i've been thinking a lot about fandom-as-activism
it's rubbed me the wrong way for some time now. i think there's a lot that's faulty with the ideology underlying it, but not everything about it is bad, which has made it difficult to figure out what, specifically, i take issue with
the good:
media literacy
an ability to perceive things that might be harmful
an ability to understand why they might be harmful, and to who
these are all good, useful skills, certainly
and the bad:
individualistic ideology
a deep misunderstanding of how impactful fandom is
ignoring the systemic source(s)
absolutist thinking
a demand for public performance of awareness, ongoing
analyzing shows, games, books, movies, etc. in public can be useful, certainly. it can highlight things that people might have missed, due to differing experiences and contexts. but it has to remain optional, it has to remain framed as optional, and its absence cannot be interpreted as bigotry itself
to frame it as mandatory is to participate in purity culture, end of
individualistic ideology -> prioritizing individual actions (one's own or that of others) as decisive factors in addressing systemic issues
a deep misunderstanding of how impactful fandom is -> the above + an over-emphasis on the range and potential impact tumblr posts have
ignoring the systemic source(s) -> prioritization of critiquing a symptom (aka, a single story) over critiquing the system through which that symptom is codified
absolutist thinking -> x thing that is/may be seen as y form of bigotry is bad; anyone engaging with it is, thus, y form of bigot; the only way for someone to be "spared" this accusation is to repeatedly reiterate their awareness of the issue, leading to...
a demand for public performance of awareness, ongoing -> people are never allowed to stop saying they understand it's bad. any absence of this statement becomes a free-for-all realm of accusations