Is there a lot of nonsense that goes on in the Godzilla Fandom? I never participate in any fandom stuff for anything, really. I just enjoy the thing.
I mean, we certainly have a good thing going here on Tumblr, I think. For the most part, anyway. This is certainly the most welcoming and open-minded, non-cliquey faction of fandom I’ve ever participated in. But the Godzilla/kaiju fanbase is a lot older than a lot of others, and with that there are distinct generational gaps, with with that comes elitism. You’ll encounter older fans that think their own personal fandom is more legitimate than others because they first saw these films upon their original theatrical releases in the States, or during TV airings, or whatever. The older generation also seem a lot less interested in looking at the films on level beyond the surface, and seems keen to perpetuate the idea that they’re “just monster movies, just enjoy them”, which I actually really despise. Forums (the few that remain, that is) are a veritable breeding ground for this kind of thinking, which is why I remain mostly a lurker, and very rarely ever post.
Beyond that, though, a darker side does sometimes creep through, and that’s where you can start to notice the inherent homophobia, sexism, and general bigotry that can be found within this fandom. Being the majority template for Godzilla fans (white, straight males), I’ve never been the target of any of this, but I have seen it happen to others a lot. A lot of fans seem to struggle with the idea that women can be Godzilla fans too, and I’ve seen people so so far as to outright reject the notion, and declare that all female kaiju fans must be frauds, just by way of gender. About a year or so ago, a YouTube user uploaded a video talking about the inherent homophobia they’ve personally experienced in the Godzilla fanbase and at G-Fest - which I unfortunately did overhear a lot of when I was there, very casual, throwaway stuff, but a solid current nonetheless - and was met with nothing but a flurry of detriment and homophobic slurs, absolutely proving the individuals’ point.
Another really bad problem in this particular fanbase is its detriment towards younger/newer fans. Outside of the Tumblr crew - the vast majority of whom, as I’ve said, are an extremely open-minded and welcoming bunch - this is one of the worst fandoms I’ve ever experienced for treatment of young and/or new fans. Get ready for a volley of why you’re not a true fan for not knowing the actual name of the Giant Condor, or how you’ve got it too easy being a fan these days - “In our day, we had to bootleg tapes directly from Japan!” - as if that makes any one individual’s fandom any less valid. I’ve solidly been a hardcore fan for over fifteen years, which is quite a long time but is also paltry compared to some others, but I’m confident I could absolutely destroy a lot of older fans in terms of conversing about these films. Like I’ve said so many times before on this blog - it’s not about knowledge, passion is paramount. If you’re just in this to shout down younger/newer fans for a perceived lack of knowledge compared to your own, get out. Fandom is pointless without passion.
There are a SHIT ton more problems with this fanbase - detriment towards ANYTHING new, getting hung up on a Hollywood film released 17 years ago, and a fair amount of weird racism considering we’re here to celebrate Japanese productions - but this post could honestly go on forever, and I don’t want it to turn into a hate-fueled rant or anything.. I’ll conclude by saying I don’t outright hate the Godzilla fandom, I just think it could be so, so much better. And as with most things, a vocal minority ruin it for the majority.
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