I just think ofmd is a fandom that is gunna have a lengthy legacy, and I feel sorry for you if you are apart of the history of this fandom that is worthy of shame.
It's shameful to treat others poorly because you disagree with how they enjoy a character.
A character that, btw, is well loved among the cast and crew of Our Flag Means Death. Vico loves Izzy. Taika loves Izzy. David Fane loves Izzy. The writers love Izzy. No one on that entire team has suggested they feel anything but respect and appreciation for the effort Con has put into Izzy and Izzy's role as a foil.
If you are seeking an example of how we should treat one another as fans, you need look no further than the love and respect demonstrated among the cast and crew of this beloved show.
This show is rife with queerness and so many layers of the queer experience explored. David J even suggested fans pay attention to the love story happening between Izzy and Ed upon a second watch.
So I feel sorry for you that you choose not to be apart of that, if you choose to reduce your capacity for appreciating queer experience to just Stede and Ed's romance.
I feel sorry for you that your prejudice against Izzy puts you at a distance from enjoying this fandom and the show fully.
I feel sorry for you if your needless hatred of Izzy puts you at a distance from some of the best art and writing in the fandom, and may even undermine your own creativity, as judgmental attitudes often do.
I feel sorry for you if you are a person who has chosen to make other fan's experience harder based on your reduced capacity for the variety of queer experiences, especially when we turn off this show and must face a world that wants us as queer ppl dead.
I know the bad actors agree that their behavior is shameful, because they don't direct their cruelty at the highly visible cast and crew who celebrate Izzy. Just his fans, who, in their logic, do not matter.
It takes emotional maturity to change your mind when you no longer have a valid reason to stick to a belief. None of these characters are real, we don't have to hold them accountable to anything.
If you no longer believe you have a reason to hate Izzy and his fans, you are welcome to stop and move on to something else.
I dont think it makes you happy. I don't agree that ppl "love" to hate Izzy. Most ppl who hate Izzy seem demonstrably unhappy to me, and that feeling of unhappiness is what they tend to spread to others. Especially when their hypocritical bullying tendencies isolate them from one of the most accepting and non judgmental corners of the fandom.
I want you to know, you can always change your mind. You don't have to like Izzy, but you can let go of hating him, free yourself of all that needless anger. Even if you're not ready to let go of hating him, you can set boundaries with yourself about how you will engage with the fandom, to remain respectful and carry yourself with integrity.
You can distance yourself from other bad actors if they put pressure on you to engage in behaviors you know are shameful. If you want to have a different, more peaceful experience, you have the power to create it.
You can change your mind and reject being apart of the shameful side of this fandom's legacy.
Most of us will be happy to have you when you ready to be done.
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