#blackballing

I will begin and/or continue to support any and everything that any of you are trying to shut down in spite of you.

I have seen a number of posts on here talking about fandom toxicity and feelings of being unwelcome inside the fandom space. I can sympathize because I have been the recipient of that toxicity and witnessed it aimed at others.

Having been around fandoms like Star Wars since before the prequels came out (1999 folks), I know firsthand how toxic the fandom space can get. Back then, Star Wars was largely compromised of men. Most of the fandoms I was in were.

Women, like myself were few and far between (and I was on a few big SW forums at the time). Personally, I always got along with the guys. Never had them treat me as less of a fan just ‘cause I was a girl. Those rare few I didn’t get along with were basically assholes who were just that: assholes. Most of them got booted off the forums for being assholes. Everyone mostly got along and had a good time talking about what brought them to the forums in the first place: Star Wars.

Personally, I had problems with the females of the fandom. Most were combative, two-faced, manipulative liars. Wanted to be the Queen Bees in control of everything (news, role-playing, content creations, conversations, everything). In short, they were a bunch of Mean Girls.

They routinely engaged in something called “blackballing”.

What is blackballing?

It is telling others in a fandom to avoid someone because they don’t share the group thought/ship the popular ship/adore everything in the fandom or they just plain dislike that person for existing.

It is shutting the fandom off from someone out of spite, pettiness, childishness and selfishness.

In short: it’s fandom toxicity.

It’s also bullying.

I’ve been the victim of this bullying so I know all about it. I’ve been blacklisted in plenty of fandoms for not being part of “The Hive”. I probably will continue being blacklisted because I am a class A, unrepentant Thought Criminal. I apply the critical thinking skills that left me $15k in student debt to my entire life (not just fandom). I research for myself, form my own opinions, speak my mind, and experience no shame whatsoever about it.

I know what I like, don’t like, what works for me, and what doesn’t.

I don’t let others do it for me.

When I get into a movie or television program, I engage with the material (see above: critical thinking) and immerse myself in it. Mindless entertainment is fine. I have my junk entertainment (Ghost Adventures, Godzilla) but that doesn’t mean I am not still engaging with the material.

Mindless doesn’t mean I don’t still point out inconsistencies or things that annoy me.

Mindless doesn’t mean I don’t mock, make memes of or joke about things that are dumb.

Mindless means enjoying while still being honest in my analysis of the show/movie.

Critical analysis is not hatred.

Calling out writers for bad writing decisions, lackluster storytelling, poor characterization, and inconsistencies is not hatred.

It’s called passion.

You can love something and be critical of it.

In fact, I’d argue someone who is critical of something they love is someone who loves what they’re critiquing a whole lot.

If they didn’t love it?

They wouldn’t bother.

What people don’t have the right to do is bully, badger or belittle people for their opinion.

I have seen people ganged up on by these bullies and told to go kill themselves, telling them they deserve assault, their families should be murdered, their dogs throat slit… I can go on and on.

Simply, it’s not only fandom toxicity but despicable behavior from spoiled children who want it their way (even Burger King can’t cater to these brats).

Let me repeat what I said because it’s one of the takeaway messages here: you do not have the right to bully, badger or belittle people because they don’t follow your opinion, gush about how hot your favorite character is, how amazing your ship is, love this bit here, etc.

What you can do is use tags to filter out that content and focus only on the content you want to view or engage only with those you wish to interact with.

You can also unfollow someone or simply scroll by their post once you realize it’s not something you want to read or see.

You have no right to tell others to blackball someone simply because you don’t like them (or do any of the other examples I listed above).

You don’t own the fandom.

Fandom is for everyone.

We all get to participate in it, however we choose, and however we want.

The only time you should tell people to avoid someone is if that individual is abusive or dangerous.

If someone is simply speaking their mind, venting their frustrations or blowing off some steam about something fandom-related that aggravated them… let them.

It’s not harming you.

Fandom is for everyone.

Not just you and who you decide.

Build your corner of it and enjoy.

To those of you who have been victims of fandom toxicity, bullying, and blackballing, you are not alone. Others have experienced it, too. We’re with you and are here for you. Don’t quit participating in a fandom because of the bullies. Find people who share your thoughts and engage with them.

Again, fandom is for everyone.

That’s the other takeaway message here.

It would feature:

People dying in mysterious car accidents

Police deliberately looking the other way and the newspaper covering things up

A town of about 15,000 people having a crime rate 97% higher than all cities in the US

An absurd amount of murders

The strangest of accidents (a plane crashed behind our Taco Bell, body parts were found scattered across counties, etc.)

The high class families blackballing people they have a problem with, because most of them are lawyers

A lawyer and an antique car owner/collector under careful watch from the DEA because they’re suspected of running a drug ring, but there’s no proof

Jon Grudens lawsuit maybe a PR disaster for NFL

    Whether True or not, Jon Gruden’s lawyers accuse the NFL of blackballing Jon for good PR and say they’ll demand copies of League office memos and Emails that can “prove” it. This is a nightmare for the league at the worst possible time because for reasons either political or professional, a lot of stuff could be exposed that might destroy a century of (mostly) good PR for the…