puppetmaker | Fandom Fails Hard

Kelly Marie Tran is an actress who played the character Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Her character played an important part of the film and I am looking forward to the next one and what happens to that character.

Ms. Tran has been active on the various social media platforms and, according to people who have met her, a delight to talk to.

I have no idea exactly what happened and I really don’t care to look and see. What I do know is that Ms. Tran pulled herself off of social media due to fan bullying. Even worse it was Star Wars fan bullying.

Some of the puppets I have made over the years and given to various actors and actresses are what I call my apology puppets. I am apologizing for the less than stellar members of fandom who are very vocal and can’t seem to see the line that they crossed into being bullies. I want to give the actor a visual symbol that we are all not like that. Most of fandom is really nice.

However there is a vocal minority that screw it up for the rest of us. I really don’t understand how people get pleasure from tearing down that which they profess to love. I have seen it in so many fandoms over the years.

Peter tells fans that come up to him and say, “You probably don’t remember me…” that it’s a good thing that he doesn’t. A majority of fans are awesome and kind and so many other positive adjectives. Those that he clearly remembers have done something that makes them memorable but not for the right reasons. There are a few that we remember for a good thing that they did but that’s few and far between.

We talk about bullying a lot these days in many situations. I think the internet has made it easier for bullying to happen and it can be more far reaching than one thinks.

Some actors I know stay off of social media because they know how toxic it can get. They have been informed that they might want to re-think it because social media is the in thing for promoting whatever they are working on or charities they are passionate about or projects that friends are doing. I think they are smart. Their fans bitch about the fact that they are not on social media so they can’t ‘follow’ them. Follow them by watching their work. Read or watch interviews if one wants to know more about an actor.

I know a number of writers and artist who spend time on the Internet and are pretty accessible. They promote their works and talk to fans. Some have forums or web pages you can go to and actually talk to them. I also know a number that have decided that they don’t need the agita from interacting with people who say they are fans but then proceed to just complain about the creator’s work and have left their social media presence or delegated it to others. There are some that say that they are dropping out of the Internet so they can go and get some work done.

A prime example of this is the number of people pounding on GRR Martin about the next book in Game of Thrones that has been delayed quite a bit. He is in a catch 22 on this book since the TV series is wrapping things up their way this next year. So there will be an ending and his will be compared to it. He cannot win which makes it hard to finish.

Understand that I came from fandom. I was and still am a fan of Star Wars and Star Trek and Dr. Who and Sherlock Holmes and….well the list is very long. I have never and would never told someone that they suck or I don’t understand why they think they can do whatever. I try to be positive even when I might not agree with the direction something I like is going. But it is not my story but the creator’s story and I go along for the ride. As a writer, I hope that people who read my work are willing to see what I am doing and give me the chance to entertain them.

But there is a vocal toxic minority making it harder for other fans to be heard and that troubles me. Makes me, in some cases, sad to be a fan of whatever because those people color how the creators see fandom.

I am grateful to fans who show fandom at its best.