Yay! I keep seeing lists of love popping up and it is making me ridiculously happy. MORE PLEASE.
I also want to say that while I have little use for things like 'ship wars and character bashing, I do appreciate that fandom has started talking about Big Important Issues and how they relate to us and our shows. Awareness is important and we have a dominant culture that seeds nearly everything we watch with troubling messages and, short of turning off the TV all together (you will pry my remote from my COLD DEAD HANDS), it's not avoidable. Acknowledging that is one of the ways we move towards changing it. What it doesn't have to be is exclusive of also recognizing what's fun, what's entertaining, and what can be made to be fun and entertaining with a bit of a fannish push. It's okay to say both "This show is sometimes problematic for these reasons" and "I love it."
The balance is a tricky one, but for all that fandom often makes me want to bash my head against the nearest hard surface sometimes, I do have faith in us.
I also want to say that while I have little use for things like 'ship wars and character bashing, I do appreciate that fandom has started talking about Big Important Issues and how they relate to us and our shows. Awareness is important and we have a dominant culture that seeds nearly everything we watch with troubling messages and, short of turning off the TV all together (you will pry my remote from my COLD DEAD HANDS), it's not avoidable. Acknowledging that is one of the ways we move towards changing it. What it doesn't have to be is exclusive of also recognizing what's fun, what's entertaining, and what can be made to be fun and entertaining with a bit of a fannish push. It's okay to say both "This show is sometimes problematic for these reasons" and "I love it."
The balance is a tricky one, but for all that fandom often makes me want to bash my head against the nearest hard surface sometimes, I do have faith in us.