Your Fandom is problematic

A blog where we're gonna point out nasty shit y'all do.

[cantfightfatetoo]

The Racist Fandom Starter Pack

A canon interracial couple exists "I just don't see their chemistry" proceeds to fanon ship [insert white character] instead, claiming they have more of a connection.

"It's not their skin color, I just don't like them for some reason, btw, here are my top 5 [insert white actors] I think are better suited"

"Not everything is about race". They say, as they prop up every white character over any character of color.

"Please stop bring race drama into the fandom". Which translates to, I'm comfortable in my racism and don't appreciate any criticism, thanks!

White person, "Yeah, I wrote character of color as an animal, doesn't make me racist".

"I love character of color, here's a fic where they act like as [insert white characters] servant/therapist".

Character of color is such a bad friend for having opinions of their own/taking care of themselves instead of putting their friend [insert white character] first.

A character of color is morally ambiguous or a villain, gets redemption arc. "They're awful and haven't been condemned enough of their crimes". Stans [insert white characters] who did the exact same crimes or was a villain who's redemption arc is praised.

"Can't believe that character of color had the nerve not to die as a selfless sacrifice for [insert white character]".

"POC actress/actor is too ethnic and they'd ruin the character".

"I haven't seen racism in the fandom therefore it isn't there".

"Character of color is the main character of the show sure, but let's be honest, everyone came for [insert white character]

"Character of color is alright but I can only relate to [insert white character]".

Feel free to add more, that you've come across. Sadly, it all runs together after awhile of being in a lot of fandoms. Special shout out to all who helped me with these comments!

[creatingblackcharacters]

"making character Black is inaccurate/offensive! I'm not racist, it's just facts!"

[ghostapop]

i feel like a lot of fandoms pride themselves on being gayer than the source material but have they considered being less racist and less misogynistic than the source material as well . could be revolutionary

[tlirsgender]

Some of you think of Cops as kind of a symbolic figure representing "telling you what to do" & you're Posting things like "acab includes fandom discourse" and I thuink the 80% white website needs to remember the reason why we hate cops is because they kill people

[tlirsgender]

We hate cops because they're a weapon for enforcing the state's interests through violence. Like, they kill & imprison people. The antis don't have a Quite Literal boot on your neck please god log off or talk to a Black person or something

[tlirsgender]

To be SO fair like really generous there is something to be said for unlearning the habit of figuratively "policing" other people especially in the context of, like, not being a fucking snitch, "kill the cop in your head" etc etc, but can we not completely lose the plot re: what cops Are

[blackfandom]

Racism in fandom spaces is actually insanely bad and if you ever try to downplay or avoid conversations about it because "fandom is supposed to be fun" then I'm not sorry to say this: You're adding on to the problem.

[blackfandom]

If POC speaking up about a fandom's racism issue offends you more than the racism itself, you need to think about that. You need to think about how POC fighting racism offends you more than the racism.

[sentientmasstransit]

It’s always ‘we want characters with trauma and flaws’ until said trauma and flaws has a negative impact on other characters and suddenly it’s ‘this character is stupid/selfish/annoying/horrible/abusive/etc’

[plaidos]

draw that girl more transgender. now

[plaidos]

and make her fatter

[plaidos]

considering that this post was originally about Chell and Alyx from Portal and Half-Life — some of fandom’s most whitewashed women of all time — it would be criminal not to include this tag. AND GIVE HER DARKER SKIN ‼️ ‼️

[afronerdism]

The conversation surrounding cultural appropriation has been so severely mutilated by white “allies” that the original intention behind that conversation has become almost unrecognizable in most social contexts.

[afronerdism]

To explain what I mean, the conversation around cultural appropriation was started by black and native people to discuss the frustrations we feel at being punished socially and financially for partaking in our cultural heritage while white people could take, I.e. appropriate, aspects of our culture that we are actively shamed for and be heralded as innovators. It was about the frustrations we feel when the same white people who shamed us would take our culture and wear it as if they were the ones who created it while still actively shaming us for doing the same.

The original push behind naming cultural appropriation and having these conversations were so that we as a society could evaluate why we were punished for our heritage while white People were not. It was supposed to be about seeking solutions. The idea was to create a society where we could celebrate our cultures with impunity. It was never about telling white people that they “weren’t allowed” to do certain things. We did ask that white People stop doing certain things because they weren’t doing them respectfully and were not invited to do them, but the primary reason we asked them to desist was to reclaim the things they had stolen and to reassign them culturally back where they belonged.

White “allies” saw these conversations happening and instead of trying to aplify our own voices or even try to learn about the complexities behind why we were saying what we were saying, they instead began screaming over us and creating a narrative that was hardly even the bones of what we originally set out to say. It was like they took the conversation we were trying to have, completely decontextualized it, and stripped it of all it’s nuance in order to gain social currency by seeming progressive.

So the conversation around cultural appropriation went from “This aspect of our heritage belongs to us and we find it egregious that we are shamed for it. What steps can we take to address the racism that’s creating this situation as well as rehome the things that have been stolen” to “you’re not allowed to do that because if you do that you’re racist, we don’t really understand why that’s racist but you’re not allowed to do that and if you do that you’re a klansman no exceptions. So you’re not allowed because because”

At the end of the day, did I like the fact that sally was wearing dreads? No. But my primary concern was not that sally was wearing dreads but rather that sally could wear dreads and I couldn’t. THAT was the intended focus of those conversations. It was about addressing the inequality. It was about us. Now the conversation is just about sally and were completely forgotten.

White People are always asking me what they can do to help. You want to know? Stop talking. Aplify our voices and shut the fuck up because you all have pretty much derailed this conversation and many more like it to the point that we no longer are trying to make steps to understand and dismantle the racism around cultural appropriation and instead are just using it as social shaming tactics.

[afronerdism]

TL;DR: read my post. Most things worth learning about can’t be summarized in the bullet points of a buzfeed article. Don’t come into academic circles and complain because everything hasn’t been conviently summarized for you. Stop pretending that things aren’t accessible to you because you refuse to do the intellectual labor that is learning.

[alinethered]

always funny when these folks run the anti blackness excuse. its not like black and brown global southerners are the ones who suffer the most from global north imperialism and face the most brutal parts of it

no, you see, if the US soldier burning down your house is black, you have to kiss his feet and say "thank you sir, I am so sorry you won't get the full spoils of murdering my family when you go back home". otherwise it's antiblack.

[alinethered]

and who could forget the ever classic "if the US soldier that rapes you is black, you have to keep the baby, otherwise you're just antiblack". I love USAmericans.

[lesbianchemicalplant]

[autistichalsin]

Periodic rent-lowering-gunshots:

Fiction is not reality.

You can enjoy things in fiction that would be awful in the real world. Like playing a murderhobo in a game! In the real world, being or supporting a murderer-thief would be pretty damn awful, while in the game it's just good fun. Same with anything else you choose to do with the pixels on the screen, like kinks that don't affect anyone real, so they're okay in fiction, but would be pretty damn bad in real life.

No one else is responsible for your online experience. They are required not to harass you, but they are not and never will be obligated to not post about ships, kinks, or tropes you dislike just to avoid you seeing them. It's up to you to blacklist words or phrases, block tags, or even block users as needed to avoid seeing content that upsets you.

No one can force you to read anything against your consent. Any content you don't like seeing can be instantly avoided by closing out of the offending post/fic.

You are not owed an online experience free of discomfort.

Nothing that happens in your imagination can ever make you a bad person. Words you write or read about fictional characters will never make you a bad person.

The claim that media consumption influences real-life behavior is intellectually dishonest and serves only to excuse the behavior of real offenders.

Fiction is a safe way to explore horrifying or confusing concepts. Therapists agree that fiction, even (or especially) about taboo topics is a good coping mechanism, especially, but not exclusively, for trauma survivors. Fiction is to adults what play therapy is to children. This doesn't stop being true if the work in question is of a sexual nature.

Sex isn't an inherently worse or better motivation than anything else. A work written to create feelings of arousal isn't dirty, shameful, or in any way less pure than works written to entertain, provoke moral questions, or for other reasons. And worth noting is that multiple purposes can exist in the same story, especially fanfiction.

You aren't entitled to an explanation for why someone reads, writes, or otherwise enjoys certain works, kinks, tropes, ships, etc.

[x23innocencelost]

Oh for fuck’s sake, people calling out racist writing in fanfic isn’t “censorship”. I say this as a fic writer but some of you need to get off your high fucking horse.

[x23innocencelost]

Truly some of the most irritating culture has sprung up around fanwork and fanfic in specific like… no, making something for free does not in fact make it sacrosanct or immune to criticism! Your right to “do whatever you want forever” or say “fandom is for fun” stops the second you’re being bigoted and making fan spaces unsafe for marginalized people!

[lautakwah]

"fandom is for fun" except for poc who have to deal with rampant racism and white people unable to acknowledge let alone take accountability for their racism

[feminegra]

John Boyega Calls Out Star Wars for Failing Black Heroes

John Boyega has once again spoken honestly about his experience in the Star Wars universe. In the Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet, he said Star Wars is “so white that a Black person existing in it was something.” His words reflect more than just his personal journey—they expose a long-standing discomfort within the franchise when it comes to Black characters in leading…

John Boyega Calls Out Star Wars for Failing Black Heroes

[galactic-lore]

I am gonna do bullet points to highlight important things the article mentions.

•Talks about how Amandla Stenberg, lead of The Acolyte, addressed the hate she faced before the show even aired, calling it a “rampage of hyper-conservative bigotry.” In a show of support, Boyega commented on her Instagram post with a GIF of Han Solo, a symbolic gesture of solidarity during a painful moment.

• Mentions Moses Ingram faced similar racist abuse after her role in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Disney issued a statement defending her, but the damage was already done. Kelly Marie Tran was bullied so badly after The Last Jedi that she left social media altogether.

•Talks about The Acolyte: Despite solid performances and fresh storytelling, the series was canceled after just one season. Online, racist influencers celebrated its end, calling it a win against “wokeness.” YouTube videos mocked the cast. Elon Musk posted a cryptic message that many interpreted as support for the backlash. The hate was loud, coordinated, and encouraged by platforms that profit off outrage.

• Lastly it talks about the treatment of Boyega, Stenberg, Tran, and so many others shows that the industry still has far to go. Until major studios stand firmly behind their stars, the cycle of casting, backlash, and silence will continue. And fans like Boyega—who wanted to lead and inspire—will keep calling it out.

[jarinnards]

After repeatedly seeing a ludicrous amount of pan erasure across the board for all companions, I've now been forced to see the horrendous take of someone theorizing that Emmrichs "real" sexuality was gay because they... *checks notes* ...got the impression he was originally drafted as gay early in development.... With no evidence of that.... At all...

So! Let's get this settled!

All of this is banter taken from in game of him clearly and without any ambiguity showing interest in men and women!

Direct from the devs mouths, in numerous places, confirming that each character is explicitly pansexual.

There's also the in-game dialogue choice to discuss being trans or nonbinary with Emmrich, to which he will respond with: "There is nothing so attractive as someone who has found herself/himself/themselves."

So we have numerous instances, both in game and confirmed directly from the devs themselves, of characters being explicitly pansexual.

In conclusion:

Emmrich Volkarin is canonically pansexual! All of the companions are canonically pansexual!

Hope this helps! 🫶

[otabekisautistic]

sorry since realizing my gender i have zero tolerance for the whole “man hating” angle of being queer i hate i hate it i hate you. stop. you are hurting people.

[otabekisautistic]

i just. speaking up for trans men and getting hit with “imagine defending men” as a reply has enraged me deeply on this day

[otabekisautistic]

it’s very “yall only consider trans men real men when it hurts us.” we experience misogyny until we try to speak on it, and then we’re invading women’s spaces. we’re not men when we don’t pass well but we’re men the second we’re looking for queer community and are faced with “men and mascs not allowed” i’m tired

[otabekisautistic]

@bookslutskye’s tags:

literally this. when i replied to “imagine standing up for men” saying that trans men deserve to be fought for too, i got hit with “nobody says trans men don’t belong in queer spaces” except a lot of queer & feminist spaces, especially online, actively villainize being a man and dump you the second you transition. it’s gross.

[demi-shoggoth]

Hitler was incompetent and lazy—and his Nazi government was an absolute clown show | Opinion

Why did the elites of Germany so consistently underestimate Hitler? Possibly because they weren’t actually wrong in their assessment of his competency—they just failed to realize that this wasn’t enough to stand in the way of his ambition.

Hmm, this sounds familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on why…

[lazorsandparadox]

Oh my ggooooodddddd

[lazorsandparadox]

It doesnt

Fucking

Stop

[anexperimentallife]

Thank you. As someone who studied Holocaust Literature and related topics, I’ve been pointing this out for YEARS now.

[b0yega-deactivated20191231]

Also to people who complain about invoking Godwin’s Law, Godwin himself gave us as a society a pass to draw comparisons between this administration/Trump and Hitler and the Nazis, because there are honestly too damn many similarities to ignore.

[sexhaver]

sometimes i remember the saddest picture ive ever taken, which was when my frat's 4-foot tall custom-made 30-year-old bong was accidentally broken by our house president because he was on 4 different hallucinogens and a handle of smores vodka. rip king

[sexhaver]

squatting on the arm of a couch in a stance we referred to as "gargoyling the bong"

[sexhaver]

1.

2. you literally have to take a shower with the bong

[sexhaver]

sometimes we called it Napoleon around people who hadn't seen it before so they expected it to be short and then when they saw it and were surprised we'd be like "what? it's the same height as Napoleon"

[thecolorofthegame]

Drinks a bunch of vodka and kills Napoleon? Was this your roommate???

[sexhaver]

no this is him

[mosticonicposts]

certified iconic post

[mythalism]

i find it really frustrating when people dismiss the criticism of veilguard (from other fans, not grifters) by pointing out how people have always complained about each dragon age release for the same reasons while enjoying them in retrospect because. maybe its not just that people like to complain. maybe its because this game is a symptom of a greater issue across all media genres of late stage capitalism suffocating creativity and gradually reducing all types of media to shallow, shiny, easily-digestible shadows of their former iterations in favor of maximizing profit. and maybe you can see that decline especially clearly in a series like dragon age where you can track its creative manifestation over the last 15 years. and maybe you can see this across the entire gaming industry and film industry and book publishing and television and literally everywhere.

and maybe people have drawn comparisons between veilguard and disney, a comparison that would’ve been unthinkable 10 years ago, not because they are actually similar in content but in their similar loss of the passion, sincerity and humanity behind their creation in favor of meaningless cash grabs that people can FEEL when they experience them. and maybe we also have clear proof of this in the way that the fourth dragon age installment was scrapped, forced into being multiplayer, and ONLY allowed to revert back to single player following the massive monetary success of Jedi: Fallen Order that demonstrated the financial value of single player games to the millionaire executives at EA. but whatever i guess people just love to complain

[fandomsandfeminism]

Sometimes I think about how and why some people had such a *bad* reaction to the end of Steven Universe, specifically in regards to the Diamonds living.

Even though they no longer are causing harm to others and are able to actually undo some of their previous harm by living, some folks reacted as though this ending was somehow morally suspect. Morally bankrupt, even.

And I think it might be because so many of us were raised on a very specific kind of kids media trope:

They all fall to their deaths.

Disney loves chucking their bad guys off cliffs. And it makes sense- in a moral framework where villains *must* be punished (regardless of whether their death will actually prevent further harm or not), but killing of any kind is morally bad for the hero, the narrative must find a way to kill the villain without the protagonists doing a murder.

It's a moral assumption that a person can *deserve* to die, that it is cosmically just for them to die, that them dying is evidence that the story itself is morally good and correct. Scar *deserves* to die, but it would be bad for Simba to kill him. So....cliff.

Steven Universe, whatever else it's faults, took at step back and said "but if killing people is bad, then people dying is bad", and instead of dropping White Diamond off a cliff, asked "what would actual *restorative*, not punitive, justice look like? What would actual reparations mean here? If the goal is to heal, not just to punish, how do we handle those who have done harm?" And then did that.

Which I think is interesting, and that there was pushback against it is interesting.

It also reminds me of the folks who get very weird about Aang not killing Ozai at the end of Avatar. And like, Ozai still gets chucked in prison, so it doesn't even push back on our cultural ideas of punitive justice *that much.* and still, I've seen people get real mad that the child monk who is the last survivor of a genocide that wiped out his entire pacifist culture didn't do a murder.