So… It’s been 11 years since I’ve gotten into object shows. I figure I should get all of this out of the way… So I can hopefully never post about these issues again….
Something I’ve never liked about the OSC is this weird mindset that you can only do something a certain way. My analysis posts were made to provide a different outlook on things. This is why I never really talk about II or BFDI here, because preferences aside, most of them have been said by other people. This is also why some of those posts tend to not be on the positive side, because I feel I wouldn’t be adding much to the conversation. I believe that with flaws, something can be learned from them. A lot of the stuff I like are less than perfect. I’m very familiar with both the community and how fanbases work, so the reaction to certain forms criticism doesn’t really surprise me. I am actually lenient towards most object shows, seeing as they are made by children/amateurs.
What I am not fond of is shutting down genuine concerns and painting them as “harassment” or “unwanted negativity”. ESPECIALLY if those concerns are about the behavior of the community or how certain topics are handled.
I know from experience that these concerns in turn more often than not lead to the harassment they so speak ill of. It’s true that there are forms of criticism that is toxic and helps nobody, but every form of expression has it’s bad apples. Why shouldn’t they co-exist with shipping or hell, even simple positive statements? It’s only fair. Just leave them be if their negative statements are bothering you that much. A lot of my thoughts aren’t on this site, but if you look hard enough, you can see that not all of them are negative, and I do give benefit of the doubt.
I firmly believe that one of the ways of good criticism is helping the creator with the ideas they want to convey, so I do give suggestions when I can. And I prefer only doing it for certain types of shows, so you won’t see it for a majority of them anyway. That and… Not everyone who says something that isn’t remotely positive are miserable losers who can’t be pleased. That’s a very concerning mindset to have, and normalizing this line of thinking will only hold the community back.
Then again… “Positive Statements only” is an issue I’ve seen in other art spaces. I think we should at least try to treat this with some nuance??? What if someone wants constructive criticism? If you don’t want criticism, it’s best to ignore it. I just don’t think we should shun the notion of criticism in general, especially if it’s constructive. There should be a place for it while also acknowledging that most object shows are made by amateurs/kids. If we want to expand object shows as a form of art(especially with the push to genres outside of competition Y-rated shows), we are going to have this discussion sooner or later. I get that people conflate negative statements with criticism, but that doesn’t mean we have to ban both altogether.
For the record, I’m not actually that picky on most object shows. I watch them for entertainment, I just wanted to share my thoughts on the more serious ones, seeing the impact it makes on the community and whatnot. That and I just LOVE to analyze and pick things apart. Thinking about the pieces and what makes something tick is one of my favorite pastimes. It’s dear to me as shipping is to a shipper. If my art-style is any indication, I am fine with enjoying flawed works… To me, they at least have more to say that something that’s inoffensive but boring. I enjoy smaller shows quite a lot, and have even made some new favorites over the past several months!! The reason why I don’t talk about some of them mostly comes down to a combination of real life and my grievances with this site.
The Object Show Community is very interconnected, and the foundation is built on a group of friends who have stuck with it through thick and thin. So there is this real risk of being singled out because some people didn’t bother keeping to themselves. Even if you are innocent or made a mistake that can be corrected. It’s common in communities, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that it’s normalized by people with platforms and seniority over most members. I don’t hate these content creators, not do I want to see them suffer. I just want them to reflect on their actions and think before they speak. Is that hard to ask? I know how stressful it is being in the shoes of both the creators and the fans, which is why I believe that making actual efforts to cultivating safe spaces where people can learn to grow and not lash out on each other is important.
There is also the debate on what exactly makes a GOOD object show. I have never really been fond of the idea that there can only be set ways to do an object show correctly. That’s not even getting into whether or not popular non-competition shows should be considered one of the big ones alongside BFDI and II(even though hfjONE is big enough to garner attention from people who don’t even know anything about object shows). This mindset is present in various aspects of the community, but I feel it’s especially egregious here because it limits creativity, if anything.
I don’t think the Object Show Community got worse “all of a sudden”. These issues were always present, but the bigger size(and lack of other spaces) and varied needs, it's gotten harder to manage. Sometimes resulting in actions that do more harm than good, as the events over the past half decade alone have demonstrated. I hope one day the community can finally even out these conflicts and move forward. They have done it before... It's just going to be much harder this time around. Despite my complicated thoughts, I do love object shows. That’s not changing any time soon. It’s because of that love that I want the best for this community, and the works that come out of it. I’ve seen what happens to other communities with these issues, and I don’t want the OSC to go down that path.
As some of you know, I try my best to avoid talking about the strife that happens in the community. Given certain circumstances both in and out of the community’s control, there seems to be more attention brought to some of these issues. I just wanted to give my perspective as someone who both a long time fan and familiar with fandom behavior.
