CALM DOWN, PEOPLE!
Sep. 21st, 2011 12:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jan_reaJust read through the comments on a poll where people were asked to vote on "How Much Of Dave Karofsky Do You Want To See?", and to tell the truth, it made me feel amused, frustrated and fed-up all at the same time. And it's not only this, I've seen a LOT of bashing around on the internet. Klaine fans raging war with Kurtofsky fans. Harry Potter fans bashing on Twilight fans. Justin Bieber Haters and Bieliebers going to claws with one another. Glee fans versus non-Glee fans. It's like World War 3 is constantly starting in every place no matter what fandom and no matter what you love, and it's just starting to get tiring.
So, I've decided to invest in a little rant (which will mostly be Glee-focused but will also touch on simple fan ethics which I think we all should have):
1) No character on Glee is perfect. No matter if it's Kurt, Blaine, Karofsky, Rachel, Santana, Puck, Quinn.....etc. And this might also probably be why a lot of us love the characters for who they are. However, this might also be why other people hate that character. Haters and Lovers alike should just learn to DEAL WITH IT. There will always be haters to bash the character you love, like there will always be lovers to defend their character.
2) Actors are not equal to the characters they portray. Chris Colfer isn't Kurt. Darren Criss isn't Blaine. Max Adler isn't David Karofsky. Cory Monteith isn't Finn Hudson. Lea Michele isn't Rachel Berry. To see and hear how people judge an actor based on what their character is like, or hate on an actor just because of their character is just stupid and plain immature. Or to just assume that an actor is their character just makes me want to cut a bitch. Because they are NOT, that's why they are called ACT-ors/ress.
3) We do NOT know the actors on a personal level. We have no right to be reading the lines between what they said. Bashing fans who hate on another actor/actress just because of a simple sentence is just again, foolish. Like Blaine/Darren/Klaine fans hating on Chris just because of what Chris said in a few interviews. Like how Max Adler haters are judging him on what he said in an interview about Karofsky's type. Like how Brittana/Santana's fans hated on Heather Morris just because she express support about Bartie.
Fans need to calm the fuck down. Because even if we can think what we like about what the actors say in interviews, we need to know that no matter what we think about it, good or bad, we don't know for sure how the actor/actress is like in person. And what opinions that the actor/actress has about their own character and pairing. Taking a quote and then completely reading too much over it and then freaking out and declaring war is NOT the right way to go about it.
4) Everyone is entitled to their own opinions/preference/ships.
I don't care if you ship Klaine/Kurtofsky/Kum/Finchel/Brittana/Bartie/Furt/Puckurt/etc, you don't have to right to bash other people's pairings!!
Everyone is entitled to what they love, and what they want to ship. And everyone ships their pairing because there is something that just appeals to them, something that they just love about it. Something there that they see potential of, and that they feel should be expanded upon. Hell, even if someone ships Kurt/Sandy Ryerson, go ahead, it's their freedom. And no matter how one justifies that the pairing shouldn't exist, how statistically improbable, how un-canon, how not-in-a-thousand-million-years, how there is no way one character will fall for the other...It remains that a shipper will still ship it, and fans of each ship will willingly fight for their ship and defend it till their dying breath, and will probably still come back to haunt you if you mock/belittle/make fun of/hate on their ship.
Every shipper of every ship in every fandom should just learn to respect other people's love for their ship, and not get all up in their face and hate on one another's ship. Because it's a free world, and everyone is entitle to what they love, even more so on the most-freedom-of-all World Wide Web. Don't bash on other people's pairings, and they won't bash on yours, remember--respect!
5) Same as shipping, fans of each character/actor/actress/TV Shows/Movies/Books, should also not bash on other fans. It's the same principal as the above. Some people will love Darren Criss to bits, others will kill to meet Max Adler, and others love Chris Colfer unconditionally.
There is just no excuse to go about saying things like how one doesn't understand how another could be fans of that actor/actress, or go around bashing everything about the actor/actress--from what they say, how they sound like, what they wear, how they smile, etc...It's just unacceptable, because, like what I said above: You don't know shit about the actors, how they are as real person, how they are in private. We, fans just see things through the screen, through magazines and interviews and appearances, and I don't think that's a fine way to judge how someone is in real life.
6) Fans will always support what they love. Whenever there's a poll/voting, fans will inevitably want the things they love to win and to succeed. That is why they do crazy things like spreading news about it, urging people to go vote, themselves trying to vote multiple times, refreshing the page frequently to see how high the votes are on what they want....Fans will do crazy things. And I think a lot of people need to accept that. There's no stopping a fan from going bat-shit-insane just trying to secure a spot for their loved fandom/actor/ship in a poll/voting's final result. It's like, a fan obligation or something.
So, it's insane in the first place to suggest fans to tone it down. Or for other fans to come bashing and hating and saying things like how it's 'cheating' or 'not fair', because this will inevitably lead to a war again, and just, NO.
7) Being a fan doesn't give you the right to be an asshole to other fans/other people who don't support your view. If I still need to explain this, then clearly, none of what I've written above has registered in your mind.
8) Another thing that one mustn't do: Never, and I mean NEVER, belittle what other ships/characters/fandom mean to a person. I've seen people stating that they hate Karofsky, and that he should just be written off on the show, and what's his purpose anyway? But the fact remains that there are a lot of people who gain inspiration from his character. Who gain courage from the fact that this type of character is portrayed on TV. It's the same for every character on Glee, be it Kurt, Blaine, Finn, Rachel, or even Coach Bieste.
There are groups of haters for basically every character I've mentioned above, and I believe, there will always be haters, it's like some weird Yin and Yang--Fans and Haters. But of course, there will also be those who are Neutral, but I'm talking specifically about fans and haters here, because fans/people who are neutral just don't start comment wars on the internet.
But back to the point--For a person who thinks that Karofsky is creepy and just can't look at him, there will be a person who loves his character and for what he stands for--a realistic look at a jock in closet and in fear. For a person who hates Rachel Berry and claim her annoying, there will be a person who see themselves in the way Rachel is in Glee and look up to her. For every person who hates Kurt because he's a stereotype with his looks and high pitch voice and personality, there will be people who love him because he's what they are like, and what he represents on the show. For people who hate Klaine because they think that it's boring and unrealistic and just NO, there will be people who love it because it's plain, simple romance between two teenage boys and it brings hope to them. For those who hate Kurtofsky because they say that there's just NO WAY, there will be a person rooting for that pairing because they want to see it happen.
There will be people who see themselves in the scenario that you might hate and think to be illogical, there will be people who have experienced it. There will be people who are constantly inspired and encouraged just by a particular actor/character/ship/storyline, even if it means nothing to you. There will be people who got through their day, just because they saw maybe Kurt/Blaine/Karofsky/Puck/Rachel on the show, even though you might hate to even see the character for a minute on the screen. There will be people who would have looked at the story and go: "I've been in that situation." or "I was that person.", even if you find it improbable in real life.
Every single story/character will have touched a certain someone in the world, and no matter how much one disagrees with their importance, or hate on the character/show/story, the fact remains that it meant something to someone. It may still be meaningful in ways you might not comprehend with someone, and it's not fair, or good, to be doubting on their importance, or bashing and belittling it's importance.
Because it might mean nothing to you, but it might mean everything to someone. It might be not personal to you, but it's personal to a lot of people.
And, this sort of love/hate scenario will always be around, and I think it's time some fans need to accept that fact.
9) Like the above, there will always be people in the world who clash with your interest/opinions/POV/fandom. We need to learn and ACCEPT that there will be people standing against us. Fans, in general, mostly could not be persuaded to abandon what they love and ship, so why start bashing on an opposing fan just because of a logical clash of interest? If it's all fun, mature, and rational reasoning of explaining why they love their ship/character/fandom to one another, then of course it's okay, and perfectly encouraged. But if it goes into the 'what I ship is better than what you ship' territory, then no, please no, just stop before things get worse.
10) Adhere to the ultimate fandom rule if you can't find common ground with fans of other persuasion: AGREE TO DISAGREE. There's perfectly no harm in stepping back together instead of going at each other's throats.
I, as a fellow fan, know just how difficult it is to remain neutral in situations where what you suppport/love/ship is being threaten/mock/ridicule/belittle, it makes you want to just stand out and speak and defend for them. And if you really must do that, please do it in a dignified and mature manner--with logic, calm facts and cooly stated words--not insults, barbs, and childish bickering.
11) Another thing, before I forget, is that it isn't fair to judge a whole legion of fans just based on one or two rotten tomatoes. I suppose I can call myself a major Klainer, but I don't go around bashing other people's ships, like what a lot of other shippers might believe of a Klainer.
Not all Klainers are insane and so driven by our lust and love for shipping that we can't act like sane people. A lot of us are very friendly people who just love Klaine. For me, despite being a Klainer, I can still see Kurtofsky, Kum, Puckurt, hell, even Furt, happening. I'm just that much of an open minded person, so you can see, we're not all hormonal-induced, insult-wielding supposed-twelve year olds who run around bashing other ships/characters/actors.
This goes for all the different fans I guess. There will always be that particularly section of a fan-group that is just that crazy and rude and impulsive and defensive, but this also means that they are sane fans in a particular fan-group. We just need to learn to get along with one another and ignore a lot of crazy happening around us. =)
To end, like what I said: Learn to AGREE TO DISAGREE and to RESPECT one another and see things from each other's point of view, and I think we'll all be alright~
Because hey, LOVE is all what fans are about, not hate, okay?
----LONG RANT IS LONG-----
So, I've decided to invest in a little rant (which will mostly be Glee-focused but will also touch on simple fan ethics which I think we all should have):
1) No character on Glee is perfect. No matter if it's Kurt, Blaine, Karofsky, Rachel, Santana, Puck, Quinn.....etc. And this might also probably be why a lot of us love the characters for who they are. However, this might also be why other people hate that character. Haters and Lovers alike should just learn to DEAL WITH IT. There will always be haters to bash the character you love, like there will always be lovers to defend their character.
2) Actors are not equal to the characters they portray. Chris Colfer isn't Kurt. Darren Criss isn't Blaine. Max Adler isn't David Karofsky. Cory Monteith isn't Finn Hudson. Lea Michele isn't Rachel Berry. To see and hear how people judge an actor based on what their character is like, or hate on an actor just because of their character is just stupid and plain immature. Or to just assume that an actor is their character just makes me want to cut a bitch. Because they are NOT, that's why they are called ACT-ors/ress.
3) We do NOT know the actors on a personal level. We have no right to be reading the lines between what they said. Bashing fans who hate on another actor/actress just because of a simple sentence is just again, foolish. Like Blaine/Darren/Klaine fans hating on Chris just because of what Chris said in a few interviews. Like how Max Adler haters are judging him on what he said in an interview about Karofsky's type. Like how Brittana/Santana's fans hated on Heather Morris just because she express support about Bartie.
Fans need to calm the fuck down. Because even if we can think what we like about what the actors say in interviews, we need to know that no matter what we think about it, good or bad, we don't know for sure how the actor/actress is like in person. And what opinions that the actor/actress has about their own character and pairing. Taking a quote and then completely reading too much over it and then freaking out and declaring war is NOT the right way to go about it.
4) Everyone is entitled to their own opinions/preference/ships.
I don't care if you ship Klaine/Kurtofsky/Kum/Finchel/Brittana/Bartie/Furt/Puckurt/etc, you don't have to right to bash other people's pairings!!
Everyone is entitled to what they love, and what they want to ship. And everyone ships their pairing because there is something that just appeals to them, something that they just love about it. Something there that they see potential of, and that they feel should be expanded upon. Hell, even if someone ships Kurt/Sandy Ryerson, go ahead, it's their freedom. And no matter how one justifies that the pairing shouldn't exist, how statistically improbable, how un-canon, how not-in-a-thousand-million-years, how there is no way one character will fall for the other...It remains that a shipper will still ship it, and fans of each ship will willingly fight for their ship and defend it till their dying breath, and will probably still come back to haunt you if you mock/belittle/make fun of/hate on their ship.
Every shipper of every ship in every fandom should just learn to respect other people's love for their ship, and not get all up in their face and hate on one another's ship. Because it's a free world, and everyone is entitle to what they love, even more so on the most-freedom-of-all World Wide Web. Don't bash on other people's pairings, and they won't bash on yours, remember--respect!
5) Same as shipping, fans of each character/actor/actress/TV Shows/Movies/Books, should also not bash on other fans. It's the same principal as the above. Some people will love Darren Criss to bits, others will kill to meet Max Adler, and others love Chris Colfer unconditionally.
There is just no excuse to go about saying things like how one doesn't understand how another could be fans of that actor/actress, or go around bashing everything about the actor/actress--from what they say, how they sound like, what they wear, how they smile, etc...It's just unacceptable, because, like what I said above: You don't know shit about the actors, how they are as real person, how they are in private. We, fans just see things through the screen, through magazines and interviews and appearances, and I don't think that's a fine way to judge how someone is in real life.
6) Fans will always support what they love. Whenever there's a poll/voting, fans will inevitably want the things they love to win and to succeed. That is why they do crazy things like spreading news about it, urging people to go vote, themselves trying to vote multiple times, refreshing the page frequently to see how high the votes are on what they want....Fans will do crazy things. And I think a lot of people need to accept that. There's no stopping a fan from going bat-shit-insane just trying to secure a spot for their loved fandom/actor/ship in a poll/voting's final result. It's like, a fan obligation or something.
So, it's insane in the first place to suggest fans to tone it down. Or for other fans to come bashing and hating and saying things like how it's 'cheating' or 'not fair', because this will inevitably lead to a war again, and just, NO.
7) Being a fan doesn't give you the right to be an asshole to other fans/other people who don't support your view. If I still need to explain this, then clearly, none of what I've written above has registered in your mind.
8) Another thing that one mustn't do: Never, and I mean NEVER, belittle what other ships/characters/fandom mean to a person. I've seen people stating that they hate Karofsky, and that he should just be written off on the show, and what's his purpose anyway? But the fact remains that there are a lot of people who gain inspiration from his character. Who gain courage from the fact that this type of character is portrayed on TV. It's the same for every character on Glee, be it Kurt, Blaine, Finn, Rachel, or even Coach Bieste.
There are groups of haters for basically every character I've mentioned above, and I believe, there will always be haters, it's like some weird Yin and Yang--Fans and Haters. But of course, there will also be those who are Neutral, but I'm talking specifically about fans and haters here, because fans/people who are neutral just don't start comment wars on the internet.
But back to the point--For a person who thinks that Karofsky is creepy and just can't look at him, there will be a person who loves his character and for what he stands for--a realistic look at a jock in closet and in fear. For a person who hates Rachel Berry and claim her annoying, there will be a person who see themselves in the way Rachel is in Glee and look up to her. For every person who hates Kurt because he's a stereotype with his looks and high pitch voice and personality, there will be people who love him because he's what they are like, and what he represents on the show. For people who hate Klaine because they think that it's boring and unrealistic and just NO, there will be people who love it because it's plain, simple romance between two teenage boys and it brings hope to them. For those who hate Kurtofsky because they say that there's just NO WAY, there will be a person rooting for that pairing because they want to see it happen.
There will be people who see themselves in the scenario that you might hate and think to be illogical, there will be people who have experienced it. There will be people who are constantly inspired and encouraged just by a particular actor/character/ship/storyline, even if it means nothing to you. There will be people who got through their day, just because they saw maybe Kurt/Blaine/Karofsky/Puck/Rachel on the show, even though you might hate to even see the character for a minute on the screen. There will be people who would have looked at the story and go: "I've been in that situation." or "I was that person.", even if you find it improbable in real life.
Every single story/character will have touched a certain someone in the world, and no matter how much one disagrees with their importance, or hate on the character/show/story, the fact remains that it meant something to someone. It may still be meaningful in ways you might not comprehend with someone, and it's not fair, or good, to be doubting on their importance, or bashing and belittling it's importance.
Because it might mean nothing to you, but it might mean everything to someone. It might be not personal to you, but it's personal to a lot of people.
And, this sort of love/hate scenario will always be around, and I think it's time some fans need to accept that fact.
9) Like the above, there will always be people in the world who clash with your interest/opinions/POV/fandom. We need to learn and ACCEPT that there will be people standing against us. Fans, in general, mostly could not be persuaded to abandon what they love and ship, so why start bashing on an opposing fan just because of a logical clash of interest? If it's all fun, mature, and rational reasoning of explaining why they love their ship/character/fandom to one another, then of course it's okay, and perfectly encouraged. But if it goes into the 'what I ship is better than what you ship' territory, then no, please no, just stop before things get worse.
10) Adhere to the ultimate fandom rule if you can't find common ground with fans of other persuasion: AGREE TO DISAGREE. There's perfectly no harm in stepping back together instead of going at each other's throats.
I, as a fellow fan, know just how difficult it is to remain neutral in situations where what you suppport/love/ship is being threaten/mock/ridicule/belittle, it makes you want to just stand out and speak and defend for them. And if you really must do that, please do it in a dignified and mature manner--with logic, calm facts and cooly stated words--not insults, barbs, and childish bickering.
11) Another thing, before I forget, is that it isn't fair to judge a whole legion of fans just based on one or two rotten tomatoes. I suppose I can call myself a major Klainer, but I don't go around bashing other people's ships, like what a lot of other shippers might believe of a Klainer.
Not all Klainers are insane and so driven by our lust and love for shipping that we can't act like sane people. A lot of us are very friendly people who just love Klaine. For me, despite being a Klainer, I can still see Kurtofsky, Kum, Puckurt, hell, even Furt, happening. I'm just that much of an open minded person, so you can see, we're not all hormonal-induced, insult-wielding supposed-twelve year olds who run around bashing other ships/characters/actors.
This goes for all the different fans I guess. There will always be that particularly section of a fan-group that is just that crazy and rude and impulsive and defensive, but this also means that they are sane fans in a particular fan-group. We just need to learn to get along with one another and ignore a lot of crazy happening around us. =)
To end, like what I said: Learn to AGREE TO DISAGREE and to RESPECT one another and see things from each other's point of view, and I think we'll all be alright~
Because hey, LOVE is all what fans are about, not hate, okay?
----LONG RANT IS LONG-----
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-21 04:58 am (UTC)I also ABSOLUTELY 100% AGREE THAT ACTORS ARE NOT THE CHARACTERS THAT THEY PLAY!!!! Have you ever seen fanfiction based on the real actors instead of the characters themselves? I've never seen it in HP (I'm sure it's there somewhere), but in Merlin there are Brad/Colin stories EVERYWHERE and it creeps me out so much. Just because someone plays an character on a TV show or in a movie doesn't mean that they ARE that character - just because Dan Radcliffe was cast as Harry Potter doesn't actually MEAN he's Harry Potter...personally, I think he's an attractive bloke, but he just doesn't look like the Harry Potter in my head, which is why books are so wonderful, imo, you get a general description and your imagination fills in the rest. Anyway, I can see it being difficult for some people to separate actors from the roles they play if their tv characters are part of an original series, or something, because the characters themselves are supposed to look like the actors that play them...but they're absolutely not the same people. Identical twins can have the same face, but they're not the same person and shouldn't be treated as such. I just take most actors in situations like these (i.e. kurt, blaine, etc.) as the identical twin of the actor: totally separate person.
Two things, though:
I reserve the right to act like a bitch to people who attempt to challenge my perception of what pairings I should or should not read/like/etc., especially if that person comes off as an uneducated 12 year old who has an internet usage timer. I think being insulted gives you the right to defend yourself, and you should be able to defend yourself to the eye-teeth without being looked down upon for doing it. Yeah, it's the internet and people are going to be stupid. I really do get that...but defending yourself from even harmless vitriol (though I suppose most internet vitriol is technically harmless) is better than letting the attitude continue - there has to be some kind of boundaries erected governing what you should and should not say to someone you've never met based solely on their likes and dislikes and I believe that a healthy dosage of verbal abuse will help create them.
Secondly. The reason that most people - not just Harry Potter fans, but people from all over the world - spew shit at Twilight fans is because Twilight is just a badly written novel. Really. Honestly. Whenever someone tells me they like Twilight, I cringe. I don't know if you've read Twilight, but I've read the first one and about 3 chapters into the second one and just...couldn't. It makes me want to cry that so many 8-60 year old girls and women feel like they can relate to such...ugh. It just...this is the state the world is coming to - have you ever seen the movie Idiocracy? This is only the beginning and I hate it. I hate that 12 year old girls try to emulate a character who is so...emotionally weak and dependent and I hate that it creates necrophiliacs and I really really really hate that hundreds of thousands of girls' idea of a "perfect man" is an arrogant, bullying, abusive, misogynistic snotrag. And THAT is why people, in general, hate on Twilight fans.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-09-21 10:29 am (UTC)1) I think it's fine to defend yourself if you're being bashed on. Hell knows that I would do the exact same thing. I just hoped that there were less fans out there who start bashing on other people. *sighs*
2) I actually don't like Twilight myself. Attempted to read through the first book but never got pass the first chapter. And I almost can't believe you made it to the second book. *shivers* It's just awful, awful writing. Full stop. That's why I know and understand why so many people hate on it. Because frankly, it doesn't deserve that much appeal and fame that it has now. And the morals in the story are just all kinds of wrong. And of course, to compare that Twilight is better than Harry Potter, in my mind, is like committing the ultimate travesty, because no, just NO.
But I know that it has TONS of fans, (god knows I don't understand the appeal) and despite the fact that I will sometimes make good humoured jokes about it, I don't understand why some people will really go out of their way to just hate on it. There are like, haters, who purposely start anti-Twilight motion, or will even go on Twilight-related forums to express their hate for it. For me, if I don't like it, I'll just steer clear away from it, just far, far away, but I don't go purposely hating. (unless, of course, someone starts bashing on me for: Why don't you like Twilight? first.) C;
On a more non-discussion-related note:
Aww, I can't believe someone actually read my rant!! *glomps you* =)