"I Don't Like X Because of the Fandom;" Why?

[Atmos Duality]

Depends on the nature of the media.
With shows, films and music, the fandom can be eliminated from the equation fairly easily.
Usually via private performance or such. (DVDs, mp3s, etc)

Simply put: I don't equate the production with the audience for those.
No matter how pandering or stupid, because a potential audience may exist outside of its intended audience.

For games, it depends on the game. Most games don't force you to interact with their fanbase.
But some do; some are entirely defined by their fanbase: Online-only multiplayer games. (MMOs and MOBAs in particular)

Human players are necessary or integral to those, so their attitude is inevitably going to influence my experience whether I want it to or not (unless you confine yourself to shitty AI matches, which are definitely designed as an exception and not the norm).

MOBAs tend to be the worst by far...I stopped playing MOBAs for a combination of factors, but the incredibly toxic and whiny public fanbase was the biggest. (and it was consistent across all MOBAs I've played)

 

[Vigormortis]

People seem to have an inability to separate the two.

Not me though.
If I like something, I like it. If I don't like the associated fandom, I don't associate with them.

It's as simple as that.

If only more people were as rational and logical...

 

[Blaze the Dragon]

let's say, My Little Pony,

Good example.

Now, for MLP I don't dislike it because of it's fanbase (Bronies).

I dislike it (or, more appropriately, I don't dislike it, I simply don't see the appeal for me - a Mid 20s heterosexual male).

What I cannot shake the feeling of, however, is one that "Bronies" are a bunch of Paedophiles. Now, I know this isn't the case. However I can honestly not conceive of any world in which an adult male should be watching a show aimed at young children. Specifically young girls who are being raised under the stereotypical "pink and fluffy" ideal (which I also disagree with, any daughters of mine are getting action men and Rugby balls to play with, but that's an aside.)


Rationally, their enjoyment does not have any bearing on my life, and they're not hurting anyone - so I say live and let live, and I respect their right to do that.

Still fucking creeps me out though.

Here's the thing that ticks off a lot of Bronies actually, (and myself to a lesser degree) is the double standard people have to gender roles. When a guy, no matter what, likes something typically associated with girls, suddenly he's gay, a man-child, autistic, and so on. But if a girl likes something typically manly, they're a strong female whose breaking free of gender stereotypes. How come it's "inconcieveable" that a guy could like something aimed towards kids or girls, but you're going to the exact same thing with just the gender's swapped? Hell, the entire Brony phenomenon already happened with another show only a few years ago. It was called "Avatar the Last Airbender" More adult women watched that show targeted towards young boys than Adult men watch MLP, yet nobody batted an eye.

Also, I swear, of the Bronies that are more outward with their presence in the internet beyond normal Pony stomping grounds, half of them are just trying to defend themselves from the backlash that results from the other half annoying people. I mean, can you really blame people for trying to get others to stop calling them mentally ill or associating them with sexual predators for watching TV?

But trying to get back to the more general idea behind the topic.Even if a Fandom appears to be annoying or otherwise undesirable, it is almost never representative of the whole fandom, let alone . Would anyone here really honestly say that for instance the fat nerd with spock ears at comic con is representative of the Star Trek Fandom? Whenever I come across annoying people of whatever fandom, I just tell them they're being annoying. I don't get what's so hard about this. 9 times out of 10 they just didn't realize that what they're doing is annoying, because when you really love something, you just sort of naturally want to share it with people, and some people go overboard.

And even if you're never able to tune those people out, just remember, it's not the fandom that's annoying, it's that person/those people that are annoying. They're just being annoying through that fandom. It's called a vocal Minority, basically they may not be a good representation of their respective groups, but because they're much more active than the rest of the group, they're the people you end up seeing the most of. A common example is claiming that most moviegoers are annoying because every movie you've gone to has had a few people who just never got off their phone, or started texting or whatever; when in reality across all the movies you've seen, only like 20 people have actually pulled out their phones in a movie, it's just that them doing so ruins it for everyone in the theater, so it only ever takes 1 person to ruin it for everyone.

Basically, the fandom should never ruin something you like, or may like. Even if you're getting pissed off at a member of that fandom, it's never a representative of the whole. The only exceptions are cases when the thing in question requires interacting with the fandom, like an Online game. Then if the fandom is annoying, well that directly affects your enjoyment of the game. But even then usually just muting people is all you have to do to avoid it.

 

[FPLOON]

I'll add a different perspective to this thread. I'm an artist and I try to refrain from drawing fanart of a popular series because the fandom of said series tend to get really entitled about it. I know certain people who are fan-artists or artists who at one point in time decided to draw lots of fanart of a series they personally like, you know to pay homage and all, through this they'll probably gain a large audience of people who like said series as well. Herein lies the problem, sooner or later the fandom's gonna start pestering you to cater to them, sometimes subtly sometimes aggressively; it's especially hard to watch when an artist who does original work decides to draw some fanart, gains some more followers who praise their fan work, but when they return to their original ideas the fans lash out. Sometimes they might be all: "this is nice, but I like you X work better." or they'll only provide feedback on fanart and not the orignal stuff and in some extreme cases outright demand that you draw X and nothing else because you're a fan-artist and your job is to please the fandom... ugh.

As someone who's not an artist (or at least someone who doesn't draw art), I can see what you mean...

I remember reading this open letter on a fan forum (then re-found it again on Tumblr, coincidentally) about how people should not pester an artist with just fan art commissions, especially if they do not want to do it all the time for their own reasons... But, simultaneously, the open letter also told artist to never take advantage of a fandom's popularity just so that they can make money off the commissioned fan art, since, just like you stated, people from said fandom would only want that artist to do that kind of art... even if you do decide to start doing original art or just something different overall...

But, yeah... I guess it does get kinda risky when you do start doing art based on something that has a fanbase associated with it... But, as long as you're keep doing art more for yourself to share with others, I feel that not even an entire fandom can deter your creativity at that point...

Final note, 'shipping' is the most bizarre circle jerk thing most fandoms do... like it just gets scary at times.

...Yeah, that is still something that confuses me to no end... I get that certain fans joke about how when character P did something for character O in episode T, they are immediately an "OTP" because of it... But, when this "joke" is taken seriously, it just bother me a bit more than I willing to accept right now...

OT: What? Can't someone watch/do something without being associated with it's represented fandom? No?? ...Too bad, it seems... But, then again, it harder to like a show that has references that just out-right does that "for the fans", instead of it just being within the context of the show... Also, when you think about it, EVERYTHING has a fandom of some kind associated with its original content, so it's just a matter of ignoring their existence... no matter how much it seems like it's everywhere you go...

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

I mean if I like something I won't not like the thing because of the fandom, unless it's something like a multiplayer game where the community is a big part of it. Though if the fandom consists largely of people who I find obnoxious and lame it's certainly not going to make me more inclined to dive into the thing they're all frothing at the mouth over, and on the cases when I do I'm not going in with a neutral pallet. I expect something good if it's enough for people to never shut up about it or go as far as to base their fucking identity off the thing.

I will say, if the fandom is obnoxious, unavoidable, everywhere, and I don't like the thing they're a fan of, then I'm constantly being reminded of the thing I don't like by people I don't like which heightens my disdain for both.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

What i dont get is why people cant just enjoy something without making a big song and dance over it. Seems people over the top shouting about how they love MLP or whatever all over the internet. Are they all insecure? Are they true fans or just jumping onto a bandwagon to appear popular? An whats with all the death threats and insults just because you dont like a certain scifi show or cartoon? Does me liking Babylon 5 really stop you from enjoying Star Trek in anyway?

 

[Roggen Bread]

Nothin' new to add here.

LoL/Dota's fanbase makes this game absolutely impossible to enjoy.

 

[FalloutJack]

Group X watches Show Y
Group X is undesirable
You want to watch Show Y, but you don't want to be a part of undesirable group X.

Pretty much. Sometimes, the community for something just spoils the experience of it. Do you really want to be part of this?

That's the thing, you don't HAVE to be part of it. You can like the show just for the purpose of liking the show. I listen to Punk music because i like the music, i don't care about the purists, i listen to the music for me.

That works in some cases, but not all. For instance, I don't have an X-Box, but if I DID go that route, I would avoid Halo. Because while it's probably a good game, I don't like the overhype attached to it, and there is a significant overhype. I like Doctor Who, the longest-running science fiction show in the world, and I feel shut out of other things.

Now, there are some cases where what you said DOES work. For instance, I (FalloutJack) love Fallout, but I hate the community of No Mutants Allowed and won't even go to the place. But then, I can also proclaim before man and god that they're all a bunch of idiots and there will be very little disagreement with that statement. Because the rest of the community understands it to be true.

 

[Phasmal]

I try and stay on the positive side of fandoms and away from the negative or I don't think I'd be a fan of anything.
I like fandoms to celebrate the thing not to trash people who like something else.

On a side note, anyone know what the Magic community is like for newcomers? I've played a lot online but mostly with friends and I'm looking to start getting into playing with physical cards. Anyone got any experience with the community?

 

[Sellon88]

Public stigma and fandom Is very hard to separate sometimes. The fact that the loudest person in the room has control over the public view of the fandom only helps create a public stigma. I say that if you ask a group of people why they'er in said fandom your going to get some diverse reasons. Fandom is just that a community of people who like something for one or multiple reasons, there is nothing it stands for other then that. Now movements can be inspired by a fandom but it is not inherent to the fandom itself, to put a philosophy or lifestyle is looking at it to hard no matter how predominant it is. One last thing, if you like the art or fixation for one reason or another you are bound find someone who thinks the same way as well.

 

[schrodinger]

I used to enjoy Supernatural, and I am a fan of the BBC Sherlock series. I also grew up loving Harry Potter.

Those three are but a few examples of communities of things I love that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. There are a variety of reasons (most of which start and/or end with "Tumblr"), but one that stands out are shippers who proudly harass the actors or creators. Just look at the recent Ron/Hermione debacle. Or Sherlock fans sending death threats to the actress of Mary, purely because she gets in the way of their fetish for homosexuals. Or Misha Collins being sexually harassed by teenage girls at conventions.

It's far from a representation of everyone in these fandoms, but these are the aspects that are the most ostentatious (and sometimes celebrated). I can't associate with that rabble and still have my integrity, and it seems that many other people feel the same way.

Your post pretty much sums it up for me.

Used to be a die hard fan of supernatural after discovering it around season 2, but...then Castiel had joined the show. Now, i think he was an ok character and misha collins seems to be a good spirited guy, but the destiel fan girls hijacked the show. They were(and still are) so fervent in their quest to make destiel canon it was partly the reason why i had fallen out with the show, beyond the stupid inclusion of angels, god, the devil, hell, etc. I long for the days when it was just dean and sam going around helping people with ghosts problems and the yellow eyed demon running around.

BBC's Sherlock will be on my long 'will watch it someday when the fandom either gets old and/or dies* list because of the fandom itself. This hatred again resides in obsessive JohnLock fangirls and their quests to make the ship canon, even going after the real life actor. They now spreading in the hobbit fandom, poisoning it with their pseudo johnlock with Bilbo getting fucked by a dragon. Show looks good though.

MLP and bronies are still in my 'meh' zone, but occasionally break the zone barrier when the crazy ones can't. stop. making. references. to the show every time. I get it! you like a show about poines, but please! shut up!
I then look sadly at the screen or a person when someone admits to fucking a pony doll, especially the younger poines. Oh god why...

 

[Blow_Pop]

Group X watches Show Y
Group X is undesirable
You want to watch Show Y, but you don't want to be a part of undesirable group X.

/thread.

Seriously, it's as simple as that. People generally don't want to associate with those they find annoying.

It's not really that simple. I don't associate myself with a fanbase just because I happen to like the same things they do. However I might distance myself fromm watching a series if I am being constantly pestered about how amazing it is and all that because nothing is going to live up the hype and it's annoying when you keep getting asked to watch something or play something and you have to say it's not on your to do list.

I have to agree with this. For my own personal example. I WANT to watch Supernatural and BBC Sherlock and Elementary. What's stopping me? The fact that I can't go onto most of my social media without hearing EVERY FUCKING LITTLE THING about them. And constant hearing (this is more Sherlock than anything else) "OMG! x actor is just so hot." "Hey look at x actor." "Look at how hot x actor is." "There's something wrong with you if you don't find x actor to be attractive." "Why don't you share my deep love of x actor?" "What is wrong with you that you can't like/appreciate the beauty that is x actor" (Most of those x actors can be replaced with Benedict Cumberbatch).

I've had to distance myself from close friends because I hear that so much on a regular basis. I mean fuck. I went and saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with one of said friends who is obsessed to an unhealthy level with Benedict Cumberbatch. His silhouette appeared on screen and she flailed and was going "omg omg omg look it's his silhouette!" The Star Trek: Into the Darkness trailer showed up and I got "omg omg his voice is just so sexy and attractive and dreamy. Look at how beautiful he is". ad nauseum. To the point that ANYTHING he is in now, I CAN'T watch without getting physically sick to my stomach.

Sometimes you CAN'T escape the fandoms. Sometimes they find you whether you want them to or not.

Then we have the Supernatural fandom who doesn't know what boundaries are. And for whom some of the actors are asshats and make me not want to watch it because of them.

I get people shoving Game of Thrones down my throat and Stephen King novels. The difference between the two? The latter, I can't fucking read his books due to my dislike of how he writes and the fact I get bored with his books. Tried with numerous books. I have 2 I can read. I own both. The former? I tried reading the books. I was forcing myself through them so I stopped trying. I'll try again in a few years. Sometimes it's a matter of not being in a place to appreciate something. Which is what I think is my problem with GoT. Unfortunately the fans of the HBO series keep trying to shove it down my throat and make me watch it. Because it's so good. And this just happened in this episode and this happened in that episode and pretty much I know what has happened in every episode to date because people can't keep their damn mouths shut. I'm not one to like spoilery stuff. ALL my friends know this. But unfortunately a lot of them can't seem to remember that. And if you're going to basically spoil everything I'm going to lose my desire to watch/read/play something.

 

[RariShyZealot]

As a person who does many of the things said in this thread (I'm a Brony, I ship, I'm not averse to "clop" but I don't seek it out just because porn, etc. etc.) I feel like I have to say this: I completely agree, most fans are idiots. I'll tell you a story, a story about 4chan.

A while ago I felt a bit pissed at the global rule of "No MLP stuff outside of /MLP/" as I wanted to post in a thread on /tg/ about a thing me and my buddy did in a MLP-based roleplaying campaign but was afraid of breaking aforementioned rule. Then I actually decided to visit /mlp/ for the first time.

SWEET. MERCIFUL. GOD-EMPEROR OF MANKIND!

It was the worst shit I've ever seen, every stereotype of bronies just mashed together into a single, pulsing, vile, HERETICAL being.
Suddenly I understood the hatred many had for the culture, especially on 4chan. If these were the only "bronies" (I'm still averse to calling them that) they'd ever met, I understood all the hate.

Even so, I'd like to say (And I'm sure this applies to every fanbase out there): Not all of us are like that. Yes, I ship; because I really feel the story and the world would improve with the inclusion of them as a couple, because I used logic to decide, not some flimsy excuse like "They seem to dislike each other, therefore they are in love" (Which is the only proof I've ever found to support Rarijack) And yes, I like "ponifying" things, but that's just for fun. Yes, I sometimes read MLP-related "adult" stories, not because of the porn itself, but because I'm hoping for the Ribbons and Lace lightning to strike twice (I.e. another story with sex and an actually good story) And yes, I myself write fanfiction, and I'm even working on a project to expand Equestria to a setting on the scale of Middle-Earth or Tamriel, because I find the world, its possibilities and the implications it presents interesting and worthy of expansion.

Princess Luna from MLP. The amount that some fans wet themselves over Luna is really annoying, especialy when they keep wanting to see her banish Celestia and rule solo.

Oh god(dess), I never really understood that. No offence to Luna fans, but she'd make a pretty terrible leader. (Also Celestia is clearly the superior theocratic dictatorial monarch...)

 

[mecegirl]

I do, but only because of oversaturation. When all you see is pictures, fan art, and gifs of a show, even if you haven't seen it you get bored of it. It's almost like watching the show/reading the comic without watching the show/reading the comic. Like I don't need to watch Sherlock or Attack on Titan. It's been spoiled for me already.

 

[Kmadden2004]

It doesn't affect my enjoyment of his movies, but there are some Chris Nolan fans who really just rub me up the wrong way.

By extension, the overzealous Man of Steel fans who can't see that movie as anything less than a profound work of art, and seem to be working under the delusion that Zack Snyder is some kind of visionary director, and will hit you with a barrage of insults if you so much as politely disagree with them... yeah, they can all go jump in a lake too.

 

[Roxor]

Apple Fans

I don't hate or dislike Apple products, apart from them being overpriced with restrictions, but the fans are just a pain. They talk about how great the Apple brand is with out actually talking about the detailed specs and only repeating the adverts, thinking it's the be all and end all of all technology. They have this weird cult/religion vibe thing going on that just seems disturbing.

Oh, I think it actually IS a religion. It's just one which pays tax.

The whole "only repeating the ads" thing? It's just like Christians who quote the bible, but avoid addressing questions which get into details of the system.

If you don't have an apple product, they look at you strangely and they don't even acknowledge other phone makes or OS's.

Just like Christians who give you a strange look if you tell them you don't believe in a god.

I remember when someone was doing a documentry about Apple and they were filming just a few meters away from the Convent Garden store. As soon as the person mentioned some of the bad press that Apple had got, one of the workers just came out and told them to shut off the camera off and stop the report. They resumed it but still I find that strange.

Again, swap "Apple" for "Christianity" (or the name of any religion you care to name, actually) and the behaviour will seem familiar.

Oh and another thing, WHO STANDS AND SLEEPS OUTSIDE OF A STORE DAYS OR EVEN WEEKS BEFORE THE NEW iWhatever COMES OUT!!

Fundamentalists?

There was another report of a guy who was offered £5000 for his spot in line because he was at the front and he turned it down. £5000!!!!!

You know, if you're unemployed, that could be a good way to get some extra income. Take the lead spot in the line for Apple's latest whatever and sell it to the highest bidder.

 

[Tahaneira]

Usually when I say I don't like something because of the fandom, I have never watched/read the thing in question.

It's just the fandom is so obnoxious, spamming their shit all over the internet, acting all superior and high and mighty that I want nothing to do with them. They seem like idiots, so why should I watch something loved by idiots?

I feel that the problem with that, though, lies in the comprehensive list of things loved by idiots. The list is as follows:

Everything.

Everything on the planet is loved by idiots. They may be highly-educated idiots. They may even be introspective idiots. But they are, nonetheless, idiots. And then there's situational idiocy. I have to admit that in some matters my I.Q. takes a sharp nosedive. And unfortunately, idiots are usually the loudest voice of all.

 

[SKBPinkie]

This is why it's far, far better to just enjoy an entertainment product and stay away from the internet.

Hell, I almost regret discussing games on forums. Most people who have similar tastes to mine are assholes (GameFAQs), and the people with whom I do want to discuss these games (Escapist) simply don't like the games that I do.

Another example - I fuckin love Supernatural. But I'm not going anywhere near Tumblr or any other SN fansite. Yeah, I do miss out on discussing the show, but it's completely worth it when compared to the alternative where I get shit discussions and a tainted show that I used to enjoy.

 

[IceForce]

What I cannot shake the feeling of, however, is one that "Bronies" are a bunch of Paedophiles.

So, "I watch a TV show not specifically targeted at me" = "I want to have sex with the audience members"?

You said it yourself, an assertion like that is completely irrational.
Not to mention, pretty offensive to bronies. (I'm not one myself, but thought I'd mention it anyway)

Erm... did you miss out the part at the end where he said "Now, I know this isn't the case."? He isn't saying that the statement was true, just the notion of it is a bit distasteful. People outside of the MLP fanbase assuming they are pedophiles, when they clearly aren't.

"I cannot shake the feeling of" implies that he does indeed have that feeling, even if it's subconsciously.

The point I was making was; the notion that all the people who watch a TV show who aren't part of the target demographic, are only doing so because they want to have sex with the audience members who are part of the target demographic, is a ridiculous notion and not one grounded in any sort of facts or logic.

Just to continue the topic, these "Bronies" need to calm down a bit. No, I am not saying they should be more calm about their love for My Little Pony, that's there choice, but calm down a bit when fighting an argument and not make themselves look childish. We get it, people don't like the things you like (that's how the world works btw) but don't threaten and abuse someone for calling you out and saying the show you like is for kids cause it kind of is. Just say why you like it and leave it as that. Don't make the situation worse.

Since I don't profess to be a brony myself, I don't think this bit was aimed at me, but I'll reply to it anyway.

Bronies being called "pedophiles" (or any other insulting or demeaning label), is not an uncommon occurrence, from what I've seen.
So it's unrealistic to expect bronies to just sit back and take the insults.

Oftentimes, when bronies get into an "argument" with someone who doesn't like them or the show, they're simply defending themselves from (for want of a better word) 'bullies'.

You might think bronies need to "calm down" a bit, and that might well be true to an extent.
But in a lot of cases, the reactions I've seen from bronies are entirely justified.

If only more people were as rational and logical...

Thank you.