Poll: Poll: "Tainted" by the fandom

[L. Declis]

Yeah, I avoid things depending on their fandom, and if people bombard me with it, I simply don't have interest.

E.g. If you try to force music down my throat, I will not enjoy it. However, if you wait long enough, I'll discover it on my own and probably enjoy it.

Another example; in Britain, we had a TV show called the Mighty Boosh. This program would make jokes. Fairly strange ones. Every single person who thought themselves clever would reference these jokes near constantly and tell me how the actors were the best thing ever.

Or, when I was a teenager, my group of friends included a few nerdy girls, shall we say, who would honestly discuss themselves as being in love in anime characters from Full Metal Alchemist or Naruto or whatever they were on. They'd get so cringy that I don't even mention my interest in the topic in public with people I know.

EDIT: Actually, in regards to fandoms, I stopped watching My Little Pony because of the fandom. They get so rabid, and it's just a very good cartoon which is getting a bit stale, and then I had people making sex ponies and fan fictions and such and it just got so cringy that I stopped watching it and stopped identifying with it. That said, I still enjoy it, hence Princess Cadence on my profile pic.

 

[geK0]

I voted "maybe" because, while I don't think it'd entirely rational to dislike something due to it's fan base, there are a lot of things I have a very hard time enjoying, or telling people that I enjoy because of the fan base.

I have a hard time enjoying league of legends because of it's hyper-competitive and often toxic fan base. When I tell some people that I enjoy league of legends they often cringe and tell me about their bad experiences with the game. I think that LoL is a very well made game, but I have a tendency to disassociate myself with it's fandom. There are other things I've felt the same way about, but League really stands out to me as a bad one.

As far as TV shows and single player games go, I'm not forced to mingle with their fandoms, so I'm entirely unaffected.

......I might be using "fandom" and "community" a little too interchangeably.

 

[Sellon88]

I am not a teacher but I am a high school student, And what I've learned is that more or less teachers share the same toxic popularity ecosystem that only drives conformity to the participants.

The sad fact is what's popular is based on how loud the people are about it, and sometime's the spotlight is put on the more damaging work creating a stigma. I sympathies with you in that unlike me straying for "normal" might cost you your job. The point is it's a big world so things like this have many kinds people causing damage, it's both the unknowing public, the unpleasant fans,and even the good fans that try to separate the bad ones from the group.

Fandom means you like something, it doesn't mean why you like it and the only thing left is to find some good people and endure. I have to imagine that's why you asked this question here.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

I do find some peoples' overly exuberant displays of fandom a bit odd sometimes, and there certainly are elements within fandoms that can be off-putting to other fans. People who take it too seriously, to the point of aggressively arguing with people who disagree with their views, or who seem to think they have a right to dictate the way a thing is enjoyed by others can be major turn-offs, particularly to newer or more casual fans.

 

[Vigormortis]

So basically the only real answers to this question are:

1: "No, because I'm a rational person who can differentiate a work of media from a group of people with no meaningful association with said work."

2: "Yes, because I'm a sad, irrational person who just loves the concept of 'guilty by association'."

Got it. Well, in that case my vote goes to "No".

If you allow a fan base to "taint" a piece of media for you than you're even worse than the rabid fan-base you loathe.

Do yourself a favor and realize the two are not one in the same. If that were the case then everyone who ever cut a slice of bread is serial killer. After all, a few serial killers used knives on people and therefore, by association, all knife users are serial killers.

I mean, I get it. I do. Insanely rabid fan-bases can be incredibly annoying. Believe me, I know.

But again, the fans (or in most cases the very small vocal minority) are NOT the piece of media in question. And, more likely than not, they would be despicable people regardless of their fandom.

Just ignore the annoying fans and enjoy what you like. You'll end up a happier person in the end.

[sub]And just in case there is any confusion, the "you" in this mini-rant isn't pointed at the OP or anyone in particular.[/sub]

 

[Tanis]

Fandom can ruin things, but it's the nature of the beast I suppose.

The best thing you can do is just ignore it.

 

[EternallyBored]

I voted "maybe" because, while I don't think it'd entirely rational to dislike something due to it's fan base, there are a lot of things I have a very hard time enjoying, or telling people that I enjoy because of the fan base.

I have a hard time enjoying league of legends because of it's hyper-competitive and often toxic fan base. When I tell some people that I enjoy league of legends they often cringe and tell me about their bad experiences with the game. I think that LoL is a very well made game, but I have a tendency to disassociate myself with it's fandom. There are other things I've felt the same way about, but League really stands out to me as a bad one.

As far as TV shows and single player games go, I'm not forced to mingle with their fandoms, so I'm entirely unaffected.

......I might be using "fandom" and "community" a little too interchangeably.

Actually, this is a really good point, when the fandom is directly involved with the enjoyment of a medium, they probably have much more influence on whether or not the base material is enjoyable. This is pretty much only reliably true in multiplayer gaming though, like League of Legends, the quality of the people who play the game can drastically alter the enjoyment derived from it. It's not like a movie or book, that can be enjoyed in the privacy of your home, unless you go hunting for a group of people you like to play with, you are pretty much forced to interact with the fanbase in order to use the product.

 

[eatenbyagrue]

US teachers have to be REALLY careful. I know of several who have been fired for coming out as atheists, directly or indirectly(for example mentioning it off-hand in a facebook post). That includes teachers who don't touch on the subject in school, like science or math teachers.

Oh man, that's another prickly topic. As an atheist in a highly conservative, very much Catholic country where the church is essentially a part of the government, admitting that I'm an atheist would be career suicide.

 

[DugMachine]

Certain shows I'm wary about getting into because of the fandoms. Mainly Supernatural, Doctor Who, Sherlock etc. The fans are annoying as hell. I'm sure the shows are good and all but honestly yeah, the fans get to me.

 

[Arakasi]

If you wish to play the game, and interact with the online community effectively, then yes, it is okay. If you, however, just wish to enjoy the game itself, then it is silly.

 

[RaikuFA]

Yes, I hate any game that revolves around playing with others(fighters, MOBA's, tabletop games). Mainly because they have such an elitist attitude that it sickens me. All they care about is making sure newcomers are as uncomfortable as possible. They all get off on harrassing the new guys. Even if you know how to play, if you're new, you're not allowed to play. It's a stupid rule that nobody seems to care about.

 

[Fireaxe]

Fans can't really make a good thing bad (see: Portal didn't become crap because the fans couldn't shut up about the cake), but they can make a neutral or bad thing worse.

 

[ShogunGino]

While it's preferable to judge a piece of media on its own merits, it is also highly possible that someone can soil an otherwise neutral experience for you, be they fans or not. Sometimes, one bad experience can be bad enough to make it too difficult to watch/play/read something without bringing back a bad memory, no matter how much you want to give it a fair try.

Over-sycophantic fans can drastically over-hype something that they adore (and probably do it on a constant basis), and can be entirely resentful when dealing with negative criticism of said media. If you've had someone like this before be a part of your life, you're probably not too eager to get a glimpse of whatever it was that made them so crazy.

As mentioned above, fans who are in charge of certain online multiplayer competitive games can quickly ruin your chance to get to know a game by being elitist scum to newcomers who aren't immediately as skilled as they are.

On the other side, people who tend to do nothing but hate on certain things in a franchise that they like and who have absolutely zero tolerance for anyone that disagrees can also be a ruinous experience. For my example, it's difficult for me to enjoy any of the Star Wars films anymore because I can't stand the overwhelmingly asshole-ish fans who feel like I personally attacked them for saying that I thought Empire was rather mediocre overall and that I dared enjoy more than a few moments from the prequels. Oh, what a monster I must be.

So while I think that its not good to let bad fans be a factor in your own critique of a piece of media, I do believe that bad fans can soil one's experience, putting a damper on something you might have thought better of had they not been there to make it less enjoyable for you, even if you don't judge other, more sane fans poorly because they enjoy it

Bad soccer/football fans can ruin a more peaceful fan's appreciation of going to games. Bad online fans can ruin fun deathmatches and co-op games. Bad movie fans can suck whatever joy there is to be had from your viewing by being unending snobs, and bad followers of any religion can make you never wish to hear about it ever again.

 

[Ieyke]

If you hate the fans, hate the fans.
It's idiotic to hate something for how other people react to it.

 

[FPLOON]

Let me give this to you straight: I have to be REMINDED that a fandom exist most of the time... otherwise I would not know that they even existed in the first place... (It's still awkward telling people that I was watching MLP:FiM around the time of the "4chan involvement" during Season 1... without realizing what was going on online at the time...)

Other than that, fandoms do not sway my judgement of the show itself... Sure, they can explain certain creative decisions that happens during certain seasons of a particular show (i.e. Fionna and Cake in Adventure Time or, more prominently, Derpy in MLP:FiM), but for the most part, they do not bother me as much as most people would believe, especially when I tell them if I am part of a particular fandom...

Oh! And, from a non-show-related side of fandoms... I got nothing... Like I said, I have to be reminded that a fandom exist most of the time... (Even then, they still will not sway my opinion [or lack of one] one way or another on what it is they're interest in overall...)

 

[Dragonlayer]

So basically the only real answers to this question are:

1: "No, because I'm a rational person who can differentiate a work of media from a group of people with no meaningful association with said work."

2: "Yes, because I'm a sad, irrational person who just loves the concept of 'guilty by association'."

Got it. Well, in that case my vote goes to "No".

If you allow a fan base to "taint" a piece of media for you than you're even worse than the rabid fan-base you loathe.

Do yourself a favor and realize the two are not one in the same. If that were the case then everyone who ever cut a slice of bread is serial killer. After all, a few serial killers used knives on people and therefore, by association, all knife users are serial killers.

I mean, I get it. I do. Insanely rabid fan-bases can be incredibly annoying. Believe me, I know.

But again, the fans (or in most cases the very small vocal minority) are NOT the piece of media in question. And, more likely than not, they would be despicable people regardless of their fandom.

Just ignore the annoying fans and enjoy what you like. You'll end up a happier person in the end.

[sub]And just in case there is any confusion, the "you" in this mini-rant isn't pointed at the OP or anyone in particular.[/sub]

This.

This is a complaint I heard the loudest from Yatzhee and it never made any sense to me: I mean, it's not exactly hard to look at something you find disagreeable, look at its creator and think "Well this clearly isn't canonical and has no real impact on the media I enjoy. I will leave you to your whatever and stick with mine."

For instance, I like the Assassin's Creed games. What I do not like is DeviantArt's obsession with making every single male character gay. But I don't blame the games for this, nor do I feel as though the fandom has "tainted" it - I don't even get angry at the artists (at least openly). I just ignore it and move on.

 

[eatenbyagrue]

So basically the only real answers to this question are:

1: "No, because I'm a rational person who can differentiate a work of media from a group of people with no meaningful association with said work."

2: "Yes, because I'm a sad, irrational person who just loves the concept of 'guilty by association'."

Got it. Well, in that case my vote goes to "No".

If you allow a fan base to "taint" a piece of media for you than you're even worse than the rabid fan-base you loathe.

Do yourself a favor and realize the two are not one in the same. If that were the case then everyone who ever cut a slice of bread is serial killer. After all, a few serial killers used knives on people and therefore, by association, all knife users are serial killers.

I mean, I get it. I do. Insanely rabid fan-bases can be incredibly annoying. Believe me, I know.

But again, the fans (or in most cases the very small vocal minority) are NOT the piece of media in question. And, more likely than not, they would be despicable people regardless of their fandom.

Just ignore the annoying fans and enjoy what you like. You'll end up a happier person in the end.

[sub]And just in case there is any confusion, the "you" in this mini-rant isn't pointed at the OP or anyone in particular.[/sub]

This.

This is a complaint I heard the loudest from Yatzhee and it never made any sense to me: I mean, it's not exactly hard to look at something you find disagreeable, look at its creator and think "Well this clearly isn't canonical and has no real impact on the media I enjoy. I will leave you to your whatever and stick with mine."

For instance, I like the Assassin's Creed games. What I do not like is DeviantArt's obsession with making every single male character gay. But I don't blame the games for this, nor do I feel as though the fandom has "tainted" it - I don't even get angry at the artists (at least openly). I just ignore it and move on.

While I agree that you should be able to take a work separately from the people who enjoy it, it's kind of not an option with a public-facing job like mine. People already treat the fact that I'm primarily an English speaker (yes, I teach English, but people dislike that it's my first language. An English teacher who actually speaks English? Inconceivable!) as a point against me, and I'd rather not give them more ammunition.

 

[Dragonlayer]

So basically the only real answers to this question are:

1: "No, because I'm a rational person who can differentiate a work of media from a group of people with no meaningful association with said work."

2: "Yes, because I'm a sad, irrational person who just loves the concept of 'guilty by association'."

Got it. Well, in that case my vote goes to "No".

If you allow a fan base to "taint" a piece of media for you than you're even worse than the rabid fan-base you loathe.

Do yourself a favor and realize the two are not one in the same. If that were the case then everyone who ever cut a slice of bread is serial killer. After all, a few serial killers used knives on people and therefore, by association, all knife users are serial killers.

I mean, I get it. I do. Insanely rabid fan-bases can be incredibly annoying. Believe me, I know.

But again, the fans (or in most cases the very small vocal minority) are NOT the piece of media in question. And, more likely than not, they would be despicable people regardless of their fandom.

Just ignore the annoying fans and enjoy what you like. You'll end up a happier person in the end.

[sub]And just in case there is any confusion, the "you" in this mini-rant isn't pointed at the OP or anyone in particular.[/sub]

This.

This is a complaint I heard the loudest from Yatzhee and it never made any sense to me: I mean, it's not exactly hard to look at something you find disagreeable, look at its creator and think "Well this clearly isn't canonical and has no real impact on the media I enjoy. I will leave you to your whatever and stick with mine."

For instance, I like the Assassin's Creed games. What I do not like is DeviantArt's obsession with making every single male character gay. But I don't blame the games for this, nor do I feel as though the fandom has "tainted" it - I don't even get angry at the artists (at least openly). I just ignore it and move on.

While I agree that you should be able to take a work separately from the people who enjoy it, it's kind of not an option with a public-facing job like mine. People already treat the fact that I'm primarily an English speaker (yes, I teach English, but people dislike that it's my first language. An English teacher who actually speaks English? Inconceivable!) as a point against me, and I'd rather not give them more ammunition.

I'd respond to your post but first I need to wrap my head around the concept that you're an English teacher who speaks English.


....

No good.

(Explodes)

But to actually answer: while I don't know the specifics of your situation, I can understand when it might not be the best idea to reveal certain interests in the real world (i.e. away from the internet). And that saying "Well they are just making an illogical judgement on you and you've done nothing wrong!" doesn't really help when the brick hurling mobs show up.

 

[Alterego-X]

I have voted "No, because "good" fans need to counteract the "bad" ones", although my view could be even better described as "Even the things that you call "bad fandoms" are actually quite good according to me".

If I like something, I'm actually PART OF the fandom, and I have always observed that it is actually just full of a bunch of other people who like the same thing and want to express it. Literally no exceptions.

The very idea of a "bad fandom" relies on two obviously biased perceptions.

First, by talking about the size of membership as interchargible with "ferocity". So "millions of Mass Effect fans are all expressing disappontment at the ending" becomes "A mob of raging Mass Effect fans are overshouting everyone else on the Internet", or "thousands of people choosewearing pony-themed forum avatars to express their taste" becomes "No matter where we turn ponies are shoved down on our throat!"

Second, and this is stated often, by misidentifying a vocal minority as the relevant representation of anything at all. Even the people who formally *do* acknowledge that they are talking about a minority, still overstate it's significance. Even the word "vocal" is an example of that. The guy who married an anime character didn't do anything particularly "loud" or omnipresent, it is the counterfandom that is so determined to bring it to spotlight, literally one dude's actions representing millions. Why should I care the least bit about that portrayal? Some other guy on the Escapist forums was acting like a dick, therefore your opinions are also invalid to me anyways. (at least by the same bizarro logic).

Some people create "bad fandom" stereotypes because they want to appear moderate, and create a scapegoat community compared to which they are appropriate and refined. Others are plain and simply haters of the subject material, playing turf wars over how their own community is so much better than their stinky, meanie opponents. Gaming platform supporters are an example of that.