Is there ever a good reason to be a “fan” of anything? You can make deep connections over shared interests or be inspired to creativity without constructing a fan identity for yourself.
I remember realizing, as a kid, what distinguished “fans.” It’s not time spent, or knowledge, or positive feeling. It’s the emotional intensity of the connection, often greater than (and prioritized over) human relationships. See where this ends up?
None of the positive aspects of connection, community and meaning around cultural works require “passion” for those works to take precedence over people. Only capitalism benefits from that level of intensity (and has long profited from fandom, obviously).
It’s hard for me to personally understand the “fills a void of null identity” aspect of fandom, having grown up marked. But that aspect suggests fandom is like a sore from the syndromes of hegemonic identity (the crisis of whiteness, straightness, masculinity, etc).
All of this is why, as a creator, I’m pretty uncomfortable with the idea of “fans” (and maybe why my two decades of creative output is too inconsistent and varied for that). It’s wrong not to be *grateful* for fans, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing on the whole.
And this is why I have a very long-brewed Opinion about the difference between creators who simply “lean in” to more of what their fans want (possibly to the point of inaccessibility) vs. creators who push further to try and bring an audience with them (at the risk of discomfort)
The former is the easier way to make money, and over time can result in insular communities or industries (as fans aspire to make more of the same, become creators, repeat). The latter is more meaningful and expands the horizons of culture (even if the neo-reactionaries hate it).
My hope here is to articulate/disentangle the assumptions & terms in this conventional-wisdom statement. Is that what “fandom” is, the very thing that *allows* connection and appreciation? Or is it the blight on the wheat, mistaken for the grain?
Trying for clarity again, my understanding of a “fan,” roughly: one whose feelings about a work of culture reach a level of emotional intensity that they construct an identity around it, often at a higher priority than human relationships. And I don’t believe that’s necessary.
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