I had a friend tell me recently that she hated a certain character on a show, but upon a little further discussion, it became apparent that what she really hated was the way the fanbase/fanfic authors reacted to/depicted the character (and vilified other characters in his defense).
It's one of the things that I've recognized in myself--that other fans' reactions to characters color my own. The more others go nuts over someone that I don't really care about, the more I start to dislike the character. And vice-versa, the more others will hate on someone that I sort of like, the more defensive I'll get for that character. It's my need to defend the underdog. And then I have to remind myself that these aren't real people and they don't need me to defend their honor. But it all gets confused into the personalities of the fans and the characters and even the actors and then it starts getting a little too personal.
*whew* Fortunately I'm better able to step away and dissociate than I used to be. Also, I've learned to go no further than the shallow edges of fandom. Because as you say, there are a lot of extreme personalities swimming around in there.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-08-16 03:59 pm (UTC)It's one of the things that I've recognized in myself--that other fans' reactions to characters color my own. The more others go nuts over someone that I don't really care about, the more I start to dislike the character. And vice-versa, the more others will hate on someone that I sort of like, the more defensive I'll get for that character. It's my need to defend the underdog. And then I have to remind myself that these aren't real people and they don't need me to defend their honor. But it all gets confused into the personalities of the fans and the characters and even the actors and then it starts getting a little too personal.
*whew* Fortunately I'm better able to step away and dissociate than I used to be. Also, I've learned to go no further than the shallow edges of fandom. Because as you say, there are a lot of extreme personalities swimming around in there.