Of course you don’t have to, you literally don’t, you can do whatever the fuck you want lol
However morally speaking you are obligated to both enjoy and be aware of the negative aspects of a piece of art.
That is, unless you disagree that we all carry the moral obligation to question, examine and change bigoted patterns of thought. Being a good person doesn’t stop when it comes to your fandoms.
We all understand that media can shape our worldview right? Especially when we are younger it can impact how we view ourselves and our relation to others. Which is why good representation is so important and bad or no representation is so harmful.
But the same goes for fandom. Fandom too is a type of medium, it’s its own kind of art. Through discourse and writing and drawing you are creating a piece of media that is consumed by all those in the fandom.
In other words, fandom absolutely deeply impacts how we see ourselves, others and the world, the same way any type of media foesIf we remain uncritical of problematic aspects in a show, we repeat that aspect.
The fandom response actively shapes how people interact with a piece of media. It shapes what media is produced, it can change the direction of a show, it deeply influences the discourse and let’s not forget that many who engage in fandom _are_ teenagers whose worldview is still malleable and impressionable. Our favourite TV show or movie is a huge influence on us.
You don’t have to do anything, but it be sure nice if you wouldn’t hide your head in the sand and refuse to adress or acknowledge toxic elements, just because its about sth you like for a change.
jacobvanloon
baratheonpilled
stormborns
tangentwithtanner
annaxmalina
