X-Files was my first fandom. I largely wrote embarrassing stories from the Cigarette Smoking Man's POV because I always like the bad guys more, or where Mulder and/or Scully joined the Conspiracy, with the occasional dip into Mulder/Krycek slash because obviously. I was so into the show that even after I moved to the city, I'd go back to my mom's on Friday nights just to watch it with her because I didn't have a TV. I met my BFF through the fandom, and we've been friends for 20 years.
But the show was culturally toxic. I didn't realize it at the time, because I'd grown up the child of left-wing Canadians. To us, not trusting the government = not trusting a government that maintained friendly relations with South Africa for way too long, that committed genocide against indigenous people, and was a junior partner to American imperialism. The symbol of two law enforcement agents realizing that the system that they worked for was corrupt and risking their lives and careers to expose the truth was incredibly powerful. Plus Scully was everything I wanted to be (and kind of still is).
I was intensely into it enough that I did realize the connections between, say, the depiction of the militia and the Oklahoma City Bombing. But I didn't see how fucked up it was until they announced the revival, and it occurred to me exactly how the central mythology fits into the contemporary context. Naturally I was completely right and it was a horrible racist, anti-vaccine, far-right piece of garbage. I wonder how much of an influence it actually had back in the day; I mean, it was hugely popular, but not being in the States, it's hard to tell how much was a reflection of the politics at the time and how much was influencing it.
Also, did the X-Files actually start the FEMA camps conspiracy theory? I don't remember hearing about it before that.
I have to say you're making me want to read the comics, just because I love Krycek and my love for the show died the episode where they unceremoniously killed him off.
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X-Files was my first fandom. I largely wrote embarrassing stories from the Cigarette Smoking Man's POV because I always like the bad guys more, or where Mulder and/or Scully joined the Conspiracy, with the occasional dip into Mulder/Krycek slash because obviously. I was so into the show that even after I moved to the city, I'd go back to my mom's on Friday nights just to watch it with her because I didn't have a TV. I met my BFF through the fandom, and we've been friends for 20 years.
But the show was culturally toxic. I didn't realize it at the time, because I'd grown up the child of left-wing Canadians. To us, not trusting the government = not trusting a government that maintained friendly relations with South Africa for way too long, that committed genocide against indigenous people, and was a junior partner to American imperialism. The symbol of two law enforcement agents realizing that the system that they worked for was corrupt and risking their lives and careers to expose the truth was incredibly powerful. Plus Scully was everything I wanted to be (and kind of still is).
I was intensely into it enough that I did realize the connections between, say, the depiction of the militia and the Oklahoma City Bombing. But I didn't see how fucked up it was until they announced the revival, and it occurred to me exactly how the central mythology fits into the contemporary context. Naturally I was completely right and it was a horrible racist, anti-vaccine, far-right piece of garbage. I wonder how much of an influence it actually had back in the day; I mean, it was hugely popular, but not being in the States, it's hard to tell how much was a reflection of the politics at the time and how much was influencing it.
Also, did the X-Files actually start the FEMA camps conspiracy theory? I don't remember hearing about it before that.
I have to say you're making me want to read the comics, just because I love Krycek and my love for the show died the episode where they unceremoniously killed him off.