(no subject)

[emmagrant01]

Sometimes when fandom drama gets me down, I go looking for people arguing just as voraciously about an issue I don't care about. And then I observe that it's kind of the same argument, but with different nouns inserted.

It turns out that this is a really good way to regain my perspective.

Comments

[hiddenlacuna.livejournal.com]

I don't care WHAT you say, honey mustard is the devil's work.

[afsutton.livejournal.com]

(Okay - in real life I agree with you, but just for the sake of the joke, here goes:)

OH MY GOD, how can you NOT like HONEY MUSTARD? You are a philistine who doesn't know the real meaning of taste, and should be banned from all commenting until you know better!

[afsutton.livejournal.com]

I know. I see the ship arguments over in the 'Once Upon a Time' and think, 'Hmm - what I've seen is tame compared to this.' (Ended up putting in a block on certain tags partly because I don't watch the show and so the argument was not of interest.)

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

Heh. So much yes!

Sometimes I think the way we argue in fandom sounds a lot like the way politicians argue - Logical fallacies and emotional language being thrown left and right while everyone scrambles for the moral high ground without really listening for each other.

[hiddenlacuna.livejournal.com]

(<3)

Shut it. You are part of the SMC (Sweet Mustard Conspiracy). I hope you have a bad hair day tomorrow and that you are not a hat person.

[lauramcewan.livejournal.com]

Oh, inviting physical attacks on my hair, are you? That's reprehensible and you should be JAILED.

[lauramcewan.livejournal.com]

Bam.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Mayonnaise. Satan's spunk incarnate.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

What I enjoy is when you find the exact same argument happening two fandoms over, about characters you have no investment in. And then it all just sounds like white noise and ridiculous levels of emotion for something that really doesn't matter.

[conuly]

Amen to that. The only thing that belongs in mustard, other than mustard, is horseradish.

Also:

Man On Internet Almost Falls Into World Of DIY Mustard Enthusiasts

Because it's never a bad time to insert The Onion into the conversation.

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

That's probably a good way to realize that most of the things people argue about are actually quite pointless.

[mrsscience.livejournal.com]

I honestly just think the internet as a whole is one giant wank-incubator, and fandom just gives us the chance to re-wank all over the same people relentlessly since we get more familiar with each other. But honestly, it's all the same, no matter where you go. (hmmm, is that perspective or cynicism?)

[dracavia]

Agreed, spot on.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

And honestly, it's also the way most people argue on the internet. There's something about not being face-to-face with the other person that allows people to reduce each other to two-dimensional sound bites, or something.

Oh, my days in parenting communities... *shudder*

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Very true! Reading other fandom's ship wars can be particularly entertaining. That's why fandom_wank was so useful, in the end. Well, that and being an archive of all the ways fandom takes itself way too seriously. :-)

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Agreed. The internet is a breeding ground for bad behavior, alas.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

They especially seem so when you have no idea why the various positions are important!

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I hear those folks are incredibly wanky. Is it because so many of them came over from the Twilight fandom, or is that just a rumor?

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

That link is actually terrifying! And really quite a metaphor for fandom...

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Surely there is a gif of this somewhere? If not, there should be!

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

*hugs this thread*

[conuly]

Ah, parenting comms, where if you aren't a child molester who gets off on breastmilk, you're poisoning your baby because you're a sick prude (who gets off on breastmilk).

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Oh, man... Breastfeeding wank >>> any fandom wank ever.

[conuly]

And yet, I maintain that santa wank is the worst of all. People who will quite happily accuse each other of the worst sorts of child abuse will be shocked and appalled that you dare suggest it might be dishonest to tell your kids that Santa is literally true (or that you might dare tell THEIR kids that Santa is literally true). There is just no winning when it comes to Santa.

[bicrim.livejournal.com]

yeah, fandom wank doesn't even touch me after years of booju mooju!

[marta-bee.livejournal.com]

A while ago I developed what I called the Mary test: if you had a discussion where you didn't express at least the awareness and respect for the opposing side I saw in Sherlock discussions of Mary's character (you know, no strawmen, no name-calling, no mischaracterizing, etc.), I just wouldn't participate. If you did it often enough that I noticed I'd do what I could to not see your posts.

It started as a way to manage fannish wangst. But I started applying it to RL things, politics and personal back-and-forth and so on. And I haven't been back on FB in three weeks now.

So yeah. Fandom stinks sometimes, but we're not nearly as alone in our bad communication as you might think....

[venturous1.livejournal.com]

does anyone else recall an ancient ep of Mighty Mouse where little cheeses (parts of the moon) were TORTURED by being dunked in mustard? this early memory haunts me.

[mazarin221b.livejournal.com]

I have forced myself to completely forget that breastfeeding wank exists, or that it was an issue for me. *fingers in ears* lalalalalala!

[bluebellanon]

I've come to the conclusion that a lot of people's favourite fandom activity is arguing. They do prefer to have an subject to argue about that makes them feel morally superior, but really, any old thing will do.

(And I'm sure I'm as guilty of this on occasion as anyone else.)

[hiddenlacuna.livejournal.com]

I'm actually moderately freaked out by how accurately that mirrored my entrance into fandom. The difference, of course, being that I actually WENT to 221bCon.

#grainymustard5eva #mustardbeensomethingIsaid

[hiddenlacuna.livejournal.com]

I sometimes find myself watching older shows and thinking, man, I bet when this happened the fandom went nuts. And it's such a good feeling, because I am aware that other people probably cared deeply about Pearce/Abed, but I don't.

[hiddenlacuna.livejournal.com]

what how dare you fandom is life everything matters and will always matter we will feel the same way in fifty years call the newspapers tweet Mark Ruffolo I cannot even how can do life ruiner unfollow forever.

[nenne.livejournal.com]

Indeed it does. I had managed to supress all thoughts of that actually.