I
tweeted about fan elitism a couple of days ago after I read a comment on an article about Paramore and was inspired by Zoe's post she wrote today about music snobbery which you can find
here. Her post got me really thinking and I came to the realization that snobbery and elitism isn't just limited to fans of music but of other things such as TV shows, comic books, actors/actresses, youtubers and even gaming.
I'm part of a lot of fandoms and fanbases and have been for some time namely Marvel, Echelon & Star Wars as a couple of examples. All of these and even ones I'm not part of such as One Direction all have some form of elitism it seems. Either you need to have liked it for several years, or need to know everything about it etc for you to be classed as a true fan which to me is BS. Also it's come to the point where people bully or even send death threats simply because you don't like the music they like.
I've experienced it myself and it's not fun believe me, also you find yourself often having to prove you're a 'real' fan when simply liking something in my eyes makes you a fan. You don't need to know everything about it or have liked for them for years. Also for example as a Marvel/Star Wars fan you are continually disregarded as a fan if you just so happen to be female. The first true science-fiction book ever to be written was Frankenstein and that was written by Mary Shelley who is in fact a woman, so women practically invented the genre. The elitism here is redundant; gender doesn't affect your ability to like something.
I admit when I was a teenager it felt a bit like I had to prove myself a fan of certain things and often got mocked for things I liked; especially music I liked. I remember I always got mocked for liking the Killers at secondary school by boys who were my friends; admittedly I'm not so big a fan of them now. Now I'm in my 20's I don't care as much about people not liking things I do or if I don't like what they like to me it doesn't really matter.
But anyway I'm rambling now which always seems to happen ha ha.
For me I think there are several mottos to live by as a fan of something:
1. Like whatever you want to like.
2. Ignore those who mock you for liking it, who really cares if you're enjoying yourself.
3. You don't need to know everything about it.
4. Remember you'll find so many people who will appreciate you for joining their fandom/fanbase.
5. And finally just enjoy it regardless.
What do you think about fan elitism? Have you experienced it?
LOVE VANESSA xx
