Identity and Fandom

I was pointed to an interesting article by Jonathan Gray about why people hate things.

So why do I dislike Celine Dion? I usually say it’s because she perpetuates and sells a culture of junk romance that belittles women in the guise of “honoring” their feelings. But mantra aside, and truth be told, there are many singers who do this, so why dislike her in particular? A more honest answer would probably state that my anti-fandom works as a marker of national identity.

Nick Marx, in the comments section, wrote:

Parody as anti-fandom?

A provocative piece, Jonathan. I might suggest parody as an interesting case of anti-fandom, though I’m not quite thinking of affectionate, Mel Brooks-ian genre mash-ups. Rather, the venomous Trey Parker and Matt Stone provide examples of anti-fans that actively and consciously skirt issues of self-psychoanalysis in an attempt to reach the anti-fan in all of us (see recent “South Park” episodes “Cartoon Wars,” for example).

I don’t know that parody is necessarily anti-fandom: as Marx admits, the line between it and homage can be blurry at times.

In any case, I agree that identity has much to do with fandom – whether national identity, as in Mr. Gray’s case, or something less clearly defined. For instance, we might presently say the conventional wisdom is that Twilight is written for immature audiences, which implies that immature people like it. Thus people who identify themselves as “sophisticated” must either profess dislike for it or somehow otherwise rationalize it (perhaps as a “guilty pleasure,” as many articles have claimed.) This entire rationale is not about the actual merits of Twilight, but rather about what Twilight stands for.

Colonies and Old Lace

In the midst of an argument with Sparkthatbled over the meaning of Akiba, Ben of Colony Drop suggests that CD is on a mission of mercy:

Even if they are a vocal minority, the airheaded young twits like the ill-fated Koji Oe who have come to lose themselves in the often-creepy delights of Akiba and similar anime/manga-subcultural indulgences to forget what miserable, immature people they actually are. For the young punks like these, I think, a little invective from old grumps like Sean is not only healthy, but to some degree necessary.

Aspiring to be something other than miserable and immature is apparently a no-no.  Colony Drop, then, are angels of mercy, descending from the heavens to put an end to any ill-conceived notions of empowerment, hope, or self-worth.

Submit to the scolding of your betters, or they will drop a colony on you.

The Real Otaku Blues

John Edgar Wideman was once a black teen who stated that he listened to Blues music.  When a white teen successfully challenged his definition of Blues (“Midnighters.  Drifters.  Ray Charles,”) Wideman’s response was incoherent rage.  He wrote later,

Who was I? What was I? Did I really fear the truth about myself that much? Four hundred years of oppression, of lies had empowered him to use the music of my people as a weapon against me . . . I should have smacked him. I should have affirmed another piece of the truth he knew about me, the nigger violence. – John Edgar Wideman, Brothers and Keepers

Otaku don’t fit into polite society, film at 11

Everybody rages against international anime otaku.

Every other phrase they uttered was some stupid Internet meme like “It’s a trap!” which they wouldn’t even use in context. One of the members – a guy with a really shrill voice who would always shout when he spoke – would tell what I assumed was supposed to be a joke, and when nobody responded, he would scream “Why doesn’t anyone get my references?!”

Boku no Bible Toads, Go To Anime Club, They Said

Shinn87 pens new manifesto

Yes, that’s right. Zen monk, mad philosopher, and socially inappropriate tweeter shinn87 has once again done something so bold that attention must be paid. Scroll down for a manifesto on how he not only loves loli girls, he wishes to be one.