I've been a member of fandom for over ten years now (and boy, it sure doesn't feel like it's been that long). Over the years, there have been numerous wanks, flame wars, kerfluffles, fails, etc., etc., on a wide variety of subjects, some of which seem to consume the entire online fandom, not just bits and pieces of it. Currently, the issue is warnings. A few months ago, it was race. I usually try to stay fray-adjacent, even when it's an issue I care deeply about. (I really don't like conflict, and fandom is my safe space away from conflict, among other things.) Over the years I've noticed some patterns that I think will be useful to more people than myself.

( First, while people come to fandom for various reasons, they stay because fandom is a safe space for them. )

( Second, every major fail or wank I've ever seen was caused by one basic thing: a failure to recognize when you're stepping on other peoples' issues when those issues are opposing, compounded by a failure of basic courtesy. )

( Let's take the current warnings argument as an example. )

( How to make fandom safe/unsafe )

This entry was originally posted at http://beatrice-otter.dreamwidth.org/139529.html. Please comment there using OpenID.