so like... y'all know that fandom has a really long history of activism and it wasn't invented last week in Kpop right?: a thread
sure, it started with stuff like "Save Star Trek" in 1969 because boy oh boy do fans know how to organize, but guess what, it's not crazy that fans care about things other than fandom
This article from Henry Jenkins in TWC covers some of the early history of fan activism. But advocating for more diverse representation in television shows also leads to things like advocating for LGBTQ rights or supporting Black Lives Matter. journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/…
Sometimes these things intersect; like, LGBTQ Fans Deserve Better advocates for representation while also raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for The Trevor Project. lgbtfansdb.com
But also, it doesn't have to be about media at all. Jenkins' article is largely about one example, The Harry Potter Alliance, which has covered a lot of ground, from racial justice to climate change to gender equity. thehpalliance.org
A common meme is like "how are you surprised that kids raised on Harry Potter and Hunger Games are joining the resistance" but also, this goes all the way back to Star Trek. "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations" was kind of radical for 1966.
Anyway, the point is, fans are really good at using their power for larger causes when they put their minds to it. (And we do have a lot of power, remember that time we built a whole massive awesome online platform from scratch?) slate.com/technology/201…
There's other great discourse happening on this topic right now. This article points out not only the lack of history acknowledgement, but also issues with racism in Kpop.
What's happening here is not surprising from the long history of fan activism, but it's important to acknowledge the complexities with respect to Black fans.
@BriannaDym and I also wrote a while back about how fan activism intersects with changing norms in fandom around privacy. journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/…
In sum: Fan activism should not surprise you. We've been doing this since the 60s. But in addition to high-profile memes, fans are out there as part of the rest of it too, volunteering as tributes. Some of our favorite stories are about fighting for justice, after all.
Aha! I thought I'd head of a book that touched on this topic more directly; check it out. @hincklet
👇 includes more links to work on this topic!
Given the spirit of this thread and *AHEM* current events on Twitter, I must point out that fan advocacy for justice has nothing to do with the creator of the source material. We take ideas and run with it and they have no say. That's what transformative fandom is all about.
Also relevant, I was thinking the same thing as Elizabeth here- in part because I just looked over and saw that it was "trending" and almost had a heart attack before I clicked to see the content. And for people who are triggered they probably WON'T click.
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” - Albus Dumbledore
(quoted in this article about the Harry Potter Alliance in March) washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/maga…
(quoted in this article about the Harry Potter Alliance in March) washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/maga…
