Written by TCH2
Greetings and salutations, friends and fans and readers! I am Thomas Holmes II, your friendly Mobian bard, here on the Media Man blog! Once again, I am coming to you with another essay.
Now, every piece of media has its own fandom, whether it be massive - like those for Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, DC, Lord of the Rings and so on - or relatively small - like The Secret of NIMH, Danger Mouse, The Black Cauldron and Nimona. Fandoms in general are not a bad thing: in fact, some have stated that being part of a fandom can have significant mental benefits, such as a sense of belonging, improved self-esteem and inspiring creativity. I mean, it's always nice to know that your love for a specific media is shared by others, and it's such fun to discuss what we like, what we don't like, what theories are plausible or just plain ridiculous; the possibilities are endless.
However, like everything else in life, there are drawbacks to fandoms. There are some fans who take their love WAY too far, and essentially become abusers, seeking to pretty much control that which they love. They engage in negative, abusive and antisocial activity on social media, with no regard or respect for others' opinions or feelings.
This sort of thing has to be addressed; more fans need to be aware of this sort of behaviour, in the hope that it will reduce the chance of it continuing. And I'm going to go over some pretty bad examples of toxic fans.
Now, before I begin, I have to stress that I am not singling any particular fan; nor am I critiquing fans in general. I am simply speaking out against the worst kind of fan behaviour.
So, with all that said and done, let's begin.
Having just celebrated its 100th anniversary, Disney has a lot to be proud of. But it also has some problems, mainly regarding how the executives run the company nowadays, often undermining creativity and preventing artists from seeing their full dreams (Owl House, anyone?). But as noted by fellow Disney fan Takostu64 in this article, some 'fans' seem determined to boycott the company into bankruptcy.
There is no denying that Disney isn't what it used to be, the guys in charge doing both the company and Walt's memory a serious injustice. However, our criticisms should be aimed solely at the executives themselves, not at the company as a whole. I mean, all those hard-working people who genuinely care about their art - writers, directors, producers, artists, animators, actors and more - shouldn't have to suffer because of the asinine decisions made by their superiors.
Some fans have claimed that their latest classic, Wish, was written by AI, which is just despicable, especially in the wake of actors and writers going on strike in protest against the use of AI. Just so how tasteless can these people get?!
Furthermore, Disney is hardly the only company with problems. Warner Bros have been facing financial troubles in the last few years, currently owing as much $42 billion in debt. Dreamworks have fluctuated considerably in the quality of their media, going from animated classics like the How To Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda series, The Bad Guys, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, to films that are okay at best, like Ruby Gillman and Kung Fu Panda 4. In the case of the latter film, co-director Stephanie Ma Stine revealed that production was significantly troubled, with various particular behind-the-scenes decisions. For more information, see here: https://www.reddit.com/r/kungfupanda/comments/1bb7p3o/qa_with_stephanie_ma_stine_the_codirector_of_kfp4/
At least Disney isn't as troubled, yet they get all the hate. People hold them to such impossibly high standards. I know that, given all that Disney has given us, it may hit harder when they screw up. All I'm saying is that they're hardly the only company with problems.
Thomas was my childhood. I spent endless hours watching the classic model series, playing with wooden trains and running my Hornby electric trains. And even today, I never tire of reliving those memories with greater appreciation for the passion Britt, David and the team put into the show.
Sadly, this British children's icon is not free from unpleasant fans. We have fans divided on whether the series was right to switch to full CGI or whether it should've stuck with models
But easily the worst example is how fans have been handling the recent reboot All Engines Go! Now, I freely admit that I have resolved to avoid watching the show at all costs, simply because even looking at it makes my inner child cringe. Still, I will not attack those who like the show - it's their choice. I will, however, criticise those fans who lambaste anyone for liking AEG; they've even gone after children for liking it - CHILDREN!
Look, I agree that children have much better options for TV shows to watch than AEG, but, really?! We're going to drop bricks on vulnerable children just for what they like? That behaviour is just dis...
Gordon: "Disgraceful!"
James: "Disgusting!"
Henry: "Despicable!"
Thank you guys. I couldn't agree more.
Fans like these cause nothing but confusion and delay for the growth of many decent people.
SEGA's iconic Blue Blur has a fandom that's about as chaotic as the emeralds Sonic and his friends frequently race Eggman for.
Sonic fans do all kinds of crazy things: they bash on the newer games, saying Sonic should stick to his 2D roots; they simply recolour official characters to make 'original' characters; they over-sexualize characters who are teenagers or even little children; they write various fanfics that do characters a serious injustice; they bag on others for thinking differently; and they get into fights with Mario fans, even when SEGA and Nintendo have long since put their rivalry to rest. This seems to have been triggered by the various continuities out there, each with its own set of characters and concepts. Naturally, fans have their preferences and they simply cannot accept that others have different preferences.
Arguably the worst aspects of Sonic fandom are the shipping wars. Fans constantly have a go at each other over which pairing is the 'OTP', whether it's Sonic/Sally, Sonic/Amy, Shadow/Rouge, Shadow/Amy, Tails/Cosmo, Tails/Fiona, Sonic/Shadow, Silver/Blaze, Sonic/Blaze, and so on. In this regard, one can easily pick out the triangle of Sonic, Sally and Amy as the most infamous example. We have stories that vilify either girl, whether it's Amy being made out as some psychotic, felonious, borderline murderous yandere or Sally being portrayed as a spoiled and cruel brat who has it out for Amy; we have fans pitting the two girls against each other, as if Sonic is some kind of trophy to be won; they have fans decrying one while hyping up the other; and it's frankly a disservice to both characters who have so much more to them than just their love lives.
Not helping matters with this is the fact that such toxic fan behaviour once found its way into official Sonic media. I'm talking about the infamous Archie Sonic Issue 134, a.k.a. 'The Slap', so named for this scene:
This scene is widely regarded as one of, if not THE worst moment in the entire run of Sonic comics from Archie. It broke up a fan-favourite couple and practically destroyed Sally Acorn's reputation among fans, allowing Amy fans in particular to drop bricks on her. Now it's easy to blame Karl Bollers for all this, since he wrote the issue and was planning to have Sonic hook up with Amy later on. BUT... the infamous slap was actually not Karl Bollers' idea at all - it was not in his script. Sonic and Sally were going to break up anyway, but not like this.
So who's to blame for this? Artist Jon Gray, who is good with the backgrounds but makes the characters look far too cartoony, even by Sonic standards. He added the slap scene without Karl's permission - it's even possible he did the entire scene himself, which honestly would explain why it exploded so rapidly and without warning. And why did Jon do this, you ask? Because he didn't like Sally and wanted Sonic to be with Amy. No, really - that was his reason. Jon Gray flanderized Sally and had her act so out of character, she was barely recognisable, simply because he didn't like her.
Do I even need to explain what's wrong with all that? Yeah, I didn't think so. But if you wish to learn more, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vJELVh_wmw
Sonic might be the coolest Hedgehog alive, but his fanbase can be way past uncool!
It's sadly no secret that Star Wars has some of the most toxic fans out there. Arguably since the release of the Prequels, fans have become more and more divisive over what is 'true' Star Wars. And this has only intensified with the advent of Disney acquiring Lucasfilm in 2014, and the subsequent rebooting of the Expanded Universe and release of new films and TV shows. Some fans, like myself, have managed to find merit in this new content, despite their flaws. But if you dare anything along those lines, some fans will bring all hell down upon you. They'll say things like 'You're not a true fan!' or 'You're stupid/easy to please!' or 'You don't get what Star Wars is supposed to be!' or anything else like that. They'll dish dirt on Kathleen Kennedy, calling for her to be kicked out of Lucasfilm; complain when things don't go the way they want; insist that Legends should be brought back, rather than accept the new Canon; and more.
For the record, I am not denying that Star Wars media as of late has had some problems, what with the Sequel writer-directors having differing ideas, and the TV series having moments that test suspension of disbelief. However, I do NOT think Kathleen Kennedy should be thrown out of Lucasfilm entirely; perhaps better she steps down as President and lets someone take over. I also do not think that the Sequels should be retconned out of continuity, as it would frankly be a lazy cop-out that would only generate more debates and arguments.
One problem that has REALLY gotten out of hand, and something that Star Wars shares with Marvel, is the whole 'woke' thing - fans complaining about Star Wars and Marvel trying to 'shove politics down the audience's throats' and that older media was 'never like that.'
Well, I've got news for you all: media has ALWAYS been woke, especially Star Wars and Marvel. The former has always been about opposing tyranny and authority, with the Rebellion vs Empire being compared by George Lucas himself to the Vietnam War; while the latter has often pushed messages of racism, bigotry, homophobia, government corruption and more, promoted by Stan 'The Man' Lee himself. For more information, read this amazing article, by RazorRex:
But in my opinion, the worst thing fans have done, as noted by actor and aficionado Simon Pegg, is their harassment of actors just for doing their job. Ahmed Best, who played the (undeservedly) much-maligned Jar Jar Binks, was bullied so badly, he almost took his own life. Jake Lloyd, who played the young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, was teased relentlessly (though his mother was able to protect him from the worst of it). Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in the Sequels, and Moses Ingram, who played Reva Sevander in Obi-Wan Kenobi, both suffered online abuse - the former even leaving social media as a result. Again, just for doing their jobs!
People, I'm only going to say this once: hate the characters if you want or love them (I don't care), but for the love of all that is good, LEAVE THE ACTORS ALONE!!! You're just disgracing yourselves and your fellow fans with such despicable behaviour!
No wonder Ewan McGregor doesn't consider them true fans... don't think I can, either...
Star Wars truly is about the fight between light and dark, as the Dark Side often seems very strong with the fanbase...
Steven Universe, courtesy of Rebecca Sugar, while a fantastic show with beautiful animation, incredibly compelling characters, complex themes, rich science fantasy worldbuilding and strong LGBTQ content, sadly also has one of the worst cases of toxic fandoms I have ever seen. As such, I must warn you this next section has potentially upsetting and/or rage-inducing content, so reader discretion is strongly advised.
Okay, so Tumblr user Zamii070 was an aspiring fan artist, whose artwork is actually pretty good (you can find it here: https://zamii070.tumblr.com/ and here: https://www.deviantart.com/zamiiz/gallery).
Unfortunately, as you can see in this article (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-am-no-longer-steven-universe-fan), she was accused of racism, because she drew Sardonyx with dark skin, and fat-shaming, because she drew Rose Quartz as skinny. The online abuse even escalated into rape and death threats.
It got so bad that Zamii070 ultimately chose to end her own life. Yes, really.
Thankfully, her parents were tipped off and her life was saved. Amazingly, she's still on Tumblr and deviantART to this day. That's actually quite impressive.
Unfortunately, the hate posts continued, even after her suicide announcement; all over a fictional show.
(Inhales)
GOOD! GRIEF!!!!!
I have never seen such despicable online behaviour in my life! All this because she drew some characters differently?! And even when she said she was giving up, they threw more salt at her?! No wonder several fans left the Steven Universe fandom as a result! This makes me cringe every time I think about it! This disgraces a fantastic show! This brings shame to humanity itself! This... this... I'm lost for words!
(sigh)
Do you see why this needs more attention, people? This sort of thing has to stop; before more people's lives are ruined or outright destroyed!
Again, I'm not saying people can't have their own opinions, but PLEASE think about how you convey them to others. You might not see their faces when online, but behind those usernames are REAL people with REAL feelings.
Anyways, that covers as much as I can handle without burning my brain out.
If anyone reading this is suffering, has suffered, or goes on to suffer, online abuse from toxic fans, or else has been affected by the subject discussed in this article, please contact your local helpline, of which there are endless options. I shall give some now:
UK:
Samaritans UK: 116 123
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): 0800 58 58 58
Switchboard: 0300 330 0630
USA:
Samaritans USA: 116 123
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
Youthline: 877-968-8491
France:
SOS Help: 01 46 21 46 46
Australia:
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Japan:
Tell: 0800 300 8355
South Africa:
Crisis Line: 0800 567 567
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go lie down. See you guys later.
Additional comment from the Media Man: I can't agree more with TCH2's article here. Toxic fan behaviour is disgusting and abhorrent and needs to be called out more. The fact these insane fandoms are getting to the point of actually doing real world damage and harming real people is despicable and these "fans" need to take a good long look in a mirror and be ashamed of themselves. True fans don't act like these people. The sooner toxic fan behaviour dies out, the better.
Hmmmm. Okay, I'm the kind of guy who avoids this stuff and will only talk of it privately. I will say I'm surprised Thomas has a strange fandom.
I will say theres stuff in here that shouldnt be on here, like Chris Chan's disgusting actions with his/her mum.
For me and the Media Man, our opinions are vastly different from yours and hey, I'm willing to accept that, though I'm not sure if the "woke" shouldve been brought up, or at least you couldve talked of how theres Good Woke like The Owl House and Bad Woke like the recent Doctor Who series which i feel the woke elements were deliberatley thrown in to piss people off which is something…