All right, that's it
Apr. 5th, 2004 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quidditchgrrlI've been debating about getting this off my chest for some time, but after seeing ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ladyanabelle get stabbed in the back after venting a little (and it's really an...insignificant isn't the word...I guess her rant seemed more impersonal to me), I'm ready to vent my spleen (or should that be gall bladder?).
First, a disclaimer: No, I do not consider myself anything like a BNF, nor do I look upon that designation with favor, other than the fact that it can be interpreted to indicate a long-time contributor to a fandom.
ETA: BNF = Big Name Fan, a term usually used in a negative/jealous way.
This is going to be long, so be forewarned.
First, an introduction to my growing crankiness.
I've not been in this fandom that long. I came in on the tails of seeing Sorcerer's Stone, reading the books and happening upon a link to ffnet in December 2001.
Back then - indeed until October of 2002, when ffnet purged itself of NC-17 fic - it seemed the fandom was pretty much a conglomeration of people. Nearly everyone posted at either FA or ffnet. Shipping sites were fairly few and far between, and run mostly by individuals. Fiction Alley was the public place where ship wars were hashed out, and there fans of differing ships got to know each other through the forums and through working together on various projects. It wasn't all about what you shipped all the time.
Now, things are a bit different. Shipping sites are common, and there are people who never leave their 'ship' and explore different pairings or speak to proponents of other ships in anything but a confrontational manner. Whatever their 'anti-ship' is, they dehumanize them and say all manner of snarky things. I picture these folks - those on CM who have the 'I'd rather [insert nasty thing here] than ship H/H' come to mind - sticking their fingers in their ears and chanting 'la la la' while worthwhile points are made about other ships. Points that might expand their understanding of characterization and broaden their scope while reading canon. I know that participating in different ship-based threads/chats and reading lots of pairings has given me a lot to think about while re-reading canon. And these people revel in their ignorance of other viewpoints and treat non-shippers with mean-spirited disdain, at best.
Back to the idea of "BNF" status. Think about those people that are long term, positive contributors to the fandom at large. Theheidi8's and melissa_tlc's of the fandom. The lissinthecity's and madlorivoldmort's.
You will not become a BNF by:
1. Hanging around Fandom Wank and making snarky posts or commenting ad infinitum to every HP wank coming around the bend. Be part of the solution.
2. Making snarky posts in your LJ. Thoughtful discussion makes you a lot more friends.
3. Spending all of your time reading/writing/discussing one or two ships and hanging out at only one or two sites. Why not read some well-written R/Hr if you're a die-hard Pumpkin Pie shipper? The trailer and JKR chat had me distracted for days, pondering the fact that both R/Hr and H/Hr shippers use many of the same scenes to 'prove' their ship is THE ONE. It's not like you have to love other ships, but being well-rounded makes you a better conversationalist, fandom-wise. Do you know any 'BNF'-er who only ships one or two ships or reads only one or two pairings? Prove me wrong here.
4. Playing one person against another. Say you're filtered into a LJ post commenting on the 'Hermione double-standard' in fanfic, a post based on an asinine review left for a story. Instead of taking note of the little padlock - or perhaps being maliciously inspired by it - you cut text from it and email it out for other people to look at, in or out of context. Wow, what a great 'friend' you are! That kind of action is sure to win you tons of respect. *cough*
5. Making enemies of other people in fandom. As mentioned above, it's a little bit tougher now to work extensively with lots of different folks if you're not on FA or heavily involved with multi-shipper groups, but handing out a cyber-bitchslap in response to a simple question makes you look like an ass.
To me, the BNFs - man, I hate that term! - I think of as being truly 'big' are the ones who, over time, have contributed to the fandom in general. They started open, welcoming sites, contributed to intelligent discussion, wrote great fanfic that appealed to lots of folks, moderated, beta-ed, and are nice people overall. When they get angry, they say so. When things go well, praise is openly given to those who deserve it. Boundaries are respected, smackdown given as appropriate. They aren't perfect, not at all. But their 'fame' wasn't overnight - they worked very hard to make the fandom a better place instead of trying to catapult to 'BNF' status from one mean-spirited LJ post.
Wow, I'm not bitter, am I? :-|
Feel free to leave your anger here, tell me how I am wrong and point out my hypocrisy (and trust me, I see little pieces of myself in the above too). I'm game. There's a lot of negative feeling associated with the term BNF, and a good deal of envy as well, I'd wager.
ladyanabelle get stabbed in the back after venting a little (and it's really an...insignificant isn't the word...I guess her rant seemed more impersonal to me), I'm ready to vent my spleen (or should that be gall bladder?).First, a disclaimer: No, I do not consider myself anything like a BNF, nor do I look upon that designation with favor, other than the fact that it can be interpreted to indicate a long-time contributor to a fandom.
ETA: BNF = Big Name Fan, a term usually used in a negative/jealous way.
This is going to be long, so be forewarned.
First, an introduction to my growing crankiness.
I've not been in this fandom that long. I came in on the tails of seeing Sorcerer's Stone, reading the books and happening upon a link to ffnet in December 2001.
Back then - indeed until October of 2002, when ffnet purged itself of NC-17 fic - it seemed the fandom was pretty much a conglomeration of people. Nearly everyone posted at either FA or ffnet. Shipping sites were fairly few and far between, and run mostly by individuals. Fiction Alley was the public place where ship wars were hashed out, and there fans of differing ships got to know each other through the forums and through working together on various projects. It wasn't all about what you shipped all the time.
Now, things are a bit different. Shipping sites are common, and there are people who never leave their 'ship' and explore different pairings or speak to proponents of other ships in anything but a confrontational manner. Whatever their 'anti-ship' is, they dehumanize them and say all manner of snarky things. I picture these folks - those on CM who have the 'I'd rather [insert nasty thing here] than ship H/H' come to mind - sticking their fingers in their ears and chanting 'la la la' while worthwhile points are made about other ships. Points that might expand their understanding of characterization and broaden their scope while reading canon. I know that participating in different ship-based threads/chats and reading lots of pairings has given me a lot to think about while re-reading canon. And these people revel in their ignorance of other viewpoints and treat non-shippers with mean-spirited disdain, at best.
Back to the idea of "BNF" status. Think about those people that are long term, positive contributors to the fandom at large. The
heidi8's and melissa_tlc's of the fandom. The lissinthecity's and madlorivoldmort's.You will not become a BNF by:
1. Hanging around Fandom Wank and making snarky posts or commenting ad infinitum to every HP wank coming around the bend. Be part of the solution.
2. Making snarky posts in your LJ. Thoughtful discussion makes you a lot more friends.
3. Spending all of your time reading/writing/discussing one or two ships and hanging out at only one or two sites. Why not read some well-written R/Hr if you're a die-hard Pumpkin Pie shipper? The trailer and JKR chat had me distracted for days, pondering the fact that both R/Hr and H/Hr shippers use many of the same scenes to 'prove' their ship is THE ONE. It's not like you have to love other ships, but being well-rounded makes you a better conversationalist, fandom-wise. Do you know any 'BNF'-er who only ships one or two ships or reads only one or two pairings? Prove me wrong here.
4. Playing one person against another. Say you're filtered into a LJ post commenting on the 'Hermione double-standard' in fanfic, a post based on an asinine review left for a story. Instead of taking note of the little padlock - or perhaps being maliciously inspired by it - you cut text from it and email it out for other people to look at, in or out of context. Wow, what a great 'friend' you are! That kind of action is sure to win you tons of respect. *cough*
5. Making enemies of other people in fandom. As mentioned above, it's a little bit tougher now to work extensively with lots of different folks if you're not on FA or heavily involved with multi-shipper groups, but handing out a cyber-bitchslap in response to a simple question makes you look like an ass.
To me, the BNFs - man, I hate that term! - I think of as being truly 'big' are the ones who, over time, have contributed to the fandom in general. They started open, welcoming sites, contributed to intelligent discussion, wrote great fanfic that appealed to lots of folks, moderated, beta-ed, and are nice people overall. When they get angry, they say so. When things go well, praise is openly given to those who deserve it. Boundaries are respected, smackdown given as appropriate. They aren't perfect, not at all. But their 'fame' wasn't overnight - they worked very hard to make the fandom a better place instead of trying to catapult to 'BNF' status from one mean-spirited LJ post.
Wow, I'm not bitter, am I? :-|
Feel free to leave your anger here, tell me how I am wrong and point out my hypocrisy (and trust me, I see little pieces of myself in the above too). I'm game. There's a lot of negative feeling associated with the term BNF, and a good deal of envy as well, I'd wager.