(Sorry for replying to this so late. Obviously anon sent this last week, I started my response then which is why it might seem disjointed.)
Ah, well. I would think people are probably reacting to or preemptively reacting to what they knew would be…rather emotionally negative responses? They’ve invested a lot in this already and they want to keep it positive And for some people there’s also the identification with this as a part of their culture, so there maybe some of the “I can criticize it but not outsiders” perspective which we all understand, right, it is difficult to gauge what place some criticisms are coming from. If they’re from a place of understanding and seeing what the repercussions are to its specific audience or of it’s more, this isn’t what I wanted, as an outsider.
Having said that, it obviously is up to people how they want to react to things. As long as they’re not forcing that opinion on anyone else, I don’t think anyone can judge how others respond.
And another anon:
Have u noticed that every f/f fandom that has some fuckery go down ends up attacking each other for decisions to stop watching/ take some emotional distance? I’ve seen so many ppl attacking “fake” fans for taking some distance after the Sergio thing, but I don’t think it’s a badge of honor to make urself miserable over poorly written tv, just like I don’t think it’s bad to keep watching if it’s not negatively affecting u. I feel like f/f fandoms have to work on being kinder to each other lol
I definitely agree but that works both ways. I’ve also seen negative comments toward people who do want to continue watching, as in, they should love themselves more, that this lets “them get away with it” and is the reason why we keep getting bad rep and it’s settling and so on.
I’ve always said this, but bad behavior in fandom is really just bad behavior in general. Nobody should be harassing each other over this. You are so right in saying we should be kinder to each other, because there are reasons why everyone chooses to do what they do. If there was just that bit of understanding and nuance. If they don’t want to watch anymore, they shouldn’t have to. It’s that simple. It’s not up to fans to watch things they don’t want to. It’s very rude to say they’re fake or to want them to continue to “support” something they don’t want to. For any reason, let alone something that makes them feel bad. And of course vice versa, nobody wants to be made miserable over TV, they’re watching for different reasons.
And another anon:
I am jealous of your understanding anons! My inbox is stuffed with pissed off people who hate me for expressing my negative feelings on this episode lol
Aww, see, that’s not right. As long as you were respectful, you can say whatever the heck you want.