Why Fanfic Folk Drive Me Buggy

[akirlu]

It's nothing about the fanfic -- I don't read it, I'm not much interested. But the thing that drives me bugfuck is the way fic fans use the word "fandom". Because that word means something. It's meant the same something for a lot longer even than even Kirk/Spock slash has been around: fandom is fans, and their ways. But when fic fans say "fandom," they aren't talking about the group of humans who comprise science fiction fandom. They're not talking about fan culture, conventions, clubs, fanzines, or even the practice and culture of fanfic, they're talking about the object of their fandom. They're talking about some freaking show. This strikes me as a needless muddling of a perfectly useful word. And it hurts my mighty brane every single time it's used that way. I see 'fandom' and I think, oh, okay, we're going to be talking about something fannish and then get talk about "characters" and "cannon" and whatnot instead, and the old brain clashes gears and burns oil something fierce. That's not fandom, that's what you're a fan *of*. Your show is not fandom, it's just a show. Fandom is what you and other fans do about it. Writing about the characters in your show is not writing about fandom, it's practicing fandom.

Jeez Louise, where's my walker? Get off my lawn.

Comments

[carbonel]

I understand your frustration, but it's essentially jargon of a related but different subculture. I'm fluent in both, since I'm active in both media and SF/fantasy fandom.

For that matter, old-time media fans used to have their teeth set on edge by newbies (mostly Internet-based fans) using the term "fic" (noun, short for fanfic), or even worse, "ficlet." And now they're pretty much standard usage.

The only real solution to your dilemma would be segregation. And I like that media fandom and SF/fantasy fandom have a certain overlap, even if it does cause confusion.

(On a slightly related note, Ctein forwarded this to me, and I am in fact its target audience. First time an xkcd cartoon has cracked me up so thoroughly in a long time.)

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know I'll have to deal, because segregation is neither an option nor desirable. Language is a living thing, and I can't even control the jargon usage in my own cultural backwaters, let alone the nearby ones. Interestingly, I suspect the usage irritates me particularly because the subcultures are close neighbors. I think you get something like an uncanny valley effect when you get two subcultures that are close but not quite the same, a sort of push-me, pull-you of cognitive dissonance. I have a feeling that something similar drives this complaint about the way American English is infecting British usage.

[carbonel]

That makes sense. I like pulling in bits of British usage, but mostly when it's new terminology, not repurposing of words you already have a use for.

Things I've added to my vocabulary in the past several years: going pear-shaped, big girl's blouse, the balloon going up. Compared to that, "out in left field" just doesn't compare.