Feb. 27th, 2014

puppetmaker: (Caroline at Nasa)
I have been in various forms of fandom for more years than I care count. Ok I could count them but I don’t want to.

One thing that always seems to come into play is drama of one form or another. This happened before the Internet allowed it to be more a part of fandom all the time.

As a young fan I learned various phrases like FIWOL (Fandom is a way of life) and SMOF (Secret Master of Fandom) and BNF (Big Named Fan). I also ran into some bigger than life personalities that left nothing but flotsam and jetsam in their wakes.

I made mistakes and backed the wrong individuals who later proved to be anywhere from untrustworthy to dangerous. I admitted to those mistakes and move on. My BS radar got to be pretty good and after the Dr. Who incident, I am cautious about what I read and hear within a fandom.

Having crossed the line from fan to pro, my activity in fandom changed. But I still observe from the outside. I don’t comment much at all but like the Watcher, I watch what is going on.

Occasionally I will do something behind the scenes but I don’t say anything about it.

I sometimes get frustrated. I can see where fandom is about to tear itself apart but I can’t say anything or do anything because of who I have become. I also see individuals who are bad news hopping from fandom to fandom leaving a trail of figurative bodies behind them.

Fandom can be inclusive and very much exclusive. I am cautious about groups that have an “us vs. them” attitude. But I also have trepidation about groups that bend over backwards to keep people in the fold that are hazardous to the group as a whole.

There is a balance and many groups have struck that balance which is good. The fandoms that haven’t done this and tend to eat their young are the ones that I try to avoid which can be harder when I have done something professionally that puts me on their radar. I am polite but keep my distance.

There are times that I wish I could just open up and give some individuals both barrels and maybe save some people from the agony of dealing with the aftermath. But I also know that the Internet has a long collective memory as does fandom so I sit on the side and watch.

I am grateful for fandoms that work.

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