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When we say "fandom should go back to 'don't like, don't read', 'your kink isn't my kink and that's ok'", etc, ppl who weren't around then really don't understand just HOW different things used to be.
If your ship contained an age gap or incest, no one would bat an eye. If you hated age gap or incest ships, that was fine too. If you fought with people over ships, tho? you were seen as an immature loser. There was no clout to be had by acting childish lmao
Ppl getting into fandom as kids now don't realize that the stuff they think just comes with the territory (fighting! arguing! aggression! harassment!) WAS the cringe factor when many of us were kids in fandom-- not the adults who ship stuff.
Most places would straight-up ban you if you consistently stirred shit. Communities were smaller and easier to moderate, and unless there was some shady clique shit happening, if you were a dick, you were gone. Didn't matter what you were being a dick about.
Ofc fandom had huge problems too, many of which haven't even been resolved or widely addressed to this day, and drama/fighting/ship wars absolutely did happen.
I think it shows that old & new fandom ppl are operating from a COMPLETELY different framework, though.
I think it shows that old & new fandom ppl are operating from a COMPLETELY different framework, though.
That's also why people who say "fandom didn't USED to be full of FREAKS" are so full of shit. I realize that there's now a group of adults who grew up on post-tumblr fandom, but hell, even tumblr was fairly ship-and-let-ship for a long time.
...Now I'm realizing that THIS atmosphere is going to be "how fandom was when I was a kid" for a lot of people, and that's really sad. I know these already exist, but get ready for all the "why fandom is toxic and needs to be destroyed" opinion pieces coming out in 10 yrs.
(They'll be written by adult fancops who conveniently forget they participated in harassment campaigns and chose not to stay away from adult content, then blame their bad experience on "nasty" ships, e rated fanfic, and the adults who corrected them. <:^/)
