30 Days of De-Objectification: Insistence

Don't be the fan who insists that everyone must obey you about everything or you'll go around starting fights with everyone.

30 Days of De-Objectification:

Insistence

Thus far, I’ve focused mainly on the (so-called) “classic rock fandom” of Tumblr and their insistence on objectifying ageing and dead musicians; which, as it happens, is a really gross thing to do. In this installment, I will diversify to include other fandoms (and their problems) as well.

Today’s issue is INSISTENCE.

What do I mean by insistence?

Primarily, the insistence that a performer IS the way the fan has perceived them, regardless of what said performer may say on their own behalf. This can also extend to the insistence that a character IS a certain way or is involved in a certain relationship with another character, regardless of what the creator or performer of said character may say to refute such ideas.

Regarding characters, the beauty of fan fiction is the ability to place the character in whatever scenario the fan wishes. Let us create an example scenario.

Betty Blergsnorf really likes the show “Dolly’s House.” But she hates the way the creators wrapped up the show by having Dolly marry Edgar Quiverjewels and run off to Russia. Betty thinks it would have been much nicer if Dolly had instead gotten together with Terry Ultra and stayed in the quiet little Virginia town where most of the show took place.

It’s perfectly legitimate for Betty to say “hahaha, nope, that didn’t happen!” and to write her own account of what she feels should have happened for her beloved characters.

Betty’s version may even be more enjoyable than the canon version for other fans of Dolly’s House, who may also think that Edgar Quiverjewels is a loathsome leech who is just using Dolly for her money.

What is not fine is for Betty and her like-minded cronies to browbeat and even threaten the creative team involved with Dolly’s House. Sending messages like “U should kill urself u disgusting shitlord I hope ur children die of cancer”, or, worse, doxing your target, is never okay.

Another issue I see arise all too often, particularly regarding television series, is the insistence that the show is “queerbaiting” the audience. People don’t seem to understand the difference between “queerbaiting” and fan servicing.

Scenario time!

A certain faction of fans of the show “Poltergeist Patrol” feel that the “longing looks” between General Gordon Geist of the Ghost Army and Warrant Officer William Ward of the Wraith Squadron were deliberately written in to create sexual tension and raise fans’ hopes that Gordon Geist and Will Ward will get together in canon.

A puzzled Irving Ives, the actor who plays William Ward, denies the existence of any “longing looks.”

Most fans accept Ives at his word, and those who enjoy the GeistWard ship go back to writing fan fiction in peace.

Except for a certain rabid and irrational faction of the fandom who insist that “Poltergeist Patrol” is queerbaiting the fans and that the writers are using underhanded tactics to indicate canon GeistWard, such as having Will Ward drink coffee at Pinky Pie’s Divine Diner with its fabulous pink neon sign out front.

Everyone knows that Will Ward usually drinks tea at Tom’s Tea Room, and everyone knows that Vincent von Vermillion, the actor who plays Gordon Geist, can’t function without his coffee. Thus, Will Ward is obviously bisexual, in spite of the fact that he has hooked up with ninety percent of the female officers on the Wraith Squadron, seventy-five percent of the female officers in the Ghost Army, and no few of the women rescued by the Poltergeist Patrol and has never hooked up with a man.

The writers insist that the Tom’s Tea Room set was undergoing repairs during the shooting of the episode in question, so they relocated to the Pinky Pie’s Divine Diner set. Since it would be unlikely that Pinky Pie’s Divine Diner serves Earl Gray, Will Ward opted for coffee instead.

The GeistWard purists insist that the writers are lying.

When a frazzled Irving Ives attempts to clarify that there is no secret romance between Gordon Geist and William Ward, the angry GeistWard fanatics accuse him of being a homophobe. Although Irving initially wishes to appease fans of the show in which he stars, he eventually becomes frustrated with the behavior of the irrational GeistWard devotees and bluntly states that GeistWard will never happen. He is branded a homophobe and an asshole and sent death threats.

As bad as irrational insistence is when applied to fictional characters, it is even worse when applied to real people.

As stated before, I don’t take issue with people seeing a dynamic, saying a certain pair of people would make a cute couple, or even a degree of tinhatting, as long as it isn’t taken too far.

Thinking that there might be something more to a given person’s relationship with their co-star or the drummer in their band or what have you based on over-the-top touchy-feely behavior between the pair is one thing.

Insisting that there MUST be a romantic and sexual relationship rather than a platonic one and making hateful statements regarding the real-life significant others that the people in the pairing may be involved with is quite another.

Saying “I really think that Tommy Topper and Timmy Tweedle are more than just friends. I mean, they’re always grabbing each other’s butts and looking at each other’s crotches. It sucks that they can’t just be out in the open with their relationship because show business is still pretty homophobic overall,” is one thing.

Saying “I hate that damn Susie Sassafras for marrying Tommy Topper. She’s just standing in the way of his true love with Timmy Tweedle. That bitch needs to die,” is quite another.

Irrational insistence when applied to real people is a form of objectification because it insists that people must behave in a certain way to please the insistent fan.

It is one thing to be disappointed that a performer’s actions don’t live up to one’s beliefs about who they are. It is another to be obsessed with the idea that said performer should be a certain way.

Saying: “I went to a meet and greet for Nine Foot Screws, and I always thought that Rockin’ Ron was a really cool guy, but he was actually a lecherous drunk asshole, and it really broke my heart to learn that my hero is nothing but a zero” is understandable.

Saying: “I went to a horror convention and I wanted Irving Ives and Vincent von Vermillion to put on their Poltergeist Patrol costumes and make out for my photo op, but Irving Ives wouldn’t do it, so he’s just a homophobic shitlord who should die horribly” is a problem.

Don’t be “that fan.”

~The Cheese Hath Grated It~