A Rant About Fandom

I recently posted the following on my Facebook timeline...

After I posted, there were several people who jumped on the comment thread and began posting positive remarks. One posted a response I immediately removed from my thread. It went something like this...

"We have the right to complain. It's how we get the studio to change things."

I wish I had kept the original comment, but you get the essence of what was said. So, let me take one point at a time. Look at my original post again, now look at the comment. See any problems? I suggested if the television show, an entertainment, is not to your liking, if it is causing you that much angst, turn it off. Simple.

Streaming services like Paramount+ and Disney+ are putting out a plethora of content in the Star Wars and Star Trek universe I find to be very entertaining and fun. There are things in those shows that may not always jibe with what is considered canon. There are inconsistencies, mistakes, and so on that are not according to canon. So what? I find shows such as Strange New Worlds, and The Book of Boba Fett fun to watch. They are entertaining.

On the rare occasions I do watch television, I'm looking to be entertained, and if I am not, I choose not to watch. I have plenty to do to occupy my time. For me, television is a brain-break. I can take thirty-minutes, or an hour and not think.

Now, let's take the commenter's statements and look at them a little closer.

"We have the right to complain."

Yes, you do. I don't dispute that in the least. We all have the right to complain about anything and everything. Complain all you want. My original post didn't say one single thing about anyone's rights. 

Every day, there is something to complain about. I complain about the dozen times a day my phone rings with spam calls; I complain about the neighborhood dogs that bark constantly day and night every time something moves. I complain about not having enough time in the day to get the things done I want to get done - even when it’s usually my own fault. I just don't do it on social media. Why? Because nobody cares, and even if anyone did care, there's nothing they can do about it. But I have the right to complain, and so do you.

The question is, if you hate it so much, if it is causing you enough pain you feel you must take to the internet and shout it to the entire world, why? If it is a television show bothering you and making you so angry, why not stop watching?

Here's an analogy that may illustrate my point of view.

Let's say I go to the grocery store shopping for cookies. I see there are some I like and some I don't. Next to each other on the shelf are Oreos and Nutter Butter cookies. I like Oreos. When A package of Oreos come in the house, I can guarantee they will not last long. I do not like Nutter Butter cookies. So, I buy the Oreos and leave the Nutter Butters on the shelf. Logical? No one is making me buy Nutter Butters.

If there was a cookie fandom, I would have to stand there at the shelf and tell all my fellow shoppers how much I hate Nutter Butters.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but I hate Nutter Butters!"

"Hey sir, did you know I hate Nutter Butters?"

Or I can stand and holler at the top of my lungs, "I HATE NUTTER BUTTERS!" so everyone in the place hears me.

Maybe I can complain to the manager, and he will just say, "so don't buy them," and walk away shaking his head because I have shown myself to be the nutter.

I don't like them, so I don't buy them. It is my right not to consume products I don't like.

Are there Star Trek and Star Wars shows I don't watch? Yes, there are. 

Which ones? That's my business and you really don't care. Why don't I like them? That's my business and you really don't care. Do I watch them anyway? No.

Now, to the question of complaints effecting change. It ain't gonna happen.

Complain all you want on social media. I honestly don't think the executives at the studios are paying attention. Obviously, they aren’t because they keep making content triggering negative responses from fandom. Why are they doing this?

It's all about money in their pockets. People are subscribing to their service, people are watching the shows, they are making money. Seems like a simple enough equation.

Do you honestly believe that on the morning after an episode is released, the suits all sit around the table and think about what some guy in the middle of Nebraska says about their show on Facebook? I got news for you; they don't. They are looking at the numbers of subscribers who are viewing and pitching that to their advertisers to get them to continue sponsoring the show, in most cases.

Why are you tuning in? Is it to be entertained or is it so you can rant with your friends at the coffee shop, or around the drinking fountain at work, or so you can pick it apart and complain on Facebook?

Let's return to the cookie analogy. 

Assume I post a statement on Facebook saying: "I hate Nutter Butter Cookies. Why do they even make them? They are horrible and I cannot Stand them." Then I follow with all the reasons I find them disgusting. I will get responses from several people who agree with me, and some who don't, and those who think I'm stupid because they love them. Okay, so I've trashed a product I don't like. Some agree with me, but I don't think the execs at Nabisco are going to stop production because of it. As a matter of fact, I know they won't.

The execs at Nabisco are going to meet and look at the market numbers. They will see how many thousands of packages of cookies they are selling, and if they are selling, they will continue producing.

Now, let's assume, the execs look at their market analysis and see that no Nutter Butters have been sold for a long time. You will no longer see them on the shelves because no one is buying them.

If you want to effect change in the television shows you watch, stop watching. Unsubscribe from the service. Maybe even send an email or letter to the company telling them why you aren't watching. If enough people do that, there might be change, but it's going to take a lot of people doing those things to make a difference. That's just the way it is, and the way it will continue to be. Big companies pay a lot of money for market analysis, and have been doing so for a long, long time, and they trust their numbers. Not the opinions of a few malcontent fans.

Fandom has become toxic and worthless. It is a negative term meaning the opposite of what it should be. It has become something where the words "I Hate..." has become the mantra. There are complainers, nay-sayers, illogical arguments, and negativity everywhere. And it's all over nothing more than an entertainment. There are even death threats to people who are just doing their jobs! Death Threats? Come on!

Have you noticed that even celebrities are getting into the act? William Shatner has supposedly said that "Roddenberry is turning over in his grave" over the recent Star Trek iterations, and people from the cast of one show answered with a statement of their own. 

Aren't there more important things going on that would deserve that sort of attention? I can think of a few dozen things more worthy of attention than bashing an entertainment.

As far as fandom is concerned, I choose not to take part.

If I start reading a book I don't like, I probably won't finish reading it. I won't review it. Someone somewhere probably loves it and who am I to trash someone's work?

If I watch a television show and I don't like it, I turn it off and don't watch anymore.

If I don't like a movie, I leave the theater or turn it off.

Life is hard enough without adding more angst on purpose.

As I was growing up, I heard over and over, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything." It seems now it is different, more like, "If you don't have something nice to say, say it anyway." Is it fun to hurt people? Is it fun to get into arguments where people become mortal enemies? Do you feel better when you make someone else feel bad?

I was asked why I deleted the statement from the person I mentioned at the beginning of this. It's very simple. It had nothing to do with my original question, which was, "If you hate it so much, why don't you just turn it off?"

Social media can be a wonderful thing. It allows people to instantly be in touch with friends and family far away. It allows one to talk about their successes and get recognition from others for their accomplishments. It can help lonely people stay in touch with others and be less lonely.

But it can also be a toxic place.

David Gerrold once posted the rules for how he runs his social media outlets. He called his Facebook page his "electronic living room." All are welcome, but you are expected to behave, or you will be invited to leave - forcefully, if necessary. I like that.

If I post something on Facebook, your comment should be to the point and logical. If it is irrelevant, it will be removed. If you disagree with something I posted, just keep scrolling. The other option is to comment on your own timeline. I promise, if I see it, I won't give it another thought as I scroll to the next thread. I have plenty of weapons to deal with those who irritate me. I have the delete button, the block, the unfollow, and the unfriend. You have the same option I do.

So, in conclusion, I still don't have an answer to the original question. I probably never will, and the toxicity will continue, despite what I wrote here.

Oh, and by the way, I don't actually hate Nutter Butters. I've never even tried one. Maybe I'll go out and buy a package. Will I like them or not? Trust me when I tell you, you'll never know.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

 

Time Off By John Shoberg - A Vacation Through The Galaxy Is Not All The Hero Is In For!

Time Off by John Shoberg

Looking at the cover of Time Off doesn’t reflect what is inside the book itself. On the cover we see someone in a spacesuit floating above a planet. Everything looks tranquil and happy which is the way it is supposed to be when one takes an interstellar vacation aboard a space going cruise ship, right? Well, it is not so for the main character of this novel, one Mr. Ed Tanner, a stressed out veteran of the SEALs. Ed works as a consultant for a company related to the military and when his boss notices that his stress level is rising beyond healthy levels, he sends Ed on vacation. Ed decides that he has enough stashed away to take a jaunt aboard a luxury liner where he expects to travel around the galaxy relax, enjoy being waited upon, and visit some exotic places. Further, Ed is plagued with something that might be taken for PTSD as he has bad dreams that wake him in the middle of the night. He dreams of a mistake he made as a sniper in the SEALs. What he doesn’t know is that the dreams and memories are false.

Ed’s cruise is anything but peaceful; even before he boards the ship, an attempt is made on his life and this is where the nonstop action begins in Time Off. Another thing that he doesn’t know is that there is a sinister plot to develop a device that is supposed to be beneficial to everyone but can also be perverted into a weapon of mass destruction that will end everything.

When our hero is finally allowed to settle down aboard the ship, he meets new people, and even friends that he has known for a while, just like one is supposed to when on board a ship. But it seems that someone is determined to ruin his time off and they do manage to make things quite uncomfortable as his cabin is broken into, bugged and his belongings disappear. Not to mention that equipment he is to use for EVA excursions is sabotaged. As he confronts people that he finds responsible for these acts, he seems to be debilitated because everytime he confronts someone, he becomes violently ill and is unable to act, so he can barely defend himself.

I know John Shoberg, the author of this story, and it reflects the kind of person that he is. One thing about John is that he never seems to sit idle, and Time Off definitely does not slow down. The action in the book is ongoing from the beginning to then end and I found that I was engaged all the way through. Every now and then, as I read this book, I found that I needed to take a break for a short time because it moves so fast. Another thing I will share about John is that he appreciates when an author shows the reader a story as opposed to just telling a story. In this, John has succeeded in this his first published novel. His descriptions of the action, people, places, and things unfold much as a movie would on the screen.

What appealed to me most about Time Off is the cast of supporting characters that the author included in this volume. I absolutely loved the holographic detective that appeared, and disappeared as time went on because he was a very noir-like relentless gumshoe type who may not have said much, but spoke volumes by what wasn’t said. The ship’s captain was also an interesting character as he tended to be another antagonist to Ed, blaming him for everything that was happening on board his liner, not realizing that Ed was actually being made a victim. It made for a very ironic situation.

What is also interesting in this book is how it shifts from taking place on a cruise ship and turns into a military operation designed to shutdown the big antagonist of the story. John has never served in the military, but one gets an impression that he is well read in the military story genre. The ending of the story picks up the pace even more than the matter before and paints a picture of something far more serious.

In any case, Time Off is a fun romp and a roller coaster ride set in a future that John makes seem plausible as his characters move comfortably through it. It is a fast read that never strays from the plot. I wouldn't tag Time Off as hard sci-fi, but it is easy to read and moves at a pace with will hold a reader’s attention.

As I mentioned above, John Shoberg is not one to stand idle and let grass grow under his feet. He is active on the convention circuit as a panelist and teacher, quite knowledgeable in the area of costume building and how to organize activities. He is an active member of the Klingon Assault Group, and the 501st Legion.  If you are in Florida where he lives you may see him as a stormtrooper, or even as Darth Vader in parades and perhaps elsewhere. John is also one of three hosts (I am another) on Bound By Honor: The Klingon Book Review Podcast available at KAG.org/podcast, and he also has appeared on many other podcasts discussing various aspects of Klingon Culture, activities, and costuming.

Well, there it is…

Qapla’!

Edited by Benjamin Arrowood