Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Fanning The Flames

Judiang started it.  She's such a pot-stirrer.  I've been thinking since I read her post this morning about what fandom is about -- is it about our adoration of an actor, a band, a television show?  Or is it about us, the way we relate to each other?  I think it's probably a little of both.

There are some fandoms that I've been in and loved.  My fellow Duranies have my heart but I never really meshed with the Ralph Fiennes fandom, as nice as they were.  Servetus and I talked about the Armitage fandom on her blog about a month ago so if you're curious about what I think about you all it's there.

Something in judaing's story from this morning really annoyed me: the moment she became aware that her crush was kind of mocking a few of his fans.  One of the coolest moments of my life was the moment Weird Al mocked me but he's Weird Al and mocking goes with the territory.  I imagine in judiang's shoes it was an eyeopener.  We don't want people we think highly of to think poorly of us, after all.  How, though, are we supposed to get our affection across?  A letter?  A gift?  Are we even supposed to try, given that it's weird to approach someone we don't know?  I don't know but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

It can be easier to express affection in rock fandoms:  you learn all the words and sing them at the top of your lungs at concerts.  When all the stars are aligned and the audience is giving their love back to the performer magic can happen.  Maybe that's what we want, to move those who move us.  Pearl Jam knows something about that. 

   

5 comments:

  1. This is a great question, and it's part of why I am so hesitant to negative about ever meeting Richard Armitage in any way.

    I am a person who has fans. Not like him, either in numbers or intensity. But I have student groupies, students who follow me from course to course, and show up just to chat about whatever. And I have been a student groupie of a professor myself. So I've seen it from both sides. I know how much that acknowledgement from someone whom I admired greatly that I was a valuable person meant to me as a student. And I also know how hard it is to be the kind, caring, funny professor at all times. I really fear failing to be who those students need me to be. There are a very few perceptive ones who see through me and can allow me to be human and fallible, who sometimes become friends, and perhaps there are more of them than I think there are. But on the whole, I know that if I didn't put on my professor role in dealing with the vast majority of these groupies, it would hurt them. I don't want to do that, not just because I don't want to hurt them myself, but because I don't want to sour them on belief in some of the things they associate with me.

    I honestly can't imagine that Richard Armitage would openly / publicly show contempt for a fan under normal circumstances (if he weren't being harassed in some way, for example). He seems extremely together in that regard. But I also know that the objects of our admiration are human themselves and have moments when the mask is not 100% on.

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  2. Fantastic! That Pearl Jam video gave me goose bumps! Must have been amazing for the band to feel/hear all that!

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  3. Oh sure, blame me! ;)

    How do we get our affection across? I imagine I'm showing great affection by spending money to travel to see a crush in a play, or patronizing his movies or buying his DVDS. I don't need him to know that *I* personally like him. The fact he realizes he has fans who support him is enough.

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  4. Hi Jazzy,
    I think that our collective admiration and good wishes vibes for RA are all positive. May he live a long, fulfilling, and happy life.
    Cheers! Grati ;->
    P.S. And ditto what Judiang said.

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  5. *Points at judiang* Instigator!

    I'm kind of where you are with it. It's an odd space, too, because I'm naturally an encourager so when I see something I think is cool I want to tell whoever is responsible for it,"Wow, awesome!" but I can't in certain cases.

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Thanks for commenting!