Some interesting links and tid bits..
Jun. 18th, 2025 09:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Ali Hazelwood Dislikes Peeta and that was problem for some folks
Peeta for the uninformed was Katniss's love interest in The Hunger Games or rather one of two love interests. The other was Gale, I think. I stayed out of the Hunger Games fandom for various reasons.
Apparently what happened is Ali Hazelwood, an author of various books, made the mistake on a book panel at a fan convention of stating that she didn't like Peeta. People got upset - and fanatically attacked her on her Instagram account. To the point, in which she ended up cancelling the entire account (she couldn't figure out how to turn off the comments - Instagram is impossible to use - and makes me crazy - I just post pictures on it and like others posts), and she was apparently popular and highly active.
Excerpt from the post, which I thought worthy of sharing:
"What’s most infuriating is that this behavior is from people who read a book in 2008 and take that book so personally that they decided to attack Ali Hazelwood about comments she made on a panel with other authors in a discussion that was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and entertaining for the people in the room.
But the behavior choices and lack of emotional regulation are alarming.
This isn’t neckbearded trolls with compromised assessments of their own position in the world.
This is us. This is allegedly book fandoms. [As much as I hate to point this out to folks? But it's actually all fandom or fandom at large. There's a reason it's called fandom - fan = fanatic. And people tend to be emotional and alas, self-serving. They are human. And humans like to worship things, and if criticize the thing they are currently worshipping? Watch out. The claws and fangs come out. Fans are worse than Mamma Bears in this regard.]
This situation, which is simultaneously scary and harmful, and deeply fucking unhinged and asinine, is a combination of a number of negative factors, each of which could be a whole essay. [ Yeah, and has already multiple essays, one in the Buffy fandom way back in the 00s, also guessing in the Harry Potter, but I do agree with you.]
* There’s the intense one-sided relationships some fans have with authors, with books, or with characters (or all three). [Also actors, creators, television writers, film directors, comic book artists and comic book writers, it goes on - and damn soap opera actors have it the worst - people throw things at them in grocery stores. I kid you not.]
* There’s the flattening of an author (who is, in fact, usually a person, AI notwithstanding) into not being a person, but being an idea or a figure to be railed at or against. [See above. Although I think we do this to each other online as well - we forget there is a human being behind the post. In this case one who is recovering from an illness.]
*There’s the expectation that an author will connect with readers as part of their job, and will cultivate that connection on social media.
* There’s the social expectation of performing moral and ethical correctness especially online. Whether or not actual behavior is moral and ethical or correct is irrelevant. The point is the performance of correctness: like the correct people, like the correct things, etc.
*There’s the unleashed and encouraged rage that has led to real life violence that frequently starts online.
*There’s the knowledge that stating an opinion publicly might mean someone tries to harm, embarrass, or kill you. "
Nothing new, but a worthy reminder that before you post a comment in response to something you've read online, especially in fandom, ask yourself these questions:
* Is it kind?
* Is it necessary?
* Does it help?
And are you posting out of anger or rage? Or trying to prove someone else wrong, so you can be right? What is gained by embarrassing or humiliating anyone? [Note - this is reminder for myself as much as anyone. Trying to do better.]
2. Bruce Springsteen Bio-Pic Trailer
Well, everyone else got one - I guess it's his turn? Although I admittedly like his music and Jeremy Allen.
Peeta for the uninformed was Katniss's love interest in The Hunger Games or rather one of two love interests. The other was Gale, I think. I stayed out of the Hunger Games fandom for various reasons.
Apparently what happened is Ali Hazelwood, an author of various books, made the mistake on a book panel at a fan convention of stating that she didn't like Peeta. People got upset - and fanatically attacked her on her Instagram account. To the point, in which she ended up cancelling the entire account (she couldn't figure out how to turn off the comments - Instagram is impossible to use - and makes me crazy - I just post pictures on it and like others posts), and she was apparently popular and highly active.
Excerpt from the post, which I thought worthy of sharing:
"What’s most infuriating is that this behavior is from people who read a book in 2008 and take that book so personally that they decided to attack Ali Hazelwood about comments she made on a panel with other authors in a discussion that was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and entertaining for the people in the room.
But the behavior choices and lack of emotional regulation are alarming.
This isn’t neckbearded trolls with compromised assessments of their own position in the world.
This is us. This is allegedly book fandoms. [As much as I hate to point this out to folks? But it's actually all fandom or fandom at large. There's a reason it's called fandom - fan = fanatic. And people tend to be emotional and alas, self-serving. They are human. And humans like to worship things, and if criticize the thing they are currently worshipping? Watch out. The claws and fangs come out. Fans are worse than Mamma Bears in this regard.]
This situation, which is simultaneously scary and harmful, and deeply fucking unhinged and asinine, is a combination of a number of negative factors, each of which could be a whole essay. [ Yeah, and has already multiple essays, one in the Buffy fandom way back in the 00s, also guessing in the Harry Potter, but I do agree with you.]
* There’s the intense one-sided relationships some fans have with authors, with books, or with characters (or all three). [Also actors, creators, television writers, film directors, comic book artists and comic book writers, it goes on - and damn soap opera actors have it the worst - people throw things at them in grocery stores. I kid you not.]
* There’s the flattening of an author (who is, in fact, usually a person, AI notwithstanding) into not being a person, but being an idea or a figure to be railed at or against. [See above. Although I think we do this to each other online as well - we forget there is a human being behind the post. In this case one who is recovering from an illness.]
*There’s the expectation that an author will connect with readers as part of their job, and will cultivate that connection on social media.
* There’s the social expectation of performing moral and ethical correctness especially online. Whether or not actual behavior is moral and ethical or correct is irrelevant. The point is the performance of correctness: like the correct people, like the correct things, etc.
*There’s the unleashed and encouraged rage that has led to real life violence that frequently starts online.
*There’s the knowledge that stating an opinion publicly might mean someone tries to harm, embarrass, or kill you. "
Nothing new, but a worthy reminder that before you post a comment in response to something you've read online, especially in fandom, ask yourself these questions:
* Is it kind?
* Is it necessary?
* Does it help?
And are you posting out of anger or rage? Or trying to prove someone else wrong, so you can be right? What is gained by embarrassing or humiliating anyone? [Note - this is reminder for myself as much as anyone. Trying to do better.]
2. Bruce Springsteen Bio-Pic Trailer
Well, everyone else got one - I guess it's his turn? Although I admittedly like his music and Jeremy Allen.