Over the Edge: the Zealots of Fandom

[codename:v]

A few whiles back then, I did read about Micheal Bay, the director for this upcoming Transformers movie this summer getting death threats from fanatical G1 fans and he's kinda freaked out. Fortunately, he didn't make a big fuss out of it by reporting to the authorities and went on carriying out his job-to see the movie making finished.
In this situation, it occured to me that is similiar to Salman Rushdie, a british author (who got knighted recently) who still has a price on his head by the Iranian religious order for his book-the Satanic Verses. Then, I have a question here: Since when fandoms transformed from normal, easygoing fanclubs into overzealous cults?
To me, in a fanclub, we share something that we like most whether entertainment, hobbies, literatures, vehicles etc and based on what we have in common, we gather together as a group or community and develop a sense of brotherhood regardless of races and religions. Zealots are most likely to occur if one becomes obsessed over it as everyone has a different degree of fan level in them. When all these zealots gathered together, they become a cult and it could spread just like wild fire.
A zealot would tend to be very sensitive to any remarks made towards what he/she idolised the most and normally would resorted in angry outbursts to any remarks. What more, their social circle would be rather limited to of their kind and they would have problem when it comes to mixing with other people. Worse of all, they would be seen as outcasts by other people, one grim example was the Trenchcoat Mafias' back in the Columbine high school shooting spree...
So my point is, taking your level of fondness over something to an over-obsessive rate can be very unhealthy, mentally or phsysically. There is a whole world out there and a little discovery can be really fascinating. Peace.

[Mwulf]

I think an anonymous fan is substantially less of a threat than an autocratic government with strong ties to various terrorist organizations.

They're nowhere even close to each other for any kind of comparison. Also, you're touching on some politics here. People hate politics like they hate plague 'round here.

[Antares]

I second Mwulf. I can only see any sort of connection between Rushdie and Bay if I really, really try to simplify it. But I am steering otherwise clear of that analogy.
Can you give a source for the death threats he has received (article, net or otherwise)? I wouldn't pin the blame necessarily on fandom as such; there is a world of people with different kinds of problems out there, and this might be just one way it manifests. There are quite a few books out there on fandom though, and they do touch upon this subject as well.

[mutantshark]

So bascically you're saying that fundamentalist muslims are somehow 'fans' of Islam, in the same way that someone can be obessesed with giant transforming robots? Theres a vague connection there I suppose...

But, steering clear of politics and religion, I think that most overzealous fans are generally just harmless - highly irritating, but harmless. The only ones you really need to worry about are those with serious mental disorders, and they tend to be problems anyway, regardless of any pop-cultural fandom.

[ShadowCell]

Yeah, kindly steer away from the politics and religion, please. One or the other is bad enough on a forum, but combining both is disaster.

[Xess]

ME: (Wingnut) Unneeded parts removed. Don't make that kind of change to someone's post again. This isn't 4chan.

As for the topic, the worst part of any fandom is the fans. Far too many screaming 15 year-olds with a deep lack of brains infest all fandoms. It's rare to find places where intelligent discussion of a fandom can take place without being overwhelmed by idiotic fanpeople. For an example just look at Comic Book Retards, I mean Resources.

[Wingnut]

As for the topic, the worst part of any fandom is the fans. Far too many screaming 15 year-olds with a deep lack of brains infest all fandoms. It's rare to find places where intelligent discussion of a fandom can take place without being overwhelmed by idiotic fanpeople. For an example just look at Comic Book Retards, I mean Resources.

It is indeed a double edged sword if ever there was one.
On one hand, a group of fans can end up being the best thing that ever happened to a fandom, where another group can just as easily drag it down through the sewer.

[codename:v]

First of all, thanks for the comments, guys. I guess I have to clarify things here a bit...
Although I don't have issues with overzealous fandoms as most of the time, they were harmless in anyways. But when I heard Micheal Bay received deaththreats from some hardcore transformer fans, it just sort of makes me disgust and a question popped out of my head, since when toy fandoms turned into a hooligan community?
Honestly, I couldn't help seeing hardcore fans threatening Bay's life as similiar to WHO I mentioned above. Also, I didn't drag religions and politics into this little discussion, I'm just pointing out the similiarities.
Such extremists are disgraces to something that is harmless and enjoyable, be it toys, musics or sports. The fact still remains that people do go over the edge sometimes and do something stupid. Peace.

[Krogoth255]

WTF does Michael Bay have to worry about "death-threats" of 40 year-old, basement-living virgins?

It is known from the start that Live-Action move will be different from the start. There are tons of different cannons of the Transformations franchise. If you were to include the Japanese-only releases. I don't see the fanboys giving those series that much flak.

G1 is still around and you can order them on DVDs so that your kids can enjoy them.

[wing zero alpha]

To tell the truth, death threats to directors has been a long standing "tradition" when it comes to fanbases. I know Hideaki Anno of Evangelion fame got a large number of them, which was one of the driving forces to his making End of Eva, and I'm sure people like Tomino, Fukuda and George Lucas got a good number over the years ("MEESA GOIN' TO KILL YOOOOUUU!!!").

Generally it's bullshit, as you rarely get people screwed up enough that are willing to kill over a piece of fiction, not counting the resources they'd have to spend in order to do it. Unfortunately though, it comes with the job title of running a major franchise. IF something screws up you're the first to blame, and if you try to take it all into a new direction, people take offense because it doesn't fit the traditional standpoint. I hate fanbases for that kind of reasoning.

WTF does Michael Bay have to worry about "death-threats" of 40 year-old, basement-living virgins?

Death threats are death threats. Legit or not, it's still pretty disturbing when so many people hate your guts to that degree over something trivial.

It is known from the start that Live-Action move will be different from the start. There are tons of different cannons of the Transformations franchise. If you were to include the Japanese-only releases. I don't see the fanboys giving those series that much flak.

Obviously you weren't around when either Robots in Disguise or Armada first came out; they got trashed upon by the same fundamentalists. Reasons varied from the Japanese animation to Megatron "having a stag beetle for a head". The reason you don't hear bashing on them anymore is, like Turn A or SEED, the public has long since grown used to those series and moved onto other ventures.

[solid snake]

A few whiles back then, I did read about Micheal Bay, the director for this upcoming Transformers movie this summer getting death threats from fanatical G1 fans.

Yeah, I've seen plenty of stuff on 4Chan that says things like "Michael Bay destroyes our childhood!"

[Antares]

solid snake said:

Yeah, I've seen plenty of stuff on 4Chan that says things like "Michael Bay destroyes our childhood!"

Yeah maybe they will /b/lockade the opening night with afros. Some things you just learn live with that's on the Internets. It's stupid but I would argue ultimately rather harmless.

wza said:

George Lucas got a good number over the years ("MEESA GOIN' TO KILL YOOOOUUU!!!")

Hey. Some people may have it coming. In the end however the best payback was not buy a single piece of SW media/merchandise ever again. And honestly, as I've seen all three "prequels", I consider my money much better spent elsewhere. And I didn't do it because Lucas "betrayed" me, but because the movies blowed. Simple boycotting seems to be a tool people overlook when they don't like something and go directly for the letters-cut-from-magazines-glued-onto-paper -approach.

Maybe the question in the case of Transformers is not as much how well something turns into a movie, but whether it should be turned into a movie in general. this is rarely done out of any genuine desire to reinvent the concept but to use a concept that's well-known to hammer some more money in. In that case I can understand when fans get a little wexed (note that I said little, which doesn't include deaththreats), especially when it is blatant (not saying it is the case here; haven't seen the movie yet to judge if they've made a serious effot). But that's just the way the entertainment market works.

EDIT: Remembered something about the new "direction" of marketing, which is set to involve active viewer participation (e.g. through the Net) well in beforehand to get the buzz and hype up, and make people feel like they have an emotional stake in the matter. I wonder how these people who get emotionally involved but in a negative way fit into it.

[wing zero alpha]

Hey. Some people may have it coming. In the end however the best payback was not buy a single piece of SW media/merchandise ever again. And honestly, as I've seen all three "prequels", I consider my money much better spent elsewhere. And I didn't do it because Lucas "betrayed" me, but because the movies blowed. Simple boycotting seems to be a tool people overlook when they don't like something and go directly for the letters-cut-from-magazines-glued-onto-paper -approach.

I don't care how bad Jar Jar Binks was, it doesn't warrant threats on Lucas' life, legit or not. On the idea of boycotting, I don't see how that works either; even if the prequels weren't the best, Star Wars is Star Wars, and people are going to spend lots of money on it. So really you're better off just buying the Star Wars merchandise you like and ignoring the rest, since you're limiting yourself more than you are Lucas.

But I digress, this isn't about Star Wars, so back to "Eternal Virgins Threaten Life of Controversial Director".

[Krogoth255]

To tell the truth, death threats to directors has been a long standing "tradition" when it comes to fanbases. I know Hideaki Anno of Evangelion fame got a large number of them, which was one of the driving forces to his making End of Eva, and I'm sure people like Tomino, Fukuda and George Lucas got a good number over the years ("MEESA GOIN' TO KILL YOOOOUUU!!!").

Generally it's ZOINKS, as you rarely get people screwed up enough that are willing to kill over a piece of fiction, not counting the resources they'd have to spend in order to do it. Unfortunately though, it comes with the job title of running a major franchise. IF something screws up you're the first to blame, and if you try to take it all into a new direction, people take offense because it doesn't fit the traditional standpoint. I hate fanbases for that kind of reasoning.

WTF does Michael Bay have to worry about "death-threats" of 40 year-old, basement-living virgins?

Death threats are death threats. Legit or not, it's still pretty disturbing when so many people hate your guts to that degree over something trivial.

It is known from the start that Live-Action move will be different from the start. There are tons of different cannons of the Transformations franchise. If you were to include the Japanese-only releases. I don't see the fanboys giving those series that much flak.

Obviously you weren't around when either Robots in Disguise or Armada first came out; they got trashed upon by the same fundamentalists. Reasons varied from the Japanese animation to Megatron "having a stag beetle for a head". The reason you don't hear bashing on them anymore is, like Turn A or SEED, the public has long since grown used to those series and moved onto other ventures.

Wow, those fanboys will so love the "Headmasters", "Neo-Beast Wars" and "Beast Wars II" canons.

I never really got into Robots in Disguise. It was clearly different from the previous universes. I suspect most of the flak was from English translation of character names. Optimus Prime was supposed to be Fire Convoy. Galavtron was supposed to something else etc.

I thought Armada did a nice job of paying homage to G1/G2 The whole mini-cons concept stemmed from "Pokemon" craze of the late 90s. IMO, they weren't as bad as Headmasters.

Energon and Galaxy Force were interesting variations that considered to be "New G2".

[wing zero alpha]

Wow, those fanboys will so love the "Headmasters", "Neo-Beast Wars" and "Beast Wars II" canons.

Most of them didn't even like the first Beast Wars, let alone whatever the Japanese spawned out of it.