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franzen. (![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} franzen) wrote in ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/community.gif){kind=small} fandom_wank, |
I wonder what would happen if you plugged the data into SPSS and cross-tabbed for "asexual ("I reject third wave feminism's perceived pro-sex attitude and want you to know I'm special, now give me access to queer spaces, because the fact that other people have sex is oppressing me" -- you know, the mutant strain that's the MRSA of Tumblr). I wouldn't be surprised if -- on Tumblr only, mind, not fandom altogether -- you saw some interesting correlations. And by "interesting," I mean "null finding."
Supernatural has been on the air for so long and has such a long record of heterosexism and misogyny in the show (not even touching what goes on in fan sectors) that anyone actually watching the show can't reasonably claim that it's progressive. Which may be why this is horrible but also unsurprising. Jensen is a dick, water is wet, and reading and/or writing slash is not evidence of acceptance, willingness to be an ally on LGTBQ issues, etc. Given the show's reputation, I'd be more inclined to put my guard up if someone I met started gushing, because if the misogyny didn't bother you, we probably have very different "okay, no, this is fucked up, and I'm DONE" thresholds. And before anyone cries "but plenty of classic works have problematic elements," check: context and the fact that it's fucking Supernatural, not a Dostoevsky novel.
The fact that this happened in SPN does not surprise me. But if this isn't enough for fans to hit their own "you and me, we are fucking DONE" limit and find a new fandom, then I really don't know what's left. You can keep throwing your energy into that sinkhole, but after eight fucking years, it's time to wake up, accept the problem of sunk costs, and quit while you're losing less.
The relationship between the show's fans and agents of the show itself is like listening to someone with an abusive partner engage in magical thinking about how everything means love. Except IT'S A FUCKING TV SHOW, it's a one-way relationship, and there's no traumatic bonding and no risk in leaving (a TV show cannot find your address and send threatening messages). So if you're a fan, you stop. Stop giving SPN your money. Stop acting like this is new. Stop tolerating the godawful behavior of the actors. Stop trying to pretend this show is something it isn't. Stop enabling. You can see this through to the end, but you're never going to get what you want. The sooner you accept that you're being used, the better off you'll be.
... yeah, that got random. I think a lot of the straight female fans who support slash in SPN are okay with slash but want to protect the poor actors from questions because they assume that they're tolerant but SPN enforces this dynamic -- the show is never going to present strong female or queer characters, so if you're inside that discourse, it's harder to see that all that energy and talk about slash in SPN has nothing to do with challenging your own problematic beliefs and taking real world action. You subconsciously know that all of this is futile, which makes the fandom "safe," and now we see the norm in action: bisexuality is fine in fic, but bisexual people are still an Other; you might take the fun away and force us to remember that this show is problematic by threatening Jensen with the words "I'm bisexual," and in that moment, you have to decide whether your identification with "SPN fans" is stronger than your refusal to deal with this shit. You have about half a second and it's unconscious, but since we know a norm is in effect when something that should (logically) happen doesn't, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fans there never even thought of walking out.
Supernatural has been on the air for so long and has such a long record of heterosexism and misogyny in the show (not even touching what goes on in fan sectors) that anyone actually watching the show can't reasonably claim that it's progressive. Which may be why this is horrible but also unsurprising. Jensen is a dick, water is wet, and reading and/or writing slash is not evidence of acceptance, willingness to be an ally on LGTBQ issues, etc. Given the show's reputation, I'd be more inclined to put my guard up if someone I met started gushing, because if the misogyny didn't bother you, we probably have very different "okay, no, this is fucked up, and I'm DONE" thresholds. And before anyone cries "but plenty of classic works have problematic elements," check: context and the fact that it's fucking Supernatural, not a Dostoevsky novel.
The fact that this happened in SPN does not surprise me. But if this isn't enough for fans to hit their own "you and me, we are fucking DONE" limit and find a new fandom, then I really don't know what's left. You can keep throwing your energy into that sinkhole, but after eight fucking years, it's time to wake up, accept the problem of sunk costs, and quit while you're losing less.
The relationship between the show's fans and agents of the show itself is like listening to someone with an abusive partner engage in magical thinking about how everything means love. Except IT'S A FUCKING TV SHOW, it's a one-way relationship, and there's no traumatic bonding and no risk in leaving (a TV show cannot find your address and send threatening messages). So if you're a fan, you stop. Stop giving SPN your money. Stop acting like this is new. Stop tolerating the godawful behavior of the actors. Stop trying to pretend this show is something it isn't. Stop enabling. You can see this through to the end, but you're never going to get what you want. The sooner you accept that you're being used, the better off you'll be.
... yeah, that got random. I think a lot of the straight female fans who support slash in SPN are okay with slash but want to protect the poor actors from questions because they assume that they're tolerant but SPN enforces this dynamic -- the show is never going to present strong female or queer characters, so if you're inside that discourse, it's harder to see that all that energy and talk about slash in SPN has nothing to do with challenging your own problematic beliefs and taking real world action. You subconsciously know that all of this is futile, which makes the fandom "safe," and now we see the norm in action: bisexuality is fine in fic, but bisexual people are still an Other; you might take the fun away and force us to remember that this show is problematic by threatening Jensen with the words "I'm bisexual," and in that moment, you have to decide whether your identification with "SPN fans" is stronger than your refusal to deal with this shit. You have about half a second and it's unconscious, but since we know a norm is in effect when something that should (logically) happen doesn't, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fans there never even thought of walking out.
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