why fandom culture is so diluted nowadays, and why that's stupid

i know this is going to sound SO goddamn chronically online, but that's okay regarding the topic. it needs to be discussed. this is a kind of hot take but it's definitely a very interesting thing to debate and talk about.

TW FOR SENSITIVE TOPICS. DO NOT CLICK IF YOU ARE PARTICULARLY SQUEAMISH.

fandom purity culture is NOT necessary and harms fandom spaces. just because something is problematic does not give you the right to openly hurt or harass people over it.

here's WHY.

"io? what's fandom purity culture?"

fandom purity culture is the practice of attempting to completely wipe and rid a fandom, whether that be the practices, shipping culture, and/or other fanbase works of all things that could be viewed as problematic. this could also be shunning the main work itself, (for example a media like a TV show or book that heavily depicts sensitive topics in a way some people may not agree with) for the content being portrayed in the first place.

there are THREE main kinds of this. problematic content, problematic creators, and problematic communities.

let me give you an example of each.

SETTING

let's say there was a TV show. there were four main cast members. for convenience we'll call them One, Two, Three, and Four. their character names are Uno, Dos, Tres, and Quatro respectively.

#1 PROBLEMATIC CONTENT

The show has an episode handling the topic of sexual misconduct between Uno and Dos.

OUTCOME A. The topic is handled with care and the fandom does not get harmed.

OUTCOME B. The topic is mishandled and/or romanticized and not portrayed properly, causing the fandom's reputation to take damage in the process (typically not at fault of the fandom itself.) This results in the fans being harassed due to a fault not of their own, especially if they continue to enjoy the work itself.

#2 PROBLEMATIC CREATORS

The show itself seems innocent enough, but Three, who largely influenced the show alongside playing Tres, was outed for talking to minors.

OUTCOME: The fandom is blamed for the heinous actions of the creator, resulting in harassment of those who support the creative work itself even if they do not support the actions of said creator.

#3 PROBLEMATIC COMMUNITIES

The fandom's "bad" side often overwhelms the view of the good side, causing the public's view to be skewed.

I will refer to these as the Three C's.

A fandom can fall under only one, multiple, or even all three. No matter what, though, the view almost always ends up warped to the public, thus causing harrassment towards the fandom as a whole instead of the people causing the issues. You harm one side, you harm it all. People on the 'good' side, whatever that may be, will still be harassed.

If you contribute to the hate of one side, people will think that's okay to do to all of them.

And at the end of the day, nobody deserves that much mental anguish, I fear.

Disagree how you must, the right thing to do in that scenario, is, in the kindest way possible, sybau. Do not interact with people who you don't like. Simple as that. If you don't want them interacting, block them. It makes your life so much easier than to spend all of your time typing up a death threat because you don't like something

Be kind, be courteous, and last of all, be considerate.

-Iodine, signing off.