Why are fans afraid of fandom?

Honestly, it's because of the O.O looks you get from people who have no idea what you do and why you do it. When I mention it to friends/family that don't know about fanfiction or fandom, I get odd looks.

So I'll discuss it with LJ friends & other cyber people who are hip to it, but RL people, who aren't as technology oriented as I am are just too judgmental.

Of course the bulk of my friends are now fandom friends, which is nice.

Yes, I suspect you're right -- it does come down to that. It may be the same impetus behind it we find with schoolyard bullying. Those non-fan people think they are themselves strange so they pick on the other "kids" (i.e. people in their lives) to try to deflect suspicion and it's just natural that fen would want to steer out of the way of that.

Oddly enough this falls on the heels of a plea in one of my bandslash forums calling us to shame and pleading for us to think of their children. *snorf*

The fact is, members of the band itself is on record as saying the slash is just great and creative and fun and is flattered by it. So...There ya go.

I think that lit/tv/film fandom is less "acceptable" because of 1) infinitely more sex than sports and 2) cause the Trekkies gave it a bad name. And there's certainly a lot more artistic license involved. I think I'd be a bit concerned if I found my ex was writing locker room smut about the Philadelphia Eagles, ya know?


Edited at 2008-04-28 08:42 pm (UTC)

Oh, yes, as you know -- been there, done that, have the forum scars to prove it. lol As if it's not far more important to encourage free expression so their children may live in a world where that is encouraged rather than threatened by people "protecting their children" (they're actually just using their kids -- they really only want to protect their minds from naughty influences lol).

There's a lot more extreme public drinking and general rowdiness involved in sports, though. I don't think I've ever been to a fan con where everyone said, "Hey, enough with this filk singing, let's go on a toot and torch some cars!" lol

I'm lucky that Larry's initial reaction to slash was loud laughter. Now he just shrugs his shoulders and says, "so?"

Heh. My family is used to it - given I've gone off the fandom deep end practically my entire life. My friends are used to it. My coworkers get slapped upside the head with it - complete with a gorgeous pic of Hugh Laurie tacked to the wall of my cubicle. ;-)

Both of my adult sons know that I write fan fiction, know that it's usually smut, and that often it's slash. They also know all of my passwords just in case something happens to me and my stuff needs protected. Yeah, they were a little caught off guard at first, but now are my cheering section when I get great feedback. :-)

The oldest has a popular website devoted to creative stuff. Pretty much everything goes there - except the NC-17 rated artwork simply so his host doesn't have a fit. A lot of my co-workers and friends hang out there, so they are definitely aware of my activities. My sons' buddies all hang out there - the boys I watched grow up. Their reactions were priceless at first, but mostly I get ribbed for writing "gay chic porn." *snicker*

If people ask me what my hobbies are, I tell them reading and writing fan fiction, 3D Graphics, knitting, embroidery, drawing and playing with my computer. I'm not ashamed and I refuse to act that way.

So maybe I'm just weird. ;-)

My kids and my sister know my slash habits. My kids call me "the porn queen". My sister thinks I'm nuts. But I remind her what a huge Star Wars and Highlander fan she is, then she understands, even though she doesn't do "fandom" stuff.

My whole family knows about it, too. My husband and son (he's an adult) shrug their shoulders ... they're used to me by now.

See, I think *most* fans are that way ... I don't think we are ashamed at all, but I've been through a weird exchange with an old friend who simply won't tell her friends she reads and writes fan fiction. She talks about her gardening, her fly fishing trips, her interest in Medieval history, etc, but not about fan fic. I thought it would be fun to throw the question out to the group mind and it was. lol

I have the coolest friends -- you guys are all infinitely more interesting than I am!

When I mentioned to my baby bro I was going to a media convention (i.e., slash baby!) he thought it was silly. When I asked him how much time he'd spent that week watching football, he said, "point taken". *beg*

Yup, exactly. My husband's friend was going on about "silly science fiction fans" and I said, "So, when's the last time you painted yourself up and caroused at a sports meet?"

We all have hobbies, which are designed to spend time doing something we like without making money. Knitting, scrapbooking, gardening, fandom. It's all the same to me. My mother watches bowling and golf. I'd rather poke my eyes with needles. LOL!

I actually really don't participate in fanfic. Never have. It's just not my thing, I guess. I love talking about characters in communities and discussing spoilers and potential guest stars. But fiction? Meh.

So, in my case, it has nothing to do with embarrassment. It's just not something I do.

Just like I don't go fishing ... it's all a matter of personal preference.

I'm not really huge into fandom, myself. I like certain shows, and I'll talk about them with other people who like those shows, but that's about as far as it extends. I sometimes will have pairings, but I don't write fanfic, and it usually doesn't extend much beyond reading subtext into things and reading the occasional fic.

Get me talking about any of my other areas of geekery - sailing, reenacting, etc - though and I will talk your ear off.

I'm not sure I see it like that. Fandom is part of my life, and has been since I was in my twenties, but I was reading SF and fantasy, and squeeing over TV with my best mate long before that. On the other hand, I have other hobbies, and my friends have other hobbies - and I love hearing about them and even participating in them. I've visited every motor and aircraft museum in the Midlands and the South of England with one of my fannish friends, who paid me and inamac one of the greatest compliments I've ever received when he said, "They're interested in everything." One of my newest mediafannish friends is a caver, and I have every intention of picking her brains about it real soon now.

I'm not ashamed of my fannish hobbies. I tend to quote a chap who I used to work for, who listened to my description of conventions and said, "Sounds like an excuse for a booze-up and a good time." Right on, mate. I haven't written slash for a while, but I'm not ashamed of it, or fanfiction - it's just that I pick the people I tell about it reasonably carefully. There are things that squick me in fandom, so I do feel that I should be careful not to squick others.

This question came about from a RL old friend who talks with mundane friends/family about her gardening, her fly fishing trips, her interest in Medieval history, anything, but not about fan fic. She doesn't even tell them about her gen fic ... I can understand not discussing erotica. But I mentioned in passing to a RL friend of ours in common that this person wrote fan fiction and they were amazed. I know I shouldn't have opened my gob but it never even occurred to me she'd keep it secret. She got a bit ticked at me that I'd accidentally revealed this. I told her it never even occurred to me to be uncertain about it.

Well, I've a real life friend of over twenty years, and who talks about her fan fic and published (erotic romance) fic here and on IJ, but her son and daughter-in-law, who know about it, disapprove rather strongly so one is warned, when visiting, not to bring it up when they are present. It is rather silly, in a way but they just wish she wouldn't. No-one wants to cause family trouble.