fan I am

Fan I Am #6: Fandom And Larger Culture

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Scientist Scope Technology Science

I’d like to take a break from my deeper musing on Fandom to look at how having a Fandom as an identity and as a culture really isn’t that different from non-fannish stuff.

Its probably easy to think of those that identify heavily as Fandom as different. After all most people, say, are not obsessed with “Sleepy Hollow”* Ergo fans are “different” from “other cultures,” which of course is basically bollocks because people are people. We’re just different people.

But when we step back from Fandoms we realize they really are their own culture, albeit embedded in a larger culture. Now, as I’ve argued, identifying primarily with that culture is not always a healthy or positive thing. But cultures they are.

Consider what they have.

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Fan I am #5: Why Identify As A Fan

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Book Shelf And More

So having thought about the kinds of fan, and why meltdowns occur, I keep wondering “why do people identify as fans so passionately?”

I mean in some ways it looks ridiculous to base part of your life on your love of Neon Genesis Evangelion*. Then you look at fanworks and giant conventions and fans turned pro and realize there’s something here. Fandom is a curious thing, and right when you wonder why the hell anyone would identify that way, you see something wonderful that makes you say “oh, I understand.”

However, as I noted, I think for many Fandom is more of a secondary identity than a primary. But why do people get so passionate? Why does it get so primary?

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Fan I am #4: Fandom Identity And Pathology

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Planetary Collision

We’ve all been there. Some of us may be there right now and wish we weren’t.

The fandom meltdown. The flame wars, the slander, the arguing, and perhaps even the outright confrontations and questionable activity. We’ve all got a story of arguments, of failed endeavors, of con overspending, and so for.

Now when you back up and say “but aren’t we here to like the same things” it makes one think. Why the people dedicated to “liking” something are so busy hating each other and creating problems.  It sort of botches the whole goal.

In fact, it may seem fans hate each other more. As a friend once, when discussing a specific (and yes, unnamed) fandom noted that he saw more infighting among fans than he did in people who didn’t like said fans. Familiarity is seriously a petri dish for contempt.

So as I noted I think there’s five kinds of fans: Recreational, General, Social, Active, and Applied. People may just relax, or their fandom is part of their overall active and probably professional life.

I think conflicts can actually be understood as meltdowns in specific spheres. Usually this leaves the Recreational and General fans going “WTF?”*

But for others, it makes perfect sense. Or at least imperfect sense.

Here’s where I think it happens.

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