(no subject)

[petronia]

There was something *really* ranty here for about 5 seconds. Gone now, though.

People will rant - people I like and have been acquainted with / read for ages, in case you think my brain was eaten by aliens today - and I'm not bugged by that so much as I'm bugged by... how to put it? No one ever rants back. ^^; No one ever says, hey, so what if I haven't beaten the final boss or watched the subbed tape. That doesn't necessarily make me stupid. I'm enjoying it too, just not the same way as you are.

Or if they say it, the articulate and discerning people who write the first kind of rant don't take them seriously. They *do* tend to be fluffy l33t-using fangirls, true, so it doesn't always come across as the apogee of intellectual thought.

I'm bothered at a very deep non-fandom level when I'm involved in a debate that's overly one-sided.

(Has to do - this is not an overly-dramatic metaphor for the current question, merely a note on my individual psychological makeup - with being born in a Communist country.)

So, she says with heavy irony, I appointed myself Voltaire for the day. And may continue to do so at intervals in the future, if only to ensure the other POV gets heard.

Comments

[fyredancer.livejournal.com]

I'll gleefully argue the other side, if you want.

I'm a fence-sitter. I'm perfectly capable of seeing both sides.W

[jokersama.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my impression had been that Tay and I were arguing opposite sides. ;;^^

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I knew that. I... uh... I think I started talking in Tay's lj, then realised I should be posting whatever it was in Kris's. So I did. ^^;;

[worldserpent.livejournal.com]

Understand what you're saying here, about the whole rant issue. I too don't like one sided debates too much either, not for deep reasons, because they aren't as much fun. That's sort of why I quit complaining about badfic, simply because I've seen it all, and I'm burned out of fanfiction anyway. Also because I'm not into HPfic, and it's been so long since I read any good anime/manga fics for my preferred titles that I've pretty much given up on enjoying fanfic period.

As for why people are so angry, in case you were wondering, it's because, as best as I can articulate it, the concept of the dignity of the text. Basically, to simply use something for an unintended use seems to be, in some obscure way, a violation of the implied contract between author and reader, or a criticism of the way s/he wrote it. The super-utilitarian, intentionally iconoclastic pose of those articles, I don't doubt, was guaranteed to upset the majority of folks who feel radical uses of games/books/whatever are a coded dissing of either the work or its author.

[koanju.livejournal.com]

I've been following the debate a bit regarding the most recent Aesthe post, but not really actively participating. That takes energy and some modicum of rational thought, neither of which are in great supply these days. ^_-

Basically, I want to address two points, both from this and previous posts. As for the gaming article, I can understand Kris's ire, in a sense. Because the article represents the stereotype within the larger gaming community. It's an A + B = C equation for most people: simply because you like yaoi and you like games you are therefore only playing the games for the gay pretty boys. While it's true in some cases, the larger majority of female gamers (that I know) play the games for the games and nothing else. And then when you see an article that endorses that stereotype and then tells people to run with it, from a community that's large enough to:

a. have a wide variety of readers
b. be respected and well-known
c. influence other people

It can be irritating. I do give them credit that the article wasn't misrepresenting itself in any way: it was a review of the gay in games and nothing less. But it doesn't stop me from wishing that they knew better already.

(Note, this idea of stereotyping works both ways, really. There's a reason Tecmo's XBox game DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball sells.)

On the second front, fanfiction. I do a lot of ranting and raving and frothing about that, so I suppose I should explain why it bothers me. Or explain as much as I can explain. I'll freely admit that a good portion of my irritation is irrational temper (most likely caused by "My God! They're not writing it the way I want it to be written!).

But a larger portion of the irritation comes from having high standards. Why I don't expect any fanfiction writer to be Shakespeare (and would be surprised if they were), there are basic standards of readability (spelling, grammar, having a plot, etc) that people simply don't adhere to. The sort of things that would earn you a failing grade in a junior high English class. That irritates me to no end. What's the point of writing, and more specifically publishing, if no one else can read the blasted thing?

Some would argue that writing is a solitary act. I wouldn't. Writing can be a solitary act. But as soon as you involve other people, whether by editing or publishing, it's become a community work. It's public. If you're writing for yourself, you're not publishing.

Most days bad fanfic doesn't bother me. Like iwaki pointed out, it's a kink. Most days I enjoy reading it, bad fanfic amuses me. But that doesn't mean that I think what makes those fics "bad" in my opinion should become standard. So I speak out against it. Which leads to the frothing at the mouth.

That and I enjoy being contrary, especially if it sparks debate. I find that intensely invigorating and just plain fun.