I don't have time for this, but if I had, I would do some study on the way stans communicate on social media. Because they do have a language on their own. Especially in terms of criticism. I could only talk extensively about Army, because I see their tweets, asks and tumblr posts. The main thing that I got is that they have a limited vocabulary and my theory is that it is connected to the depth of their knowledge and getting assimilated in a fandom. Where they learn what are the general views on certain topics. And by assimilating those and making it their own, they also take over the language, as those thoughts need to be explained in a way. I mean, it's pretty logical. But it doesn't mean I can't observe how limited that vocabulary can be and I wonder if it's a reflection of the depth of their ideas.
Army has a handful of terms at their disposal and they pull it for specific situations. The problem is, they aren't capable of getting outside the line of those terms, especially when they are confronted with a more nuanced opinion. I see it all the time on twitter and especially in some asks that I receive.
Let me offer some examples: "anti behavior", "setting up for hate", "drag him", "free him from..", "leave him alone", "here to support/defend", "delulu", and so on. These are just from the top of my head. There are specific words used for every type of fan out there. Ones who only like one member have their own set of words, shippers as well have their own vocabulary and a standard set of words that they pull out constantly.
It's like having all the terms stored in different drawers and when a situation arises, instead of actually thinking about what is actually happening, they know they can pull a drawer out, pick the term and then they stick with it.
It's really difficult to have a conversation with people who rely on this more often than not. Because they are not open to hear more than they are capable of understanding. And I see that. Which does make me think why do I even put in the effort to answer their ask for example, when I know it's pointless. And I know that based on how they formulate their thoughts. If one asks has more than, I don't know, 3 of those terms in one paragraph, then it's a lost cause. It shows how that person is so assimilated to their micro-group and their ideas, that they only parrot what they hear from others and aren't willing to do some thinking on their own. Which perhaps shows they are incapable.
