In 2k17, a lot of us have pledged to be more cautious about ‘fake news’ posts on Facebook
I propose we extend that concern to fandom
There’s a very low bar on this site (or any site) for people to post whatever tf they want, and a very high incentive to post fake receipts to win arguments
(Or at the least, misleading “receipts” such as “Artist XYZ is a bad person” because they drew a picture of bad things happening to completely fictional characters)
So this year, if you see a callout post:
Look for signs of bias. I have the sneaking suspicion that “XYZ-is-bad.tumblr.com” is not an objective source.
Be wary of unsourced accusations. “Person A is a homophobe!” is a statement, not evidence. Look for original sources. Did Person A post “I hate gay people” on their blog? Or did they draw fanart of an unpopular het pairing?
Look for context. Check out Person A’s blog to see if you have the whole picture. Did Person A pick a fight out of nowhere, or was that viral post made in response to an anon harassing them?
Ask “what real person was hurt”. Writing a fanfic is not the same as committing a crime in real life. If Person B claims that Person A is a real-life “abuser” because they shipped two (100% fictional!) characters, Person B is out of line.
Consider ulterior motives. Did Person A recently open a Patreon and receive a slew of hateful messages about ‘selling out’? Did Person B have an argument about characterization with their co-author and then suddenly “reveal” a list of unsourced accusations? Who stands to gain if someone else is driven out of fandom by angry anons?
Long story short, I don’t believe everyone in fandom is evil – nor that every accusation is unfounded. I do believe that unfortunately, in this modern ‘post-truth’ world, we are all going to have to get much better at fact checking and source validity…both in fandom and in real life.
I love this.
One little thing I find helps with this is to remember:
A thing that makes you feel bad, is not necessarily a thing that is bad.
So, you know, people shipping your NOTP, or having headcanons that contradict yours or writing fic on topics that make you frightened or uncomfortable is actually upsetting. And you can totally be upset about it.
But it doesn’t actually follow, necessarily, that the person upsetting you, is actually doing something wrong. They might be. Its possible. But its more likely you need to add some tags to your blacklist and put it from your mind.
ok but isn’t it fucked up that people infantilized OCD so much that neurotypicals actually use the term as a synonym for neatness? when a vast majority of people with OCD aren’t even neat.
imagine taking a debilitating and tortuous mental illness and changing it into a colloquial term for quirky, perfectionist behavior, leaving millions of isolated people without so much as a label they can seek comfort in.
in fact, anyone who has ever used the term ‘OCD’ as a joke now owes me $5. sorry, but if you can make up your own rules then so can i.
i was going to make a post about how the girl is 100% dead then i thought of the alternative that hypno and drifloon are two spooky but loving parents that are just picking up their child from school and i like that a lot better
Your “preference” is not a preference, it is racism. You have internalized negative ideas of black men and for that reason you claim they’re not your “preference.” A preference is saying you like guys with brown hair or guys with blonde hair. Crossing out millions of diverse men that come in all shapes, skin tones and sizes is absolutely positively 100% due to racist beliefs.
You may not be aware of it, but it’s true. Now saying you prefer brown haired guys over blonde haired guys is a preference because you’re not putting down their race in the process. Learn the difference between preference and racism before you start voicing your harmful opinions.
This is always my go-to response whenever anyone says they have a racial preference. I press them on what they mean when they say they’re only attracted to ___ race or aren’t attracted to ___ race. What in particular are or aren’t they attracted to? What features? What stereotypes?
My cousin is one of those gross “yellow fever” types and I didn’t let it go when it came up one time. He tried to tell me that he liked that Asian girls were ‘polite’, to which I reminded him that I know lots of abrasive Asian women. He then tried to say that they were small and cute, to which I showed him a picture of the Japanese women’s basketball team. He then even tried to tell me that Asian women like to serve their partners and I told him I knew a good chunk of women who would slap him for that one.
Racial “preference” is based on stereotypes. Every time. You can like small people, or polite people, or people who enjoy doing things for others, but those traits aren’t associated to any race in particular. -V
I am Silver Tongue, I am an artist. I have many characters and you can check out my art in the art tag. I occasionally practice witchcraft though I don't do anything too complicated. I am girl 2 and don't know what else to put here.
