,
6 tweets,
1 min read
Read on Twitter
here's the thing: everything has dumb and toxic fans. that is how "fandom" - which means a commodified identity induced by brand conformity - is supposed to work.
capitalism says here's this thing that has been a part of our social DNA since our inception: art. it is inherently compelling, and helps us create our individual identity. capitalism commodities those identity forming processes.
which means the way you use art to create yourself is subject to competition, valorization, price fluctuation, circulation and most of all: the corporations responsible for creating that art.
what does it mean that the things you do to make you feel whole is a quantifiable item that you can purchase? what does it mean that it can be exchanged for literally any other piece of art through the great universalizer - money
it naturally leads to people susceptible to exploitative business practices, having to create a narrative for why reading comic A instead of comic B is a worthwhile investment, and all the people who read B are somehow invalidating you.
all this to say is that if your demand that the fandom of a corporate product is non-toxic, then you're trying to run up a waterfall. find ways of relating to art in a way not related to the consumption of commodities.
