The Problem With Fandoms.

Okay. So I've been noticing something in fandoms a lot lately. And I've felt this is a thing I've needed to write for a little while. Either it's a hivemind, with people having to have the exact same thing or there's splintered sections of the fanbase, constantly raging war over each other, unable to resolve their differences.

But that's the problem.

Why should differences have to be resolved?

The problem, is that fandoms become a defining part of someone's identity. They become overprotective of it. They're threatened by differing opinions, whatever they may be. They take their words and criticismas an offence towards them specifically. It becomes, in a word, personal.

Fandoms shouldn't be personal. In fact, I posit to you that fandoms are a thing that should just drop off of the face of the internet. They've become almost like religions, with the works as their holy text, and everyone having different interpretations of them, and those interpretations constantly being at odds with everyone else, always lashing out.

My question is... Why? Why do you have to make fandoms your life? Why do you have to take this thing everyone likes and turn it into some super serious personal item, and lash out at anyone who dares to have a different view on it than you? Is it really that important? Are you not devaluing the work by disallowing others to essentially have their views on it, because they're somehow an affront to you?

You do not need to be offended at someone saying something against something you like.

You do not need to passive aggressively state how much better you are than other fans.

You do not have to angrily shout "You're wrong, so so wrong!"

Because, at the core.

We just like it. We're not special for liking it. We're not special for disliking it. Whatever your views are? They're yours. Whatever Linkin Park Album you like? That's yours, too. Nobody's taking it away from you by being 'mean' to it. You have nothing to gain by being evangelical about Nu-Metal, stagnation, or whatever. You can talk about it. You can debate it. But the minute someone else's views become personal to you, it isn't worth it. You're replacing the love you have of the material with hate towards people who dislike it.

What you're a fan of does not have to define you. It's a great place to be when you're with fans of the material, who like it and you can get along with, but, when you castrate someone for liking ATS, Meteora, or whatever, you become "The Problem". You're not contributing to a mature, healthy environment. You're making the fandom a pain for everyone else.

Now. I'm not saying you have to like everything from the band/show/artist/whatever. In fact, I'm saying the opposite. What I'm saying is; your views? They're yours. They're not everyone else's. They don't have to be. Stop trying to make them. Get into discussions. Get into awesome conversations about the pros and cons about a particular type of sound or whatever. And when you disagree? That's fine, too. Don't take it personally. We all have the capacity to be humane, and responsible, even if this is the internet. This is a problem with the Linkin Park fandom. We're swimming in a vat of everyone shouting and raging at each other, and it's dragging down the value of interaction with other fans as a whole.

This, frankly, needs to stop. Every album cycle, the fandom implodes on itself. Things get heated. Drama takes over threads. People leave, feeling bitter about everything. They wonder, "Why am I here?". And you know what? We can stop this. We just need to stop taking ourselves so seriously. Stop taking everything so personally. Get along. Sing kumbaya. Agree to disagree. Take the stick out of your ass, and roast some fuckin' marshmallows on it, because there's no need to waddle around all day with it jammed in there. You become cynical. Jaded. It's unhealthy.

Fandoms are not important. What's important is your relationship with other people. So stop yelling about how awful ATS is, how awful Nu-Metal is, how awful ATS fans or Nu-Metal fans are or whatever the hell. Calm down, kick back, listen to some awesome music and chat about it. You may not like what another person likes. You may not think what they think about what the band should or shouldn't be. So what?

 

Agreed. People's pride gets in their way too much. They always think they're right. Nothing wrong with debating a subject, but when things get ugly it's just juvenile.

 

Agreed 100%

I try to be positive 100% of the time.

I'm probably positive 95% of the time. lately I've said some "lashed out" things because "ATS elitists" have been very criticizing these last three weeks. Nu-metal fans have done te same in past but more towards the band not people on forums with a few extreme cases.

But I wished we lived in a world where in this message I didn't have to separate ATS fans and Nu-metal fans. I for one like every record the band has made and I'm tired of getting beat down for it. Tired of people trying to shove "ATS" or "insert album here" down my throat. I like ATS, but its not my favorite cd from LP. Is that a problem? It sure does seen like it on this site but it definitely should NOT be a problem. This place seems to have become a very hostile environment and I agree with everything Elaine said. We should not let our fandome get in the way of the great community we have here's. the people are awesome, the discussion in the shoutbox are awesome, and the discussion about the band is awesome. Don't let hostility get in the way of the awesome community. There is no need to shove your opinions down someone's throat. Just discuss it in a good manner instead of shoving opinions down people's throat. This is the easiest way to keep the great community we have here.

 

Congratulations! We do.

 

This could go either way

 

Oh, you're the king of positive. It's almoat a crime sometimes.

 

RT.

 

"Fandom."

That's the problem. That stupid word and the mentality it brings.

People should like things and leave it at that. Stop grouping people under some lame buzzword. Like what you like, ignore what you don't like. No need to try to shove yourself into some clique.

Thank god LP is easily the most mainstream band I listen to. I don't have to witness all this fan on fan bickering over trivial bullshit when i'm just trying to get my jam on.

Edit: I take that last statement back. The metal community is mostly insufferable. ha.

 

See I've found the complete opposite. 99% of the time, the ATS fans have always been fairly rational in their arguments. They might lash out, but they'll do so with paragraphs describing their reasoning and why they disagree.

Unfortunately, nu-metal diehards are generally (note the term GENERALLY. This means most of the time, not all of the time) more along the lines of "No, you're wrong stop being stupid".

I've been on the forums since 2003. I've seen a lot of people come and go, I've seen the opinion of the group of LP fans that frequent wax and wane with each album cycle. So believe me when I say that nu-metal diehards tend to be the most unreasonably reactionary with their comments and opinions, especially on this site. It has been that way since Minutes to Midnight. It apexed during ATS. It kinda simmered through LT and this cycle in particular has been very reactionary considering how this album is heralded as "back to the rootz" moreso than LT even though it has been stated in many interviews that THAT isn't what the band meant.

Do the poking and prodding posts made by some of us ATS fans provoke these outburst from nu-metal fans? I'd be an idiot and a liar to say "No, they don't." In fact, I specifically make a lot of the comments I make specifically because I KNOW they'll provoke an incendiary response. But here's the rub, and I imagine you'll be hard-pressed to disagree on this point:

If I were to do the same thing to fans of ATS, I guarantee the backlash would be minimal.

Why? Because GENERALLY, those fans of ATS tend to be more open-minded and willing to DISCUSS rather than FIGHT. There will be reasoned out arguments rather than hostile shouts. We've seen it time and time again.

When ATS fans decry Meteora, they'll point out unoriginality, uninspired lyrics, and how dated the album is in comparison to Hybrid Theory. They may not even HATE Meteora. I know Joe for one holds the album in higher esteem than most, yet even he can admit that the lyrics get repetitive in vocabular.

When nu-metal fans decry A Thousand Suns, how do they do so? They call it techno. They complain about the lack of guitars despite it's constant presence throughout the album (they're mostly clamoring for those Drop-Db power chords rather than hating on any lack of guitars. Imagine that signature guitar break after the bridge of WFTE and tell me ATS is all techno), put mainstream radio on blast, and attack forum users personally. It's unfortunate that this is what the majority of those with this opinion fall to when it comes to a discussion of the different styles the band has gone through, but them's the breaks.

 

I'm just a regular guy who like Linkin Park. I don't feel personally betrayed if they put out something I don't like, nor do I feel offended if my choice of music is laughed at.

 

Elaine and Minus have both made some fairly good points.

 

When it comes to stuff like this, other people's opinions are so far off my radar. I don't give give a shit what you like and dislike and I don't give a shit about what you think about my tastes. I mean maybe it's different when my roommate tells my music is shitty to my face and I want to physically harm him, but he's a real snarky cunt about it. So unless you get in face and be a snarky cunt, I couldn't give less of a shit about the other people in my fandoms.

 

HEY YOU. I DO NOT RESPECT YOUR MUSICAL TASTES AND FIND THAT YOUR OPINIONS ARE OFTEN WRONG IN MY POINT OF VIEW. COME HITHER AND PARTAKE IF VERBAL JOUSTING WITH ME.

 

So you're nothing more than a troll? The rest of your post seems kind of pointless if that's the case. You complain about people posting inflammatory responses yet you are the one going out of your way to incite them? Hey, to each there own I guess haha. I mostly just lurk anyway and am not a regular so who cares what I think.

edit: added a smiley because everything is automatically less confrontational with a smiley.

 

Have at thee!

 

I have made the same observation.
With that said, lately the ATS fandom has been much more ignorant about everything new the band makes.
I really don't feel like we should divide the fanbase into different groups because in the end we all have different views on what music is and should be.
And that is alright. It should be that way.
It's just a case of making the problem bigger than it actually is by constantly talking about it.

 

They've set the bar higher for themselves. It's natural for fans to have new expectations.