, awesome as it is, comes more easily to some fandoms than others and doesn't allow for as much expansion.

[selmak.livejournal.com]

Well, it really determines on the level of fandom, to be honest. I've only gone to two cons where I ONLY went because of the actors. (And since it was the first time Peter Jurasik was on the East Coast and a three hour drive, I plead guilty for being a crazy fan. The other time was for a Creation Con an hour away from my house with the stargate actors). The other cons I attend are mainly to meet with my online buddies and sometimes the actors are the icing on the cake.

I run a Stargate website. It's a rather snarky piece of work, as I modeled it after some fangrrrrls' sites for a particular Stargate actor. I thought they were terribly over the top, w/o a trace of clue how scary they were.

My site features four older character actors and 'my voice' on the site is a raving fanggrrrl symbiote who is just completely clueless about her obsession being a tad bit wacky. She's wacky, she's clueless and she's crazy about her boy toys. I hope I present it in such a way that anyone that visits my site realizes that it's completely and utterly a parody of Fangrrrrlism. But I have to admit that I've spent too much on it - but in exchange, I've 'met' hundreds of online people because of it. One of the boys even told me that he thinks it's a funny, intelligent site. (Did I fangrrrrl squee on that comment? You bet your David Tennant Calendar I did.)

Fangrrrlism can be fun.

In moderation.

I've been to a couple cons where people have no sense of reality. They talk about Amanda or Mike like they're best friends. When you get to the point where you sobbingly debate canceling a con after spending too much money just because an actor canceled?

I've never baked a cake for an actor. I've never dropped off hershey kisses at his autograph table. Have I bought his/her kids shoes through autographs for me and assorted friends that couldn't make the con? Hell yes.

Have I joined in donating toward an actor's/actress's favorite charity as a fan group project? Yes.

Have I sent an actor a Christmas card? Yes. Mainly because someone on the group told him that the group was sending him Christmas cards and I thought as the group leader I should send him one.

Did one of my fangroups buy the actor his domain name for Christmas? Err.. yes... but that was a long, long story and he's a very special case.

[so-out-of-ideas.livejournal.com]

Personally, I don't look down on anyone. I do know some people take fandom more seriously than others, and I think it's fine. Whatever works for each of us, as long as no one is doing anything potentially dangerous.

In terms of what makes people become fans, I'd have to say that it differs from person to person like anything else. For me, fandom is usually an accident. I don't know if that makes sense. I don't go looking for new fandoms; if I happen across something (be it a tv show, movie, or musical group, although the third is rather rare these days) in which I see some element of myself, I pay closer attention, and usually that interest develops into fandom.

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

I think that anyone who goes to an extreme level in any kind of fandom is going to be considered strange and/or stupid at some level. People who are so into sports that they live and breathe it, that's all they talk about, go dressed in face paint/body paint, etc, etc are considered a weird - the sad thing is though, that comparatively, since something like sports is more main-stream and understandable, they aren't considered as crazy as say that woman with the tmnt fetish :)

[teleidoplex]

There's some interesting academic work being done on fandom that you might be interested in. The most famous is Henry Jenkins' _Textual Poachers_. Jenkins is a fan himself and his fandom is what lead him to the study of fandom, so it's an insider/outsider approach (he's also done a follow up book called _Science Fiction Audiences: Star Trek, Doctor Who and their Audiences_). I have a whole bib of books and articles if you're interested.

As for "extreme fans", watching this video makes me wonder how much some people spent on going to the Superbowl today, including tickets, travel, lodging, etc, to watch a live game with thousands of other people with whom they may or may not share anything except a love for football, or one of the teams, or painting themselves blue and orange. Yet these extreme fan behaviors are seen as socially acceptable in a way that spending $5000 on karate lessons is not (at least, as presented in this video).

I have many thousands of dollars of student loan debt because I love Ireland and tourism and am getting a doctoral degree in anthropology in those subjects. My fandom is more socially acceptable because I can eventually make a living doing it (and because what I do will have a positive impact on the lives of other people, I hope), but the obsessive passion that allows me to choose to spend all my time working and reading and thinking about the subject is not qualitatively very different from this woman's passion.

Our society tends to discourage extreme expressions of passion as alienating behavior, especially when that passion is focused on socially less-acceptable texts (i.e., sports, sanctioned artistic works and high technology are okay, but games, popular culture texts and low technology are not), but given the ennui I see everyday in the faces of some of my students, I'd frankly take a fan anyday.

[commodoresexual.livejournal.com]

My first immediate thought to this was, 'well yes of course some people are more 'fannish' than other people. They can afford to do so. They make blah amount of money every year. They can afford to BE fangrrls.'

Then I sat back, and reviewed that, and thought, 'Well that's complete BS.'

So here's my take.

Fandom is based on not how much money you spend, but on how much time that you devote to it. Because quite frankly if I had the dough, YES I'd go to all the Stargate cons and buy my favorite movie posters, yaddayadda . I can't afford it, so I don't.

However, I spend hours a week on TWoP talking about my shows - Supernatural, Ugly Betty, and Heroes. I write very long and involved fanfiction for Stargate and Pirates of the Carribean. I patiently wait at least half a day to download Doctor Who and Torchwood from places I will not mention. I've actually scheduled my two hours on Sunday night to always be free so I can watch Harry Dresden and BSG back to back.

At the same time, though, I go to work. I hang out with my friends. I take exercise. I read the news. I spend time on just being Wren. So I'm a fan, sure. But I don't devote the time to being a fangrrl.

Now, how do I feel about the people who get to spend all that money on fandom, not to mention the time? Kudos for them. I feel a little worried about people who can't seperate reality from fantasy, but that's not based on the dollar signs. That's based on how they talk about how they spent the money, or how they feel about the characters. Sure, you can indulge yourself by going to cons (David Nykl whee!), but if you also spend the time completely obsessing how you and David are going to be BFF forever afterwards? Yeah, that's taking it a step too far.

Take the time to love your fandom... but don't Lurve Your Fandom.

[measkren.livejournal.com]

You're not a real Doctor Who fan until you own a large remote control Dalek and remote control K-9...;)

I would just like to make the point that it's natural for people to be drawn together to a cause. The question is whether or not obsession in that cause is healthy. It is a natural tendency for us to put on pedestals whatever or whomever fascinates us. Still, there is no denying that the root of fanaticism is the word fan.

Take, for instance, our fascination for particular entertainers. What is it about people that makes people turn these entertainers into social icons? The late Beatle John Lennon was excoriated for pronouncing the Beatles as bigger than Jesus, but in retrospect he was merely commenting on the irrationality of Beatlemania.

My sister once got to meet Sir Paul McCartney through a business engagement. She actually talked to him and shook his hand. She told me she would never wash her hand again (which means, of course, that her hand must be pretty dirty by now). ;)

I once got to meet an shake hands with Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. And I immediately washed my hand...

I have always found people at conventions to be fascinating to talk to and generally kind and fun to be with, but I've often wondered how other guests at the hotel must view these fans, who dress up as though it were Halloween. They must surely be baffled by our behavior, and I'm sure that we must seem strange to them. We risk ridicule and stereotyping. But a convention is a meeting place, a place to share interests and foster community, and that is the good part of it.

Still, I've never wanted to be pelted with rice and strange liquids at a showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." ;)

I think this is why we do it, then: for the community, the common interest, and, perhaps, to fill up our lives, whether they be empty or not. It gives us a purpose, a raison d'etre. As long as I can go home in the morning with no more than a hangover, it's all okay.

[larissa-j.livejournal.com]

I know my thesis: fandom is love.

*laughs* I must be a bit more jaded than you. My thesis would be: fandom is family.

Some you love and some you want to lock in a closet for daysdisown.

They suggested that she could use this money on helping people. Now really, the way she spends her money is her own darn business.

Exactly. Who are they to say that she hasn't already contributed enough money to worthy causes? In addition, people are entitled to get some enjoyment out of their paychecks; otherwise, what's the point of it all? Seriously, I would've defriended them all instantly.

But as long as enjoyment is had by the person who purchases the merchandise, and the person isn't harming herself or himself, why should it matter where the money goes?

I've spent a good amount of money on Who and Tennant merchandise as well and I really don't care if people think I'm nuts. I don't have anyone else to support. My bills are paid. It's my business. If people think I should be sending that money to charities, that's their problem and not mine. AND if they feel so strongly about it, what the hell are they doing in fandom anyway? Why aren't they spending more time on their charities?

Pot meet kettle.

Do you think fans should be able to go to the extreme in their fandom if they want to?

Well, no. I've seen some pretty extreme behavior. Fangirls stalking actors at the stage door. Actors who have had to take out restraining orders because they've been afraid of their fans. QAF fandom = not sane.

If it's harmless fun then a fan is free to do whatever they want. Paint themselves up like the TARDIS, wear Chucks and glasses every day for a year - it doesn't matter. I draw the line at interfering with the actors and crew of a show.

Do you look down upon fans who take their fandom more seriously than you do?

No. I took QAF pretty seriously. I was personally offended by the ending of the series. I analyzed each show and looked for hidden meaning in each and every line. I was one of those people who was teetering on the edge of 'seriously crazy' fan. It took me a year to get over 513. I swore I'd be less invested in Who. I don't know if I'll be able to keep that promise to myself. However, I won't look down on anyone who is as diligent about analyzing Who as I was about QAF.

Something people should consider when judging other fans, viewing a fan from your side of the monitor is deceiving. You're only seeing a very small portion of their life. You really have no idea what they do when they're not at their computer. Fandom doesn't rule my life when I'm working. It may appear that I sleep, eat and breathe DT but I don't :) Might be fun if I did, though.

And the real thing I want to get to the bottom of: what do you think makes people become fans in the first place?

I don't know. For me, it's just that instant spark. I watch a show and everything works. There's an OTP, a great actor and great writing. Once the click takes place, I'm hooked. Usually for me, it's a one fandom thing. I become obsessed with one show or one actor. Some people can do multiple fandoms but I can't.

Did my rambling help?

[autumndandelion.livejournal.com]

To be the type of fan who gets really involved in fandom takes a certain kind of personality. I have friends at all levels. Some are fans who like this or that, but the fandom doesn't seep into all aspects of their lives; it's just something they enjoy. Some are more like me, who get obsessed and can't stop thinking about the fandom and write fics and buy merch and try to know everything there is about the fandom and make references to fandom when the opportunity arises - and even at random, when it really doesn't apply. This applies to TV show fandoms, music fandoms, and while less recognised as geeky although people can geek over it too, sports fandoms. Really, it's a personality difference.

I was constantly ridiculed for obsessing the way that I do, and until I went online in 1994 and joined a regular AOL chat about Star Wars with a bunch of middle-aged men, I thought I was a freak. The longer I was online, the more people I saw who are as involved in fandom or even further involved than I am. And I'm sick of being judged and seeing other people judged for that level of involvement.

I think people should be able to experience the world and the fandoms it has to offer whatever way they see fit, so long as they're not hurting anybody. Peole should not be made to feel embarrassed if they're really really REALLY into this or that.

[foreverseenstar.livejournal.com]

When it comes to fandom there is a very thin line between uber obsession, buying things, loving actors, characters, ships, whatever, and losing that reality grip. I don't look down on the folks in the former category because I think I'm one of them. Being so involved in something isn't just fun, but sometimes when the rest of life is beyond stressful, it's a nice escape to just fully enjoy and surround yourself with fandom stuff.

Speaking of the latter though. *sigh* I'm very biased right now because I got a vague "Guess what happened at the con" report that made me go, 'for cryin out loud.' Be as extreme as you want to be, but do not by any means, make other people (ie: actors) uncomfortable. I think that sometimes these extreme fans without a filter make the rest of the extreme fans get grouped into one pot of "some sort of crazy" and so in that respect I get annoyed sometimes at extremists. Does that even make sense?

Also, shipping, I am totally open to whatever. I like my ships, you like yours and that's fine. I don't understand why people get die hard serious about it and start fights. That bit of fandom is very beyond me. Don't look down on it exactly, just don't see why arguing is necessary I guess.

Your study of fandom is admirable and courageous. Kudos. :-)

[brokenbacktango.livejournal.com]

So many thoughtful comments, I don't think I can compare but I want to put in my two cents anyway.

I don't want to draw a line between "normal" fans and "obsessive fans" because it would be a thin line anyway. One of my favorite documentaries is Trekkies (and its sequel), and while some of the fans made me a little wary most of them made me envious that they weren't ashamed to invest so much into physical manifestations of their fandom (aka merchandise ;)). Wearing a Star Trek uniform to work everyday--and then to jury duty!--is a bit much, but the women who did this wasn't hurting anyone and was proud of who she was so who am I to judge too harshly? That hoopy frood knows where her towel is :D I don't look down on "bigger" fans for their fandom status; if I look down on fangirls or -boys it's because of a flaw in their character completely separate from fandom, hehe.

I honestly do get leery of fans who talk about fannish things with people involved with the creation of canon. There are some things I think they are better off simply not knowing about. For example, the LOTR fangirls who were giving slash manipulations from The Theban Band to members of the movie cast--that is just WRONG. God knows I love the stuff and appreciate the hell out of it daily but shoving it into the public light is just going to bring down a world of hurt on fandom eventually. We've all been pretty lucky so far that crackdowns on fan creations have been rare (the only one I can think of aside from some X-Files sites is the whole Anne Rice fandom--which explains the general hate for Rice that most fen have) and most of TPTB have turned a blind eye, but fandom has recently taken a bold step into the limelight since LOTR and HP have become such huge sensations (ST does get credit, but that doesn't necessarily apply to the new generation of fans cropping up). It's great to be able to find so many fans nowadays, but keeping it on the downlow is still key (unless you're at a convention, then all bets are off).

I won't speak for everyone, but I know I participate in fandom (well, mostly lurk, but you know) because it makes me happy. I can't just sit down, absorb the contents of a show and not want to examine it, see where else it can go, or see what other people can do with it. Today's society is pretty hectic and there's a lot of pressure from all directions, and fandom is the one place we can all go to escape that and have a good time with something I sincerely enjoy. Sometimes people drag fandom down, but overall it's a positive, creative place. As for why I'm a fan, even if I didn't participate in fandom--well, that would depend on what the canon is, I think. "Why" can change from show to show, movie to movie, book to book, etc.

[scififreak.livejournal.com]

I admire ppl who are hardcore about their fandom and are willing to go the distance to be the Ultimate Fan of Whatever. However, that being said, there is a point when it gets to be too much. When it's harmful, or dangerous, or non-healthy. Due to the nature of fandom I imagine a lot of fans don't realize they're at the point where they should take a look around and start noticing the forest again (instead of just the trees). Good fans get such a bad rap because of the scary/bad ones. But I've mostly met and know only the uber cool ones. Yay! And why do ppl become fans? Well, there are many reasons and answers to that question. For some it's about belonging and community; for others, love of a person/fandom/medium. Depends. For most I'd say it's a combo of several things.

Here via metafandom

[newgeneration.livejournal.com]

This was an interesting post, particularly as my fandom (the Manic Street Preachers, a rock band from South Wales) attracts its fair share of crazies. I haven't spent an outrageous sum of money on them yet, but I think that's mostly because I don't have that much "mad money" right now.

I don't look down on people who take their fandom more seriously than I do, although I think people take the band too seriously sometimes. They're just people. Yeah, the lyrics can be pretty dark, but not everything about them has to be so serious all the time. Also, I like to think I take my fandom pretty seriously, even if I mock them almost constantly -- manics_lolz is sort of a backlash against the people who take the band too seriously, but the people there are probably more obsessive than everyone else.

I think it's within people's rights to be pretty extreme, but there are limits, obviously. I bought a certain type of perfume because one of the Manics wore it, and some people would think that's obsessive (or at least really, really dorky), but I never wrote them letters in blood or sent them crappy poetry or anything. And a lot of people have, apparently, because they've had to mention it in interviews and specify how much it creeps them out. I hate that they probably have a mental picture of all their hardcore fans as creepy stalkers with no boundaries when that's not actually the case.

Re: interacting with the fandom, some is good and some is creepy. I have a lot of thoughts (that probably shouldn't be shared in polite company) on fangirls who stalk the Manics. Some of the gifts are cute -- the bassist, Nicky, is a neat freak, and one girl gave him a bag of dirt so he could hoover it up. I thought that was a cute idea. And he generally gets so much makeup from fans that he never has to buy his own, which is probably nice. But I've seen some extreme fan behavior that I could never put my stamp of approval on, in any circumstances. I think it's fucking disgusting when girls (and it's always girls, for some reason) try to emulate Richey's mental problems. Disease is not something to be aspired to. And yet there's always a few who are still trying to look like him at his sickest. I'm not ashamed to be a fan, but if I was, it would have more to do with that than the actual music. (Let's not even get into what I witnessed/heard about Clay Aiken fans doing before I completely abandoned his online fandom. Jesus. D: )

Last, I don't know what makes people become fans. I have a hard time articulating why I got into them, tbh. In a general sense, it probably includes some combination of distraction and friendship/community.

[elaran.livejournal.com]

heh.

some people take fandom kinda over-the-top seriously. i probably do in some ways.

i don't like the trolling and omg you suck! how dare you think differently to me/ship them?! thing that tends to happen and i'd never do that. i figure if people like that pairing, no matter how much it makes me go ew, good for them. people who do the trolling make me want to go ARGH GROW UP, IT'S FANDOM! IT'S MEANT TO BE FUN!!!!

fandom is escapism for me, pure and simple. that's all it is. life sucks at times so hel-lo fandom! cheer me up with the awesome stories! make me go to my happy place with sweaty hot mansex. make me cry over someone who doesn't exist.

i love the storylines in my fandoms. not all the storylines admittedly, but something about them makes me take notice and want to know more and read more and watch more and that makes me find out about a certain shows fandom and makes me a fan.

i love the characters of the fandoms i fangirl. i would give everything i own to meet jack o'neill and rodney mckay. i really really would. it sounds stupid but i would do that if it meant i got to meet those them. ditto for mal, gibbs, alan shore, han solo, ranger, snape etc etc.

that said, i'm not going to stalk them. [ok. that might possibly be a lie. if rda or hewlett turned up in perth dear GODS would i ever stalk them. uh. but yeah. more in a give-me-your-autograph-while-i-secretly-die-on-the-inside-because-i-want-your-babies sense. not omg freaky-stalker way. uh. that made sense in my head.]

the cracked-freaky fans tend to give everyone else a bad name methinks. =/

the comments on the TMNT fan you linked to were stupid. her money, her choice. if i had money, i'd splurge a large amount on fandom. fuck what everyone else thinks i should spend it on. ::angryface::

i do admit i'm probably kinda snobbish in my head to people who i perceive aren't as fannish as me. [fannish for me, i suppose, means knowing canon and having read fics that are pretty well known in the fandom.] but i don't say that out loud. i just think it and feel vaguely guilty for thinking it. :P

This post (http://hesychasm.livejournal.com/187818.html#cutid1) sums up what I feel about fandom in the best way though. :)

FIJAGH

[inamac.livejournal.com]

This is a subject that’s been discussed from the dawn of (sf) fandom - so much so that two of the polarised attitudes are enshrined in the acronyms “FIAWOL’ (Fandom Is A Way Of Life) and FIJAGH (Fandom Is Just A Goddamned Hobby).

There have always been people who have found it difficult to distinguish between fiction and Real Life - who sent Conan Doyle threats over Sherlock Holmes’ death, who sent the BBC flowers when Grace Archer died, and tear stained letters when Toby Wren was blown up. Lewis Collins famously had to threaten two overly enthusiastic Professionals fans with a shotgun to persuade them of the line between fact and fiction (thus blurring it even further…)

Humans are a tribal animal, it’s probable that there’s a genetic disposition to form social groups around a totem object. There has been some research done on football fans which suggests that this is the case, and I doubt whether mediafandom is very different sociologically. Where it IS different is in the amount of creative activity that goes on among some sections of media/SF fandom. After all, no matter how much one admires Liverpool FC the chances of playing for it are slim to non-existent for the average fan. Jenkins covered this in Textual Poachers but there is probably more research to be done - I have no evidence but my gut feeling is that those who contribute to mediafandom (writers, illustrators, film-makers) are less prone to indulge in ‘obsessive behaviour’ which leads to fans mobbing actors and buying up film props for outrageous sums.

But then, I spend a fortune breeding and showing cats - so what do I know?

[thirdblindmouse.livejournal.com]

I wonder if folks would be so snide about that woman if her fandom were Shakespeare. Spending thousands on reproductions of folios, collecting various representations of him, learning to act to be in performances... It's the same thing. The basic difference between fans/geeks and non-fans/geeks is that when non-fans like something, they just like it. When we like something, we obsess over it and get the greatest amount of pleasure out of it we can.

What makes me uncomfortable in fans is obsessing over an author/creator/actor. I respect them, am thankful to them, but my obsession is with the work as a thing of its own, independent of its origins. I know that MPD;IMBOK (Many People Do; It Must Be OK), but it still weirds me out.

[miladyhawke.livejournal.com]

What are your thoughts on fan people who go to any level of obsession to interact with their fandom? Do you think fans should be able to go to the extreme in their fandom if they want to? Do you look down upon fans who take their fandom more seriously than you do?

I think it's interesting that you're in Who fandom, because I've spent a lot of time thinking about how hardcore fans are treated in Who fandom as opposed to in other fandoms I've been in. It really boggles my mind that there's so much ridicule in this fandom over what would not cause many other fandoms to bat an eye. I'm thinking specifically of the anti-shipper and OTP bias.

So yeah, I think that folks should live and let live when it comes to others obsessions, just so long as the hardcore fen aren't crossing lines into dangerous behavior (stalking, behaving inappropriately towards the cast, etc) or losing their grip on reality, thinking they're married to Snape or something.

I certainly don't look down on others' interests. Well, unless it's so out there that they've made Fandom Wank for, you know, fucking their horse and calling it 'wife'.

[hystericblue42.livejournal.com]

Hi, Jen! You're friended.

[fangirljen.livejournal.com]

Yay! I friended back! :D

OHG, we share Browncoat friends! *L* I met Brian through Devi and Ladybrick on Brian's journal. I should know dragontamerno3's name...but she I met at David Hewlett's screening of A Dog's Breakfast. She was wearing a Browncoat shirt. :) Fandom world is love! :D