As a fan of several shows, I thought it was time someone spoke up regarding the division that is tearing fandoms apart.
The world is about differences. No two people are alike. But it’s also about similarities. And unity. People join together to share and talk about what they love. But sometimes what stirs passion can also create division.
The world of fandom has become an place divided. If everyone agreed with everyone, it would be easy but boring. The phrase “like minded” often bothers me because some people take it to the extreme. Sure, I want people who share my interests but I don’t want to be a drone in a community of people who agree with everything I say or do. That being said, there are constructive ways to express a difference of opinion. Using words like “terrible” or “stupid” don’t offer anything except negativity.
Three of my favorite shows have been in ‘fandom wars’ because of strongly expressed opinions between factions that have been taken to the extreme. Supernatural, The 100 and The Flash have strong fan bases but these fans have displayed moments of cruelty towards each other.
On Supernatural, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles play Sam and Dean Winchester. Fans love the show, characters and actors. But at times, some of these fans have expressed negativity towards each other and the actors. I’ve read comments criticizing Jared Padalecki’s acting from Jensen Ackles fans and vice versa. Jared and Jensen have different acting styles that give their characters special qualities. Just because you prefer one actor’s performance over the other shouldn’t mean you belittle the other actor or his fans.
The 100 has fans who love Clarke and Bellamy aka Bellarke and those who preferred Clarke and Lexa aka Clexa. This fandom war has gotten scary and dangerous with name calling and even death threats made. Although I’m not a shipper so I can’t fully relate to the passion felt by these groups, cruelty and meanness is unacceptable. It’s disrespectful to the actors, writers and each other. Just agree to disagree, like what you like and enjoy the show with kindness.
On The Flash, Barry Allen dated a character named Patty Spivot to the chagrin of the WestAllen (Iris and Barry) supporters. Name calling escalated. I’m sure that actors involved were upset and disappointed if they were aware, which I can’t say with certainty.
All these fandoms need to take a page from the fans of Beauty and The Beast. Called Beasties, these fans love and support the show and its actors. They also show caring for each other. I have never read about any Beastie calling another Beastie a name because they prefer VinCat (Vincent and Catherine) over JT and Tess. I wish it was this way with all fandoms.
It’s important that people think about the impact before they send a tweet. We need to use social media responsibly. We love our shows, that will never change. But we also need to love and respect each other too.
Comments? Sound off below. Or tweet @thenerdygirlexp and @stacyamiller85 .
TheNerdyGirlExpress 
Reblogged this on stacyamiller and commented:
The article I wrote for The Nerdy Girl Express.
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