Just a few notes concerning reactions from this post about the events of the Asylum Con.

We all know there are some crazy fans out there, a lot of whom aren't involved in the LJ part of fandom, and this kind of behavior [what was reported in the post, not the post itself!] gets our hackles up and sets our eyes a'rollin.

Anyway, I agree with what was stated there for the most part - fans have done some reprehensible things out of a sense of entitlement, but in truth is it such a small part of the fandom. I'm glad that the post pointed out a few things from the Con that have been misreported and such, but some of the comments started to bite. Saying something like this [and there were many other similar, sweeping generalizations]: "times like these make me very ashamed to be a part of the fandom sadly" get me to thinking...

I am not, nor will I ever be, ashamed to be a part of this fandom. I'm kind of in awe, everyday, that I'm allowed to be a part of it, having never really found my footing in a fandom before. Seriously, I don't know what I'll do when it's gone. The things people write, the creations they make, and the meta they research, is amazing. Such a talented group of people all clustered around a central interest. The behavioral psychologist in me has a lot of crazy awesome things to say about that fact. But I'll never be ashamed. Yeah, I might go red in the face and lose my ability to speak should Jared or Jensen ever come up to me and say "Hey! You wrote porn about us!", but I'm not really ashamed.

And I would never ever allow the actions of a minority to force me out of a fandom I love. Only if Jared, Jensen, or Eric Kripke came up to me and said "Stop what you're doing!" would I lay down my keyboard pen. Besides, if all the sane people left fandom, it would be stuck with the certifiably crazy and the show would get canceled faster than Viva Laughlin.

It's really unfortunate that the most visible side of fandom happens to be the batshit side. I'm not talking about active as in fanworks, but rather about conventions, other forums and boards, and generally being a nuisance on the interwebs [Fandom!Secrets, anyone?]. Cool!Fandom is generally too polite and concerned with the rest of Cool!Fandom's happenings and writings.

The ones who really come out of the woodwork are residents of Batshit!Fandom, and they're the ones giving us all a bad rep. All the terrible con reports that make us cringe [not that everyone who attends a con is crazy - some of you I'm jealous of!], the ridiculous fandom!secrets postings, the women who take 'tin hatting' to a level where they ought to be committed [because you know there's a difference between fun!tinhatting and restraining order!tinhatting], and the impression that SPN fangirls are the worst of the lot. I'm pretty sure all of you can name some of the worst people in fandom you know of. Our list wouldn't be all that big compared to the writers and women who we think are super delicious, but a lot of names would come up more than once. The Batshit!fandom side many be smaller, but it is so visible and so persistent.

Conventions are such a strange environment. They're such great opportunities for the masses to meet and talk with people they admire, but so often they turn into stalker central. [Again, not accusing every con-attendee of being this way, but you have to admit, the bad stories are the ones that travel the furthest, no?] Just like stalking in real life, someone sees an actor on television and feels that connection which leads to thought of entitlement even though it's not quite realized yet. Week after week you see this actor on your screen and he speaks to you, you know him and you begin to feel a pull over where his story should go, how he should behave, who he should date or sleep with. And it absolutely bleeds over from fiction to reality. Most of the time, the attitudes celebrities put on in public is another kind of act, and some fans begin to connect to those personalities as well.

Maybe not so bad or destructive when kept to yourself, but conventions are a chance for those like-minded people get together. Suddenly, in an place where others share your sense of responsibility or entitlement, your behavior is encouraged and accepted while the rest of the fans sit and shake their heads in embarrassment.

Yeah, the Supernatural fandom appears to have more than its share of crazy people. And, I'll admit, WAY more than its share of weak-minded people who worship at the alters of the craziest, who get so absorbed by their opinions and deeds before getting into the rest of the fandom. Those kinds of people are the ones applauding the despicable behavior, the awkward questions, and adding weight to the sense of entitlement some of the Big Names of the Batshit!fandom feel. Maybe they're the bigger problem, I don't know, but there's something wrong with all of them. After all, with enough encouragement, the crazy women doing such horrible things in the name of fandom and entitlement have no idea that what they're doing is wrong on so many different levels.

I don't really see a solution. I wish we could police our own fandom, but then it wouldn't be a fandom anymore. Cool!fandom is content to play and talk amongst ourselves while the Batshit!fandom gets worse. Because we all know it will. The conventions have started to make us all nervous, everyone just waiting for the repercussions, but I wish whatever happened at them didn't make people start shouting about how they "hate" fandom, how they're "disgusted" by it. I think saying things like that only makes the situation worse. It makes us question our own involvement, or actions, and in the worst cases, our friends, when we're the ones who have done nothing wrong.

Without this fandom, where would we be?

But I will close with this. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are smart guys. I truly believe that they know conventions can attract both the best kind of fan, and the worst kind. It sucks that the behavior of a few can leave such a sour taste, but I think they know that the true fans are out here, supporting them, however silent we may sometimes be.

Jesus, I can't believe I wrote all that. Forgive me, I'm usually fairly shy when it comes to fandom issues.

And the irony of using a Con-icon. Heh.

Wow, you read all that? Want a cookie? Now I'm off to finish my Porn Friday entry! ♥