Voyager Fandom Angry But Distracted
I have opinions on this, but my opinions aren't terribly funny, so I'll skip sharing them here.
On Easter Sunday, Venom69 posted some Janeway/Chakotay fanfic set in a Catholic church, featuring some non-church-approved use of a confessional. At first people seemed delighted to have some fresh porn so that they could get in a little reading before church.
The not work safe fic: http://loveandwar-tv.tripod.com/id280.html
But then a reader took offense.
Said statement of offense cannot be linked to, because it's a closed board. They claim to have only one rule, and that is "What happens on VAMB stays on VAMB." It's like the secret police of fandom, or Vegas, or something. But I don't care if I'm banned, so I'll quote a bit of it:
Yes, it is a matter of drawing the line somewhere, but the thing is, those of us who don't agree with this type of story have recently been "encouraged" not to voice our opinions, for fear of being called all kinds of names. I know several people in the fandom who would think this story was, in one way or another, disgusting. But to post our opinion? No, that would result in our being disregarded as closeminded, prejudiced, etc. at the very least. Banning or deleting our comments is certainly within reach as well. After all, we're against free speech, right?
Isn't it ironic that those who don't agree with a concept don't feel free to say so, in this supposedly openminded community? -- from http://www.voyagerangel.com/vamb
Board regulars equate being offended with book burning, so naturally took the complaint well. Cursing, namecalling, screaming that porn is sacred to those who value free speech, claims that complaining about porn somehow violates porn's right to exist, and of course the mandatory invoking of the Holocaust analogy ensued. One poster tried to patiently explain that people who were offended were stupid to be offended, because God is only make-believe after all, and only stupid people would practice religion, so they should give up their faith and embrace [bad] porn. The thread spanned fourteen pages and spilled over onto LiveJournal.
The LJ "discussion" (warning for foul language and politically incorrect insults):
The "religion is for stupid people" angle: http://venom69.livejournal.com/294543.html
The counterpoint, complete with a troll: http://kabutar.livejournal.com/370400.html
Once everyone initially offended bolted for the hills, those left standing posted two more pages worth of group hug posts to prove that they were nice people after all. Now they're making a list of all the reasons they love each other. Well, if they can be kept on task, because those suggestive custom smilies with the big tongues and the bull whips are rather distracting.