Rant. Again. Sorry.

[lierdumoa]

Now at this point, everyone knows about fandom_hate. Personally, I do not participate in hate memes, for a number of reasons. I could get hurt. My friends could get hurt. Perfect strangers could get hurt. And frankly, I just don't hate anything enough to make an anonymous post about it.

Even though I don't involve myself in hate memes, I don't particularly have a problem with them. Maybe that's hypocritical. Maybe I should denounce them from on high. However, I figure they'll be there whether or not I have a problem, so I might as well just try to garner what amusement from them I can and ignore them otherwise.

I think that for the most part, people come out of hate memes virtually unscathed. They know why they're there. They understand the unspoken rules. Everthing works out. However, I think that perhaps these rules *should* be written out explicitly, simply to minimize the possibility of people getting hurt. So without further ado:



Here's the shit they don't tell you in the userinfo.

1. If you're getting hated on, never go into a hate meme and try to defend yourself.

Why? Because you will immediately be vilified beyond your wildest dreams. It doesn't matter if you're in the right or not. The more you try to defend yourself, the more you will be vilified. That's how it works.

2. Don't expect people to be reasonable.

"This thread is about fanfic hate! Why are people attacking authors?" Let's clarify something. See the name fanfic_hate? Hate is the operative word here -- not fanfic. Hate is not rational or organized, no matter how you try to rationalize or organize it. If you're expecting people to have common decency in a hate meme, you're too naive to live.

3. This is what constitutes wanking -- doing *anything* that in *any way* keeps a wank going. It doesn't matter if you think you're being reasonable and they aren't. If you are talking to them at all, you're giving them more fodder to work with. You're contributing to the wank, even if that is not your intent. It's not fair, but it's the truth.



Now we all know that some things are just tacky and shouldn't be done. I'm not even talking about hate memes (in fact, I think some venting can be very constructive so long as it doesn't go too far). I'm talking about the everyday shit that takes place in fandom. We all know things that shouldn't happen end up happening anyway. My suggestion is that you learn how to laugh at yourself. Then move on.

Comments

[parkergray.livejournal.com]

Hee.

Those were fantastic - they need to be posted up on the lj homepage.

I especially liked This is what constitutes wanking -- doing *anything* that in *any way* keeps a wank going. It doesn't matter if you think you're being reasonable and they aren't.

Because, hello, folks, trying to 'defend' yourself against wankers who just want to hate on someone is a pretty great way to keep the thread going. Just ignore it and it'll go away.

[eleveninches.livejournal.com]

Agreed, man.

[cempakasari.livejournal.com]

I wish I read your entry before I went there. I'm not most people and came out disturbed and scathed. Then, I shrugged it off and now I'm okay.

[lierdumoa.livejournal.com]

Well, you're good now and know a little more. It's all good.

Glad you liked the post.