numb3r_5ev3n (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
numb3r_5ev3n) wrote2020-01-01 11:28 am
numb3r_5ev3n) wrote2020-01-01 11:28 am
LOL X-Posted from Twitter: In which I have a bone to pick with fandom.
I apologize if you are reading this and you disliked the latest Star Wars movie, The Rise Of Skywalker, I am not talking about you personally. But I am seeing some of the worst entitled screaming fanbrat tantrums over this, which I really did not think was possible after The Last Jedi.
And I have seen a lot of Fandom backlashes. I was even a part of the backlash to the Game of Thrones ending. And this is worse because it isn't even a case of the creators going "we don't even give a fuck anymore, tee hee" like the GoT showrunners literally did. JJ Abrams tried. JJ Abrams and the other people involved were obviously bending over backwards to give fans what they thought they wanted, especially after the backlash to The Last Jedi. This is not to say I don't have criticisms (it needed moar Rose, for example.)
But all of this screaming that The Rise Of Skywalker is THE WORST THING EVER just seems a bit much. And with JK Rowling beinga bigoted trash fire embroiled in controversy again here recently, it reminds me of the backlash to The Halfblood Prince in a lot of ways.
I have seen so many things declared "WORST THING EVER" by fandom at this point that it all feels hyperbolic now. And if the reaction to each new film is "IT'S THE WORST ONE EVER!" then maybe TV format franchise entries like The Mandalorian are better, except at this point I am not sure this fandom deserves The Mandalorian.
You know what? I think we all owe George Lucas a huge apology. Same for Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, and Hayden Christensen, as well as all the new cast: John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, and Daisy Ridley. Because at this point I think the screaming that each new Star Wars movie is THE WORST ONE is performative, and part of the "fandom experience."
In my 25 years or so in online fandom, I've been noticing that this trend seems to be getting worse - that a vocal subset of the fandom that will insist that any new material for their preferred franchises is in fact THE WORST EVER/A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY/RUINED MY CHILDHOOD/etc.
But whatever issues the Prequels and Sequels may have had, none of them are "THE WORST EVER." George Lucas/Rian Johnson/JJ Abrams didn't "ruin your childhoods." You just didn't get something you expected from the films they made, and are disappointed. But that's on you, not the films or the filmmaker or the actors involved.
But having seen this thing unfold with the Matrix sequels, Harry Potter books, etc, I think that there's a syndrome in fandom where each new entry is the worst thing ever produced, and it appears to be getting worse the more that creators seem to be listening to the fandom input. I agree with this sentiment:
I think that the creators of things should basically tune out internet fandom and just create things. There will always be a subset of fandom that absolutely hates it no matter what, and that shouldn't matter.
Again, this is not to say that people can't have valid criticisms or nitpicks. But this phenomenon where we treat film and literature simply as products to consume is yet another way that capitalism is ruining our culture. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk /End rant.
Footnote 1: Have a gripe with an entry in your preferred franchise that keeps bugging you over days and weeks and won't leave you alone? That's the fanfic bug. The fanfic bug is your friend. It is trying to help you become a more creative person. Heed it.
Footnote 2: There are going to be some situations where the fandom is actually right and something is bad, or the consensus is so overwhelming that the creator feels like they made a mistake. This is how we got Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Current Mood:
And I have seen a lot of Fandom backlashes. I was even a part of the backlash to the Game of Thrones ending. And this is worse because it isn't even a case of the creators going "we don't even give a fuck anymore, tee hee" like the GoT showrunners literally did. JJ Abrams tried. JJ Abrams and the other people involved were obviously bending over backwards to give fans what they thought they wanted, especially after the backlash to The Last Jedi. This is not to say I don't have criticisms (it needed moar Rose, for example.)
But all of this screaming that The Rise Of Skywalker is THE WORST THING EVER just seems a bit much. And with JK Rowling being
I have seen so many things declared "WORST THING EVER" by fandom at this point that it all feels hyperbolic now. And if the reaction to each new film is "IT'S THE WORST ONE EVER!" then maybe TV format franchise entries like The Mandalorian are better, except at this point I am not sure this fandom deserves The Mandalorian.
You know what? I think we all owe George Lucas a huge apology. Same for Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, and Hayden Christensen, as well as all the new cast: John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, and Daisy Ridley. Because at this point I think the screaming that each new Star Wars movie is THE WORST ONE is performative, and part of the "fandom experience."
In my 25 years or so in online fandom, I've been noticing that this trend seems to be getting worse - that a vocal subset of the fandom that will insist that any new material for their preferred franchises is in fact THE WORST EVER/A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY/RUINED MY CHILDHOOD/etc.
But whatever issues the Prequels and Sequels may have had, none of them are "THE WORST EVER." George Lucas/Rian Johnson/JJ Abrams didn't "ruin your childhoods." You just didn't get something you expected from the films they made, and are disappointed. But that's on you, not the films or the filmmaker or the actors involved.
But having seen this thing unfold with the Matrix sequels, Harry Potter books, etc, I think that there's a syndrome in fandom where each new entry is the worst thing ever produced, and it appears to be getting worse the more that creators seem to be listening to the fandom input. I agree with this sentiment:
I think that the creators of things should basically tune out internet fandom and just create things. There will always be a subset of fandom that absolutely hates it no matter what, and that shouldn't matter.
Again, this is not to say that people can't have valid criticisms or nitpicks. But this phenomenon where we treat film and literature simply as products to consume is yet another way that capitalism is ruining our culture. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk /End rant.
Footnote 1: Have a gripe with an entry in your preferred franchise that keeps bugging you over days and weeks and won't leave you alone? That's the fanfic bug. The fanfic bug is your friend. It is trying to help you become a more creative person. Heed it.
Footnote 2: There are going to be some situations where the fandom is actually right and something is bad, or the consensus is so overwhelming that the creator feels like they made a mistake. This is how we got Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Current Mood:
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Also, it is WEIRD to see these gigantic enormous franchises try and do the "what fans want thing," because their format isn't meant for it. They have huge budgets and hundreds of people to organize to get the thing made, and from what I heard, Game of Thrones was reading the Reddits and frantically instituting plot twists just to act contrary to fans' theories, and that's just no way to make art! I can do it because I'm writing little tiny stories specifically according to the requests. I do it, I get paid, I walk away. No problem. There's way less cats to herd!
It's even weirder to see intense fan entitlement when they aren't even PAYING for the thing they're so mad about. Guy, it's not artists' business to make things for you, on demand, for free, based on your angry blogs.
--Rogan
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