I hate how clean and sanitized they're trying to make the internet its literally the death of culture and I'm not kidding
Anonymous asked:
Honestly current fandom has made me long for the days where the worst that would happen is ship wars and like. One Direction fanfic (as much as rpf grosses me out), because the current worst? Literal suicide baiting/death threats/putting actual fucking NEEDLES IN COOKIES over what is just lines on a page. I'm not saying older fandom didn't have its bad apples but this is no longer bad apples this is just insanity (some of which are very much crimes)
theliterarywolf answered:
That’s literally it.
I think what a lot of younger/new-to-being-always-online people don’t realize is that while, yes, the internet has always been a jungle of insanity, the degrees of insanity were fare more spaced apart than they are now.
Back in the early 2000s, common discourse was just people playfully dunking on each other’s waifus/husbandos, with some people making those silly deviantart-style badges (i.e.: ‘This User Hates HarryXGinny’ or some shit). Very, VERY rarely would you get instances of people legitimately wanting to harm people or creators.
Now, with so many people online being constantly plugged into fandom to the point that, in some people’s eyes, everything has to be a 100% Perfect Presentation of Ideal Morals, more people feel justified in turning fandom into the same sort of field that legitimate social causes are supposed to be fought on.
But it isn’t and shouldn’t be. Fandom is Not Activism. I will reiterate for the people in the back: Fandom is Not Activism. And when people refuse to realize that, that’s how we get shite like needles in cookies (whether you believe that story is true or not), or suicide-baiting, or harassing actors/creators.
no piece of teen media has ever accurately depicted the quiet psychological warfare of bullying. bullies on TV are always dumb brutes and not the evil geniuses of emotional manipulation that they are in real life. being given a wedgie and having your lunch money stolen is nothing in comparison to a classmate quietly creating a taboo against speaking to you that they intend to enforce against all the other kids. it’s nothing like continuous cutting comments from people you thought were being nice to you. that way that the work of one kid can make you feel like every person on earth silently hates you and that you are dirty, disgusting, worthless, creepy and useless. that you can have friends but many of them will not speak to you at school for fear of the social consequences on their end. how that damage lasts in any social setting for the rest of your life
you can’t even “tell a trusted adult” because you cannot begin to articulate the thousands of small transgressions you’ve experienced building to the horror of knowing your peers would like you dead. they don’t have to say it or hurt you physically. they have other ways of letting you know they’d prefer if you were worn fuel
Shipping 10 Years Ago: YOUR SHIP IS BAD BECAUSE MINE’S BETTER AND YOU’RE A STINKY DOO DOO HEAD FOR LIKING IT
Shipping 5 Years Ago: hey guys let’s just ship whatever the hell we want and leave each other alone about it all right? cool
Shipping 2 years ago: Please write a minimum five-page feminist critique of your ship, examining any and all problematic aspects through the lens of queer and marxist theory, double spaced, 12-point font, MLA style citation, and wait 7 to 10 business days for council approval before shipping the thing
Shipping Now: I’m literally reporting you to the FBI for writing about fictional characters fucking
This was over 4 years ago, and it’s not gotten any better
So… who’s ready for the finale?
(Also yes this took me literal weeks I’m so tired T^T)
(Also yes this is for divergence, what else is new in my account)
Would be asleep right now, but there are Fictional Characters to imagine in emotional situations. You know how it is.
I don’t trust you if you weren’t a lil fucked up as kid. Like if you weren’t a little weirdo in middle school then I don’t like you or your vibes. We can’t be friends if you didn’t have that phase where you were a little freak
what if I’m still in that phase now
supersoftly