fandom social situations and the similes which (don't) describe them

One thing I didn't see anyone call out except on fandom wank in the recent spate of concrit debate (kyuuketsukirui and reportedly lavvyan vs lamardeuse and friends) was the wholly inappropriate simile which was the backbone of lamardeuse's post. The essence of it was that it's very simple to see what is unacceptable behaviour in fandom because said behaviour would be unacceptable in a cubicle farm, in relation to an unfamiliar co-worker.

This argument was that the social rules of fandom are obviously congruent with the (postulated, but, as many people did point out, hardly unanimously agreed-upon) social rules of some particular situation in real life. No one actually pointed out, however, that life contains all kinds of social environments, and they all require different social rules.

"How hard is it to simply operate in fandom by the social rules you would use in the office?" might as well for all logical purposes be, "I don't understand why it's so hard for people to use the same rules in fandom as in a drunken sauna party of their five closest friends (it's such a drag to put your pants back on on the way to the toilet)!" or "Obviously we should just use the same social rules in fandom as at a funeral (laughter is universally rude and inappropriate)!"

The manners required by a real life social situation depend on the people there, how well they know each other, how public the place is, why they are there, and any pre-existing formal relationships between them. By this token, the workplace metaphor is actually less appropriate than many others might be:

• Fandom is a large, loosely-connected voluntary free-time group of people who share a hobby, where most connections are friendships and friendly acquaintanceships.


• A workplace is a formalised structure where outside their interpersonal relationships the participants are subject to the imposed formal relationships of their positions in the company; where they are paid to be there and as such don't have much choice about it; where the friendships and friendly acquaintanceships that spring up are generally to pass the time, to make the task pleasanter, or at least sprung from sheer proximity.

A hobby-based club would be a far more appropriate simile for fandom - a sewing or knitting group, a book club, a historical re-enacters group, a folk dance club. Most appropriately of all, it could be compared to a media-based group such as a science fiction club or a creative writing group. Between these latter two examples, I think you'd find that almost all virtual fandom social situations are covered - and the conflict at hand could perhaps fruitfully be defined as a conflict between those who regard it as a club a la an SF Club and those who regard it as a writing group.

mild lifestyle crisis averted

Wax said she wanted to run to town today and I reflexively put on a pair of cargo capri pants and a polo shirt as the lightest short-sleeved shirt in the closet and went to walk the dog. But while I was walking and passively taking in the other people walking by me I realised that I had accidentally dressed up as the people I hated - suburban yuppies, the kind of people who show up in the Stockmann catalog! All I'd've needed would be some sport brand "casual" shoes like Puma mary janes or Nike slides/flip flops or, like organic leather loafers or something, and the illusion would have been complete. So I ran home and hastily changed into the black pleated skirt that I always wear as a Harry Potter costume to HP premieres and a striped tank. And a sparkly vintage flapper necklace. Whew! Crisis averted.

I share this anecdote because it made wax_jism LOL.

anti-liberal hate crime in TN

Gunman kills 2, injures 7 in Tennessee church. A 58-year-old liberal-hating (presumably) nutter in Tennessee entered a Unitarian Universalist church and shot nine people during a children's service. UUs are generally white and middle class, but it's a hippie sort of religion embracing all spriritual/religious beliefs including atheism, founded mostly on social and political liberalism. According to the article his motive is not known, so possibly it's random and not a hate crime, but that seems unlikely when a church is the target.

kansas - metropolis it ain't.

It's sad that, in most of the really awesome arranged marriage Smallville fanfics out there¹, the least believable part, for me, is the idea of gay marriage being legal in Kansas, and not the idea of one of the participants being an alien.

Sad, but politically realistic.

1. Yesterday it was Omiai by toomuchplor, and today it's Red Tape by scribblinlenore, an AU in which Mayor!Lex calls Superman for an emergency meeting to inform him that - are you sitting down? - he's an illegal alien and needs a work permit. Best premise ever, y/y? Or is it just extra funny to me because of how I keep having to reapply for residence permits?