It is natural, that every TV show, just like movies, video games and comics, attracts people being fond of it. The Internet allows those fans meeting up together, discussing about their favorites, exchanging experiences and doing much more things, varying from enjoyable ones to those you would rather call disgusting.
From what I noticed, certain of those TV shows seem attracting people from not the best environments. Some examples are listed below:
-1) most of anime and manga - their fans got even nickname "weeaboo" for their often infantile behavior, especially Axis Powers Hetalia, Naruto and Pokemon have vicious fans;
2) My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - moral-teaching cartoon for small kids became surprisingly popular inside teenagers with severe cases of hormone imbalance and people with issues; both of the aforesaid groups of MLP fans tend to behave in opposite way than taught by cartoon. For example: the ponies teach audience to behave in gentle way, while its rabid fandom behaves like deities in the land of mortals*;
3) Steven Universe - I've never understood, what do people see in this cartoon, but to each their own.
Most of those fan societies cultivate silly tradition of "couple shipping" , which often leads to online harassment performed against their opponents. Model example is Sonic X fandom, which is basically divided between people supporting one of more couples between protagonists, most commonly seen examples include ( couple names in brackets ) :
- Sonic x Amy (sonamy)
- Knuckles x Rouge (knouge)
- Tails x Cosmo
- Shadow x Rouge (shadouge)
- Shadow x Maria
- Sonic x Shadow. (sonadow)
I do not have to tell, that hardcore knouge fandom and shadouge fandom are waging constant war between each other, when fans of opposite societies spam their opponents, write silly comments and often threaten each other. I know, because when I had deviantART account, I used to like Sonic X as moderate shadouge fan, though I limited myself to two or three pictures of this couple drawn by me and faving similar works drawn by others. Due to tensions in fandom, I have left it in 2009.
Should anyone reading this blog entry need proofs, those are easy to be found on deviantART, Tumblr and Twitter. Especially since troublemakers mentioned above do not even camouflage themselves nor think about concealing evidence against themselves.
Last year I have noticed similar phenomena happening inside fan societies of cartoons, which used to attract moderate audience. Sadly, Garfield universe is not an exception - rabid fans of certain characters have sneaked even to this Wiki, where they established outposts to spread their ideas bordering levels of good taste.
To avoid pointing out certain individuals, I shall limit myself to examples of people, who left online society and those unable to be identified in direct way:
1) The reason, why kids under age of 13 should never be allowed to use computer without parental guidance http://derekautistafmf5988.deviantart.com/journal/Europe-rant-567598107 - apart from immaturity of author of this journal, we could ask, what is Garfield supposed to have with Europe. Especially since without European colonists, United States (and Jim Davis, creator of Garfield) would have never existed.
2) Even more severe case: http://bobclampettfan164.deviantart.com/art/Anti-Garfelope-572036621 and http://bobclampettfan164.deviantart.com/art/Garfield-Character-Scorecard-with-results-559131129 - compare those stolen images with faves of that user http://angelthewingedcat.deviantart.com/art/Hate-Stamp-276174910 , http://thetankmoment.deviantart.com/art/IT-S-THE-INTERNET-1-1-69-111-523328501 , http://hyakkidour4n.deviantart.com/art/Fandom-Abuse-kills-Interest-Make-your-own-425126650 - sometimes I wonder, if people of such kind intentionally contradict themselves in public. Also, despite discussing this whole anti-Penelope sentiment with the mentioned user (he does have account on this Wiki), he keeps refusing me giving satisfying explanation for his infantile statements, especially simple question "What do Mona, Miss Kitty, Lola, Gwen and Lorelei have that Penelope lacks, since you concentrate hatred on Penny only ?" seems beyond his responding powers.
I cannot believe this whole anti-Penny sentiment is such a taboo he is not allowed to explain, since he IS presenting taboo HE CREATED HIMSELF. In short - logical fallacy.
3) Notice highlighted comments http://garfield.wikia.com/wiki/The_Garfield_Show#comm-16793 & http://garfield.wikia.com/wiki/Nermal#comm-16363 - such fooling around does not affect fan society in positive way. Besides, is it really THAT difficult to search the Internet for information about motion pictures ?
4) Last but not least, people using the fandom they belong to as mean of appeasing their own egoistical needs. Level of harm they do towards the fan society is such obvious, that it should not require explanation.
In my opinion, rabid couple fans from point 2 and naggers from point 4 pose the greatest threats to fan societies, especially since both kinds of individuals tend to cover themselves behind veil of mental health issues (usually using autism as excuse, though their conduct is closer to severe case of alcoholism) and break own statements every time they find it convenient. At least two independent witnesses on this Wiki should be able testifying my words in this blog entry, since I often have to deal with those, who bring shame to Garfield fan society. Of course I have tried many times speaking to minds of described individuals, only to discover, that reasoning fandom fundy is just like talking to the void - even if they apologize for their conduct, couple of seconds later they repeat making fools out of themselves in public.
Personally, I know both in real life and online, couple of people with diagnosed autism and none of them is behaving in a way mentioned above individuals are doing. One could say this is a matter of high-functioning autism and low-functioning autism, or whatever theory applies to it; still, disease is never valid excuse for disgusting conduct.
Imagine, what would have happened, if psychopaths like Cho Seung-Hui, Anders Breivik or the bloke responsible for Colorado shooting at school had all diagnosed autism and everyone pardoned their deeds. For example: Cho had autism, which led him to killing people - since people with autism require special treatment and ignoring their nasty conduct, Cho requires to be bought Minigun like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minigun and be allowed to cauterize the area he lives in from people using lead. Why ? Because he has autism ! He deserves special treatment - as deity in the land of mortals !! If you disagree, you're nobody than %&!$@# ableist !!!
Perhaps the topic above sounds radical, but that is how self-entitled egoism works in severe cases, when spoiled brats believe they can do everything they want anytime they want, without caring for others. Since there had already been cases in the past, when rabid fans of certain videogames and TV shows murdered people for beliefs (usually at schools and their homes), an idea of such "DerekAutistaMF5988 or "BobClamplettFan164" running with loaded gun and killing people for disliking Garfield or liking Penelope cannot be excluded as impossible.
Egoism has been part of human nature since the dawn of the mankind - some people learned, how to control it, and some of them apparently stood on level of Australopithecus Afarensis - despite 2 millions of years have passed during evolution of human. Think, what would happen, if the entire humanity was composed of such egoists, who care only about themselves - without doubt, the civilization would not last for very long. Personally, as much as I enjoy Mad Max movies and Fallout videogame series, I would not like to live in a world, where mob of bandits with prepared firearms await on the opposite part of the street just to kill people and rob their corpses from valuables.
To sum this blog entry up - having health issues is not a valid excuse to perform master race syndrome. YOU have to adapt to the society you live in, society will never adapt to you. History of mankind has been proving, that people rejecting this rule never have long careers as rebels.
PS. I don't expect the mentioned above individuals to change their behavior. Though I hope the newbies on this Wiki read this and think, whom to avoid here and with whom they can have normal friendly relationships.
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- to behave like deity in the land of mortals - idiom from my homeland, meaning someone behaving as if that person was above everyone else and everything, demanding special treatment.