Fandom Elitism and the never-ending discourse that follows.

Fandoms have been around as long as teenage girls have (hello. Don’t check me on that. Take the joke at face value). But, something I’ve noticed in the fandoms I’ve been in is a sneaking, ever-pertinent, elitist mindset silently infiltrating the minds of those within the fandoms. Or, more specifically, a stench of classism.

I don’t mean to call everyone in any fandom classist, no, but I argue that classism is baked into what it means to be in a fandom. I’m sure if you’re reading this (and know what fandoms are), you’ve probably heard the phrase “real fan.” Oh, god, that drives me crazy.

Because what is a “real fan?” When I was posting a lot of content in the Jujutsu Kaisen twitter fandom (jjktwt), I’d get replies on my posts where I showed off my manga collection calling me a “real fan.” I never thought much of it, but it’s inherently demeaning-- no? 

Because, in the mindset of my twitter oomfs, being a “real fan” of something was intimately tied to purchasing media from the franchise. My fanship of this series I loved so dearly was belittled to how much product I could afford. I didn’t want my worth as a fan quantified only through physical means. Anyway, it rubbed me the wrong way.

However, it wasn’t just purchasing items that made someone a “real fan.” When I got really into Adrianne Lenker and Big Thief for a year, subsequently topping any music-tracking charts for both, I’d get dms from out of the blue asking how I did it. I was… listening to the music? What do you mean “how did you do it?” People started being really mean about it- jealous, even. But I didn’t know how what I had done (listening to my favorite artists) was of any value to garner the criticism I did. I then realized there was a subculture within these music communities: charters.

These people battle like hell to get the #1 spot on apps and services like Last.fm and Stats.fm. It means the world to them to have that little #1 next to their name, even if it equates to nothing in the real world. And, often, I’d see “real fan,” “true fan,” or “#1 fan” in their bios. It irked me. 

And hey, I’m not saying that listening to an artist you love is bad. I’m saying that to call yourself better than someone else because you have the time to loop a song on spotify is elitist and harmful to the artists you claim to love. When you scare away fellow fans of something because you can’t step down from a pedestal that only exists in your head, yeah, you’re being a dick. 

My thoughts on this all came together after entering Kpop spaces. I’d been aware of the fanwars and other negative stereotypes regarding Kpop fans before entering the fandom myself, but I was really blown away at what didn’t make its way outside of the fandom. 

People care about charting. A lot. People care about voting. A lot. And people care about companies. For some reason.

And most of all, there is a clear, established hierarchy among fans. I saw the phrase “real/true fan” a hell of a lot in peoples' replies where they’d post about seeing artists live or getting fancalls (facetime calls with the artists themselves). It was not up for question if there was elitism within the fandom. It was very clear, and it was very well respected. Even the people who claimed to hate this kind of culture participated in some way or another, voting in music shows & championing others to loop new releases to artificially boost streams. So, you claim to hate this kind of pressure, but can’t help but engage in it? Got it.

I’m not here to make a fool of these people. Sometimes, you fall so in love with something that you don’t even realize you’re perpetuating the parts of it you hate. I see people realize this a lot too. To quote from my oomf: “obsessing over charts messes with your head” (thanks, Jia. I couldn't have put it better myself). 

Now, when it comes to company stans, sometimes people can’t put morals over their fanship of a company. See LOONA (a 12 member Kpop girl group) circa 2022. While the mass boycotts ended up working and the girls were freed from BBC, their old company, there were a large amount of people championing for the girls to stay under BBC (where they were all being abused) because they preferred the certainty of BBC (who is, again, well documented for abusing the girls and sabotaging them over and over) over the uncertainty of a disbanded LOONA. And while LOONA all won their contracts against BBC and successfully freed themself of that company, the people who championed for them to stay are still around, doing the same for other groups seeking freedom (see: Fifty Fifty, though their case is more complicated) or being abused (see: Maiden).

Back to the classism claim I made earlier- it’s ever pertinent that some of the most popular accounts in Kpop fandom spaces are the users that have seen their favorite artists 100s of times. While, hey, I understand if you can’t afford to see an artist it’s cool to follow someone who can afford to, I also think there’s a lot to be said about giving a rich person a platform and weight to their words purely because of their wealth. You’ll see these accounts often weigh in on matters within the Kpop space, their words often being taken with much more authority than any other stan. But seeing an artist live doesn’t give anyone authority to speak on the inner workings of what the artists go through behind closed doors; you can’t know everything because you’ve seen someone in person. I also don’t like how people who can’t afford to see artists live are seen as lesser fans because of that. There is no such thing as a better fan. If you like something, you should like it because it’s something you care about, not because you’ve got a reputation to uphold. 

To be in a fandom implies you care about the thing you’re in the fandom for. While it’s true there's people within fandom spaces that exist only to agitate, they’re usually very ignorable (or blockable!). Fandoms are much more positive when everyone isn’t at each other's neck debating who likes their idols more. Don’t forget why you’re there in the first place: you’re there because you care enough about something to want to find a community. Be less hateful to the community you’ve found!!

Anyway, Peace and Love. Any fanship of anything is valid and beautiful. Any community you find through fandoms is cherished and cool (really, how awesome is it that anyone can connect with anyone at any time, anywhere?). That’s all. Thanks for reading, or not, maybe you just skimmed to the end. Thanks for that too. Farewell!!!

Edit: I'd like to also include a link to this article, which I've found only after I published this. I think it talks more in depth about elitism (specifically in a music space) with a small emphasis on classism in these spaces (like how young children with access to nicer instruments are raised thinking themselves better than those who were not able to access high-quality instruments as children). If you're interested in what I've discussed here at all, it may be cool to get a more professional perspective on the topic ;)

an excerpt from the linked article above: "The problem with this attitude is not that it's wrong to enjoy more obscure forms of music, or music that's inherently complex; the problem is with denouncing more traditional or accessible forms of music as being unworthy of the listener's time because it's “easy.” Musicians who throw proverbial stones at artists who enjoy or perform more accessible forms of music not only remove themselves from music they may genuinely enjoy (whether or not they admit it), but also dismiss the skills and hard work of musicians who choose to perform more accessible material." 

Or, to restate their conclusion: "The idea that a musician who is well-off and can afford access to the best quality instruments in training - and whose musical taste is hallmarked by obscurity and complexity - is somehow better than other artists in light of these concepts is, frankly, ludicrous." 

Don't be elitist ! Ok. Goodbye (fr this time)