Discuss: When Does Fandom Go Too Far?

It's interesting because I'm writing a paper on this as we speak. In particular, I'm focusing on the recent Dark Knight viral campaigns involving Harvey Dent and the Joker, and this stuff has definitely taken over part of my life, to an extent. Example - I skipped classes on the cakes and bowling balls day in an attempt to get my hands on serious collectible merch and to be so very hands on with such a unique experience, and I've had the Joker pop up in my dreams a bunch recently. However, I do not think I'm at the point that I won't be able to function without this kind of stuff. Bottom line - it's fun to escape for a while. Just don't lose yourself in it.

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I've had a lot of fun with fandom in the past, and generally thought I was keeping pretty sane in the process. But if your show happens to turn into [expletive deleted], as too many shows do when their creators get bored and lazy and forget what was good about it, it can really mess with your head. How to guard against that, I'm not sure, but we need to think of some ways! "Uberfans Anonymous," perhaps?

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I think there's another line which fandom sometimes crosses, as evidenced by J.K. Rowling's court battle. And that line, to me, has to do with whether I've got any perspective left about the characters or stories I like.

For instance, it's one thing for me to like reading Harry Potter or watch Lord of the Rings. I can even take it to the point of quoting my favorite characters every other sentence and annoying my family with trivia I've gathered. I would also say that intillectual debates inspired by these characters and stories are just fine.

But I'd draw the line to obcession when I become so attached to the material that I become rigid in my opinions and lose my ability to SEE it as it is. I'm not talking rose colored glasses, I'm referring to stalkers, people who get violent over disagreements about fantasy material, people who abhor any material that is not their designated favorite (regardless of its actual value)
... and people who feel some sort of proprietary connection to the material, such that they would go to court rather than relinquish it. (Although I grant you this last one could be more of a monetary issue.)

This is, of course, my opinion, and I welcome opposing viewpoints to reply (when they are expressed in a polite manner).

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I love re-reading my favourite books, and I like going to some conventions, making friend with other fans, but there is part of me grounded in the real world, that cooks dinner, runs errands, and does the dishes. That doesn't mean I wouldn't love to dress my boyfriend up in a Brioni Tuxedo, and give him a martini, I just know I can't afford to! ;)

What I don't like is fan-fic. I guess since I enjoy writing my own original material, it drives me crazy when many friends are wasting their talents or life on slaving over fiction they could never legitimately publish. I've known people who because they can only use someone else's' characters lose their ability to create a world of their own, or that they seem to think everyone wants to steal their fan-fic because it's better than the original author's vision, there seems to be a weird ego trip that happens to some people. Maybe I just met the wrong people! ;P

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I've never been one to discuss every minute detail of my fandom (Twilight). I've read the first book five times, but that was mostly before I even emersed myself in the online community. I've only read the other two books once. What I love about my fandom is that it connects you with a lot of people who are just as in love with the characters as you are. That doesn't mean I necessarily devote hours of time to knowing everything about the books.

The thing is, though, that now that the movie is being filmed, we have tons of new, exciting news coming in daily. In order to keep up with it all, I do tend to devote a lot of time to surfing the Net, trying to find an obscure picture from the set that I've missed. Fandoms--and in turn, our crazy obsessive tendencies--are fueled by new material. It's so fun to discuss every new detail, even if it's something trivial, like the prom theme in the movie.

I'm blessed enough to have a lot of fellow fans in my real life, so I do talk about the latest updates with them quite a bit. My parents indulge my shrieks of joy when I see new videos. All in all, I figure I deserve to be a little bit excited. They know that when the time comes, I can resolutedly avoid the computer and study.

Although I think I have a healthy balance, I'm probably deluding myself. But the purpose of a fandom is to get a little crazy, embarrassingly so. But at least you're in the midst of thousands of people who would do the same thing, if not something more outlandish.

Regarding the HP Lexicon case, I think a fandom definitely oversteps its boundaries when it disrespects the author. I love Harry Potter but I'm not really a part of any online communities, but I know that a Twilight site would never do that to Stephenie Meyer. We love her far too much.

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The fact that you actually could put both Twilight and Wuthering Heights in the same sentence without a blink indicates to me you are not in touch with reality.

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Strange as it seems, though, I've actually seen fan fic that WAS better than the original material! Let's just say there are (a) quite a few substandard writers who end up with TV and movie deals, and (b) quite a few talented amateur writers who write for the sheer love of it, and do a far better job with the characters whom the "real" writers see as nothing more than a way to make a buck.

Of course it can be fuel for ego trips or scary obsessions, as you say, but it doesn't have to be.

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I'm going to agree with Sara and Kim. Getting so involved in something that it causes you to become beligerent and snobbish and causes you to stop living in this world is where fandom crosses a line.

The fun part of being a fan is being open to new things to be a fan of. Just because you like Lord of the Rings doesn't mean you can't like Harry Potter. Just because you like Spiderman doesn't mean you can't like Batman. Just because you like Star Wars does not mean you can't like Star Trek. It's fun to be open to new things, and you can defend something you're a fan of adamantly without being vehement or violent.

I think about fandom as I do everything else - moderation is really the key. Being immersed in a fictional fantastical world with wonderful characters is great, but you can't get so immersed in a fictional world that you stop living in this world. Shirking a responsibility like cutting class to go stand in the snow for 7 hours to be at the New York premiere of The Two Towers (we were there for so long we got to sneak over and stand with the foreign press, it was awesome!) is one thing. Abandoning responsibility is something else entirely. Like those parents who let their 5 month old starve to death - not checking on it for 8 days - because they never stopped playing World of Warcraft. That is taking it way too far.

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This is quite tame fandom stuff actually. Talk to any over-30 Apple user or 20-something high school dropout Ultimate Fighting Champion-Mixed Martial Art fan and then you'll see what over-the-top fanboy is really like.

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I think it is important to have a way to escape and relax, such as reading. I love Twilight and I read it, and its sequels, often. I also check the Twilight Lexicon to see whats going on with the movie. I am excited that a book I can relate to so much is becoming a movie. I think that its okay to have books you can connect too. I have never thought that I unhealthy loved Twilight... I've seen others on message boards that cause me to think "they are taking it too far"... I can see taking things too far... but I think it is important to read and its even better when you find books that really hit home to you and make you feel and think. I think Twilight has such a huge following because I think every girl sees herself as just a girl and has had that one amazing guy like her or that she wanted... Maybe a summer fling. I am twenty-one, and I was nineteen when I started reading the series and it still hit home to me.

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Frankly, I got so saturated with fandom, and by that I mean RPing, reading fanfic, etc, that I finally had to just quit cold turkey, because it was taking over every waking moment. It can be unhealthy, as evidenced by an addiction study done on HP fans both before Deathly Hallows and after. Frankly, I don't know how Trekkies and Trekkers do it.

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i personally love to hear news and i wont deny checking the fan sites and discussing with my friends all the stuff about the twilight series and movie pretty much every day. I have read the entire series so many times ive lost count as well as other books in between. The internet makes having an obsession quite easy these days, since you can find out and discuss whatever you want with just a click. i wouldn't change the twilight fandom for anything, us twilighters are truly awesome, even when we get a *little* too excited when we see rob and kristen walking/standing within 2 feet of each other.

I think its only unhealthy when you obsession, or lets just called it passion, for your favorite fandom interrupts your daily functioning. exploring different works are important too. if your afraid to do your work or cant fulfill necessary obligations because your afraid your going to miss an update on the twilight lexicon(it happens)...then its time to snap back. Balance is essential and i TRY to maintain that as much as possible.

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