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23 Registered Users Are Browsing for Trouble

By Nadia Oxford     January 10, 2007


Feel the power of DRAGONBALL Z.
© Bird Studios

If a tree falls over in the woods, does it make a sound?  If you pen a story and no one's around to read it, are you still a writer?  If you plot a manga or an anime and no one sees it, isn't it, y'know, better that way? 

With the rise of the Internet and its ability to connect like-minded people, "Fans" has become a four-letter word.  People have always shrieked over rock stars or Star Trek. But until the Internet really herded everyone together, anime and manga fans were a scattered, nomadic bunch who sustained themselves by pawing through sale boxes at small gatherings and cons.  

Now there are countless websites, mailing groups, message boards, and chat rooms dedicated to all things otaku.  This is excellent in one respect: it's a great way for a fan to access the material he wants, and the eased means of communication makes life easier for manga artists and writers.  On the other hand, said message boards breed blind fans like a damp jar breeds bacteria.  The "fandom" surrounding a popular series might surround it like a moat of piranhas and discourage newcomers from coming over.  It's not uncommon to hear, "I'm curious about anime X, but the fans scare me away."  Or more unfortunate, "Anime X must be overrated.  The fandom is stupid, so there's no way anyone intelligent could be bothered with it." 

There are certainly artists and writers who lock themselves in squalor to purge their demons, burn the canvas and start over, but many creative types do like to share their work and interact with the people who enjoy it.  Simply put, artists need a fandom because they like to express themselves to an audience, and fans obviously need something to "fan" about.  Is there a happy medium? 

Probably not.  Certain demographics hover around specific series, and as the fandom gets larger, it gets louder.  It's admittedly kind of fun to be loud and brash when the time calls for it, when it's time to cosplay or run around Otakon yelling slogans and waving signs, but the remaining 362 days of the year call for Quiet Shut Up time.  There should be an agreement all new inductees to the anime fandom must sign:  Do Not Scare the Outsiders. 

If your co-worker asks you about your Inuyasha pin, by all means mention its origin.  If he then wishes to know more about the anime itself, you might be on your way to making a new friend.  Go slowly and be gentle.  Do not gush; remember to swallow and breathe occasionally.  Do not summarise every plot of every episode; you'll both die before you're finished.  You don't build up a fire by peeing on the spark. 

In the same vein, anime pins are cool to wear to work unless you work under a militant dress code, but wearing the same Evangelion shirt for a month is uncool. 

While most anime fans have the sense to practise basic hygiene and do quite well with civilised conversation in the workplace, the same can't always be said for message boards, which are usually as calm and organised as a house fire.  One of the saddest things we humans do is divide ourselves in times of strife; not only will Side A fight against Side B, but Side A might further divide into people who like puffy pants versus those who don't, etc.  The same trend can be witnessed when anime fans get to talking about how the original Dragon Ball is classic, but Dragon Ball Z is for hyper little boys and has ruined the series / fandom entirely.   

It's not just the differing opinions that can ruin the atmosphere.  Every message board has at least one "Comic Book Guy," the snarky shut-in who never misses an opportunity to out-wit the 13-year-old n00b who loves netspeak and wants to know "wat goku's power level iz."  There's the person who doesn't know how to use the board's "Search" function (or Google) to find out what number Pikachu is on the Pokemon roster, and then there's everyone else who jumps on him for not knowing.  

It's a sad testament to the state of humanity.  Let's face it, most of us probably weren't the Homecoming Queen in high school and the Internet allowed our shy, pathetic selves to interact with other shy people on topics we actually like.  Why fly at each other's throats?  Because that's the way we're built, apparently.  And because of fandom.  It's like a dark magic that brings out the odd bits of our personality. 

So how do you act as a good steward or stewardess to your fandom?  Simply by not being a jackass.  When interacting with other members of your species, set an example.  Be courteous, even if you don't agree with someone's opinion.  Use proper grammar and punctuation--you are not e.e. cummings.  If you do get into a tiff with another member, don't try and end the fight by saying, "Unlike you, I have a life and no time for this conversation."  No one in the history of the world has ever successfully left that as their last word, because anyone who's taken the time to get into an argument about Full Metal Alchemist in the first place probably isn't burning up Wall Street in the daylight hours.   

On the other hand, maybe when we're on our death  beds, we'll look back on the good times we had on these message boards …  flaming n00bs, fighting over useless crap, feeding trolls by instructing others not to, etc.  There's a reason why more manga artists and writers don't hang out on the message boards their work gave birth to … it would be like hanging out with a delinquent son and his gang of bandits.  But what's life and art without passion?

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

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michaelxaviermaelstrom 1/10/2007 4:25:29 AM
re: "In the same vein, anime pins are cool to wear to work unless you work under a militant dress code, but wearing the same Evangelion shirt for a month is uncool." NOW she tells me. I s'pose this applies to my Ghost in the Shell t-shirt too?! Nadia, do you 'ave any idea how HARD it was to get ahold of an original GITS T? I'm never taking it off! (oh dear - Ed) Well writ article. *Lie down on Nadia's couch* Doc, functionally I have to wonder if the dynamic you're aptly describing is as incorrigable as may seem? _Short-term_ I agree, hardcore fandom is very daunting for the newbie. It takes time for people to get to know you and let you in. Particularly because, as you say, hardcore fans might have well experienced being made to feel like an outsider themselves at some point in some other aspect of their life. And some may consequently guard their fandom friends jealously and closely. As if to say, as Spock once did, "I have found my place, I know who I am" with the addendum "and it wasn't fraggin EASY, and I'm not making it easy for you!" :D But I think that's the minority-think, in my observation fandom (hardcore or otherwise) _eventually_ incorporates its own newbie welcoming system. I spent awhile as a moderator on the msgboards, and I found that people were generally good. But even so, there would always be people that hated me for being a "goodie-goodie". (As difficult to believe as it may be that he was ever a goodie-goodie - Ed) or for being an authority figure or because I smell. seems to me to be that no matter what you do, you are forming a click. Even a click against clicks is a click. Non-Conformists Unite! and all that. Fandom msg'ing is certainly not for the feint of heart. Sometimes you get stuck being a click of one for whatever reason. Not trying hard enough to communicate, trying too hard. Bad timing. Whatever the sin. But imo, _eventually_ fandom will notice the newbie is trying and is all alone, and you know what? in my experience, some of even the hardest asses will come charging in to stand by the loner's side, to say "I see you, you're not alone". In a perfect world, it shouldn't be so exclusive and difficult to enter the fandom msging community club. ..it shouldn't take having someone so obviously ostracized or lonerized or attacked before people take notice of the extreme state and say woah, hi and welcome them. but in my observation, there are fandom people out there on every msgboard in every fan community that keep an eye out for that newbie or loner and they will go out of their way to try to welcome and include them. Which is effectively what you just did. Don't think I didn't notice Doc! :D So long as those people are around, I think we're alright as a community. Personally I think being shunned or ignored or even attacked has become a bit of an _initiation thing_ with Fandom. The equivalent of hazing. A proving of your worthiness to join whatever fan society it is, by how much and how well you can handle how you're initially treated. Works great for those with the strength, courage and determination to stick it out, because contrary to what Groucho said, most people DO want to belong to a community that will accept you as a member :D (it's just that they feel it's a bit better if it isn't _too_ easy to join - Ed) That'd be my analysis of the dynamic at any rate. ..but particularly for _young newbies_ I completely agree with you, we have to keep an eye out for them, because they're not hardened to the ways of social clubbing, they have no idea it's effectivley an initiation process with a long history, that goes well beyond Fandom. Anyway Doc, I'm mostly twisted and insane now, so I 'ave to bugger off into the night and onto the roof. Too much sanity for one sitting. But take heart there are more out there like yourself, that will also keep a welcoming and protective eye out for the unsuspecting Fandom newbie. And hopefully a couple more now that you've brought attention to the subject. Laterness Doc. ARRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
mckracken 1/12/2007 8:18:29 PM
WEAR MY INUYASHA PIN??????? wait, wouldnt that involve actually removing it from the plastic packaging and squeezing together the end and pulling it in two parts? wouldnt that lower the value of my sacred Inuyasha Pin???? what if I just wear the three Inuyasha movie DVD's around my neck or pin them to my shirt? That might be better than opening the plastic on the pin. (ya-think?) anyway i got better pins than a readily availible Inuyasha pin... for one I've got a pin from the original Terminator movie (part one)... I like wearing that. or my "BB" logo from Buckaroo Banzai...people dont even know what thats from...unless they're a Blue Blazer like myself. my most valued pin happens to be one I found in the bottom bin of a comic store... the hard to find pin from DC's VIGILANTE... awesome.
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