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The Dark Side Of Fandoms

Riley

Well-Known Member
We all know those members of a fandom. The ones who demonize beloved characters who, in canon, are wonderful people. This is actually having a toll on my personality. To the point I do not believe being a good person matters.

Because of these people, I resent Jim Gordon. Why? I see him as more beloved than Dumbledore.
I imagine walking up to people and telling them Martha Wayne deserved to die for being a 'horrible mother.' Because Moms who love their children (like Mrs. Molly Weasley) are not welcome.

Did I already talk about this?
 
@Riley

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The dark side of fandoms? Oh it can get very, very bad depending on said fandom. With what you mentioned about demonizing beloved characters in canon is sadly such a common trend in fandoms. It can usually be a result of shipping wars, that is, people fighting over relationships between characters. For some reason people often resort to getting characters out of the way of certain relationships by making them behave like complex jerks or killing them off. Then they get angry if people don't prefer the same ships or have the same views as them. I find it really tiring and annoying to the point that I rather not engage with such people. Fiction doesn't need to be taken that seriously.
 
I joke to myself that certain Harry Potter fans have MAJOR mommy issues.

My stance on the Malfoys is much like that towards Max Shreck.
 
I totally get this. And then the flipside, the fans the fawn over the villains with tragic backstories. Like, sure he was abused by his parents but he still killed like a hundred people.
 
I don't pay attention to that stuff so it doesn't bother me. To me the dark side of fandoms is when fans start to become obnoxious. I know at least 3 ways this happens:
1. The fans start to attack fans of the same show for petty reasons or having different standards. Expect to hear something along the lines of "You think the show has gone downhill? Well a REAL fan loves every episode." Community was an example of this twice, when the show changed tone in season 3-6 and started becoming a live action cartoon, and in season 4 when the creator was fired and replaced.

2. The fans start attacking other shows for not being the show they're a fan of. This can be because they share the same timeslot or demographic and think one thing is stealing the audience away from "their" thing. Expect to hear "Even the worst episode of x is better than everything else on tv".

3. Fans won't shut up about their show being the greatest thing ever, even forcing a way to bring it up when the conversation is about a different subject. Firefly had a couple of great episodes, a couple of duds and the rest were average, it was cancelled after one season--and after hearing the plans for season 2, it was the right call--get over it. It wasn't the best thing ever. Same goes for Rick and Morty.

4. Fans start to think they own the show and have authority over it. This can include insulting the network because they think they're trying to sabotage the show, attacking the actors for not really being the characters or even the creators and writers for taking the story in a direction they didn't want or don't like.

The second these "fans" show up the show or movie is tainted for me, they suck the joy out of everything.
 
I don't pay attention to that stuff so it doesn't bother me. To me the dark side of fandoms is when fans start to become obnoxious. I know at least 3 ways this happens:
1. The fans start to attack fans of the same show for petty reasons or having different standards. Expect to hear something along the lines of "You think the show has gone downhill? Well a REAL fan loves every episode." Community was an example of this twice, when the show changed tone in season 3-6 and started becoming a live action cartoon, and in season 4 when the creator was fired and replaced.

2. The fans start attacking other shows for not being the show they're a fan of. This can be because they share the same timeslot or demographic and think one thing is stealing the audience away from "their" thing. Expect to hear "Even the worst episode of x is better than everything else on tv".

3. Fans won't shut up about their show being the greatest thing ever, even forcing a way to bring it up when the conversation is about a different subject. Firefly had a couple of great episodes, a couple of duds and the rest were average, it was cancelled after one season--and after hearing the plans for season 2, it was the right call--get over it. It wasn't the best thing ever. Same goes for Rick and Morty.

4. Fans start to think they own the show and have authority over it. This can include insulting the network because they think they're trying to sabotage the show, attacking the actors for not really being the characters or even the creators and writers for taking the story in a direction they didn't want or don't like.

The second these "fans" show up the show or movie is tainted for me, they suck the joy out of everything.

...

...

Half of the things you say, in a way, describe the way I act. Only in regards to movies instead of television. I insist people should love even Batman & Robin, seeing as it's the lesser of evils to/good twin of Teen Titans Go.

I attack actors like Ben Affleck, Tim Curry, Tilda Swinton, and others. When I heard Casey Affleck was slapped with sexual harassment charges, I added that to the list of why Ben Affleck wasn't a good Batman. Tim Curry incured my wrath twice: By replacing Raul Julia as Gomez Addams and playing Frank-N-Furter. And I constantly call Swinton an 'anoerxic ****' whenever I remember people calling Uma Thurman ugly.

I just love talking bout the things I love/relating to the things I love. Nonstop, it would appear.
 
I totally get this. And then the flipside, the fans the fawn over the villains with tragic backstories. Like, sure he was abused by his parents but he still killed like a hundred people.

That's why I'm kind of concerned about the idea of Peter Is The Wolf hitting mainstream media. In one part of the comic, there's an attempted rape scene committed by Rebecca 'Butch' Cramer. She comes from a...Rough home life. REALLY rough. My biggest fear is that you'll have dozens of people saying Peter should be with HER instead of Sarah. All because Butch was abused.

Then again, Sarah DID break up with Peter upon seeing/saving him...But she didn't know it was near-rape...

Abuse and scars and all that are NO excuse to evil. Batman Returns used that idea beautifully; The Penguin and Max Shreck played with people's sympathy. Penguin pretended to be one of those lonely, misunderstood freaks-o-nature like Edward Scissorhands and Quasimodo.
In actuality, Penguin was a sleazy, revenge-driven animal. But don't fret! Batman busted the scheme right open.

One time, on Reddit's "Let's Not Meet" board, I read a story where a cripple became obsessed with the narrator. It was titled: "The thing that wouldn't leave." EVERYONE was against the narrator for being creeped out by this mental guy. They all said she was 'heartless' for 'rejecting his love.' Even the narrator's Mom threatened to cut her off and get her in trouble.
I may have gotten some details wrong. But I am NEVER reading that story again. Why? After I did, I insisted ALL cripples were evil. Including my older half-brother, who can barely talk.
 
Here's another example of a really bad dark side of a fandom. Back in October 2015, an artist named Zamii070 received so much backlash that she tried to commit suicide. Basically she drew Steven Universe characters very slightly different from how they were on the cartoon and some people have taken this to mean she was racist, fatphobic, and transphobic. From what I understand, Zamii070 drew as a form of escapism fantasy to break away from her living conditions. However there were many hate blogs centered on her for the most petty reasons. Even after she survived her suicide attempt some people still insisted on hating on her. So many people, including the cartoon's creators, called out the harassers.

That was a quick paraphrase of the event. I'm also not into Steven Universe but this caught my attention and I'm very angry about how downright petty and childish some members of the fandom were. Those people in the fandom were such horrible people that they would keep on attacking an artist for the most minute reasons? This is completely unacceptable and is bad even by terrible fandom standards.
 
Not all people in fandoms are awful. That doesn't MEAN what they did was acceptable. It means we shouldn't judge the fandom as a whole. Sane, logical, likable people can read Twilight and/or support Donald Trump.
 
Not all people in fandoms are awful. That doesn't MEAN what they did was acceptable. It means we shouldn't judge the fandom as a whole. Sane, logical, likable people can read Twilight and/or support Donald Trump.
Did I imply all the people in those fandoms were bad? I was being careful in my wording to separate the bad people from others in the fandom. No doubt many people in the Steven Universe fandom were outraged at how the select few rotten apples treated that artist.
 
I totally get this. And then the flipside, the fans the fawn over the villains with tragic backstories. Like, sure he was abused by his parents but he still killed like a hundred people.
Personally, I don't see a problem with this... it's only fiction, and in in many cases, without a good villain, there wouldn't be a compelling story for the writers to tell.
 
I totally get this. And then the flipside, the fans the fawn over the villains with tragic backstories. Like, sure he was abused by his parents but he still killed like a hundred people.

While I do not fangirl over the villains to that point, I am fascinated by their minds and how they came to be how they are. I might find them fascinating, intriguing and so on but I would never approve or condone their actions.

Two of my favorite characters of all time are Madara and Itachi Uchiha (that hair...). They both had ****** lives as children soldiers more than most did and went down too many rabbit holes when their life was repeatedly screwed over. Ignoring the fact that the creator was God modding the clan they came from (which is an entirely different dark side of fandom which is won't be touching), both of them reacted differently.

Madara chose the straight up omnicidal maniac route while Itachi managed to be one of the most loyal and decent enemies in the entire series...And still kills people and remains a criminal for many.

Just because I can understand and to a part sympathize with their lives, does not mean I accept what they did and how they acted as a good thing. A fact many people in that fandom gloss over.

They're referring to the phenomena known as "Draco In Leather Pants." And you kind of have a point.

You forgot the phenomena known as Ron the Death Eater. Just thought I should mention that if you are bringing in Draco in Leather Pants.

Honestly, I really hate that side of the fandom. I love alternative interpretation of characters, but that is a corruption worse than any plague or blight. It insults the characters, the author, the fanfiction writer and the readers. Most of these stories are mind-numbing, pointless and actually hurts to read. Almost to the point of the infamous My Immortal...

I like reading gray or dark interpretations for characters from different fandoms, but I also love it when it makes sense for the plot and reasoning.

Sorry for venting... This stuff always gets me.
 
I honestly feel your pain about RTDE, Kouzai. I ESPECIALLY hate it when the affected is Molly Weasley or Albus Dumbledore. In today's society, if you call Martha Wayne a child molester or insult Jim Gordon, you're insisting on a pummeling. BUT it's okay to say derogatory things about Harry Potter characters
 
I totally get this. And then the flipside, the fans the fawn over the villains with tragic backstories. Like, sure he was abused by his parents but he still killed like a hundred people.

Good point. Ed Gein, notorious serial killer that was inspiration for leather face from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, was abused by his mother, but we are not fawning over him now are we.

Also, some fans will normalize the actions of sociopathic characters, while demonizing the flaws in "good" characters. Its all very bizarre.
 
Good point. Ed Gein, notorious serial killer that was inspiration for leather face from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, was abused by his mother, but we are not fawning over him now are we.

Also, some fans will normalize the actions of sociopathic characters, while demonizing the flaws in "good" characters. Its all very bizarre.
I think this is just an example of the difference between fact and fiction and how we perceive them.

Stuff that real people do that affects the real lives of other real people, and depictions of similar acts within works of fiction are different things that people interpret differently - I guess there's more room to discuss and debate the reasons and motives behind the actions of fictional characters too. It's totally harmless, in my opinion, for people to normalize fictional crimes, because I don't think many people who normalize those kinds of actions in fiction would actually try to defend or justify similar actions that have been carried out in real life.

That being said - this type of thing, along with a lot of other issues discussed in this thread, are many of the reasons why I generally prefer to distance myself from any kind of 'fandom'. I mean, I run into a kind of, "HOW DARE YOU INSULT/CRITICISE MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER!!!" type attitude, entirely too often for my liking. People can take this sort of thing very personally for some reason.
 
i also witnessed, and, in the past, was part of the Dark side of fandoms. but, as i grew up, i was tired of maniuplative or evil dumbledore, evil weasleys (often excluding the twins) and others. stories that do not have either are relatively rare. :(
 
For the most part I am on the sidelines of different fandoms, watching people lose their minds over stupid stuff.

One of my friends during college (brief as it was) never saw some anime series or cartoons growing up. I introduced her to them and she became die hard in more of the world and plot aspect. In her spare time she went on about multiple world theories, theoretical time travel (wormholes, black holes etc), and liked to explain away things in series in more logical terms.

She became fairly well known in the local community college for her analysis and theories, even did moderately well online. It was only when she started pointing out plot holes, redundancy, and canon or non-canon ships that make no sense given the characters up to that point, that everything went to hell.

She was attacked and stalked in real life and online was brutal. She seemed rather sensitive to things like that and I felt bad that I introduced them (fandoms) to her.
 
Saw this on YouTube and thought i'd share it, as it sort of relates to the thread topic. Kind of how plot holes and inconsistencies cause cognitive dissonance among fans and fandoms:

 

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