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A Trekker is a Star Trek fan, and a Trekkie is someone who insists you call them a Trekker.
— Luke Ski
Leonard Nimoy: Shame on you! You've all forgotten the true meaning of fandom! We should take joy in our loves, not argue about them!
A good fandom is successful by having a diverse community of people who share a mutual interest in the shared object of the fandom, but nevertheless remain mature and sensible enough to tolerate and respect differences of opinion. Most people in fandoms actually are like this.
Then there's Fan Dumb. Fan Dumb is the underbelly, where Serious Business becomes obsession. They are the fans who claim to be the watchdogs of their fandom, but in reality they are more like dogs in the manger. Sometimes literally.
The key characteristics of a Fan Dumb tend to be someone who holds obsessive and even irrational views on the object of their interest, often coupled with an over-developed sense of entitlement and / or victimisation. They usually believe that the very fact that they are a fan of something entitles them to special or exclusive treatment or that they are being persecuted by numerous different parties (the creator, the producers, other fans, etc) because of their fandom. They are nearly always someone who has completely lost perspective on exactly how important or special the show, the fandom and their views on same is in the scheme of things, and don't understand why others don't feel the same as they do. As a result of all of this, they tend to view even polite or minor disagreement with them and their views as a personal attack, which often leads to them adopting an irrationally combative, defensive tone towards others; in discussion, they will usually resort to unrelated ad hominem attacks on others and place value judgments on them, not their arguments — expect snide comments about race, gender, sexual orientation, age, etc.
The end result of all this is someone who believes passionately that they're the champion elite of the fandom, guarding and preserving what makes it special, whilst ultimately contributing little of any actual value to the property or the fandom, even contributing to its ruining in the process. As a general rule of thumb, the phrase " True Fans " (or some variation thereof) being thrown around is an identifying signal that you're dealing with Fan Dumb, particularly if it's being self-applied; the subtext (or text), of course, is "I'm a True Fan, and you're not."
Although a Fan Dumb often holds idiosyncratic views about the show and demonstrates a passionate interest in it, it is important to note that neither controversial views or intense interest are themselves indication of Fan Dumb; differing viewpoints are inevitable in a large gathering of people (and knee-jerk objection to a differing opinion simply because it's a differing opinion is often a good sign that you belong in Fan Dumb yourself), and most people join fandoms in the first place because they're passionate about something and they want to celebrate it with other people who find it special. Many people manage to hold contrary or passionately enthusiastic viewpoints whilst still remaining civil and decent; similarly, many dismissed as Fan Dumb hold views that, on the surface, are actually quite reasonable. The problem with Fan Dumb is not the level of interest or the viewpoint, but the way it is expressed; even a reasonable argument will sound insane if it's being screamed in someone's face.
Taking these fans too seriously is usually a mistake. Although they tend to be louder than the rest of the fanbase combined, they are usually a decided minority in almost every fandom (though they often claim to be a majority). Fan Dumb also tends to suffer from an extreme case of Fan Myopia, regardless of what kind they are; in any variation, they are often intractably convinced that the views of "the fans" (or perhaps more accurately, them) are both more widespread and more mainstream than in fact they are. If you're a producer, then pandering to them is usually a good way to make your show crash and burn. And to add insult to injury, they usually won't be very grateful that you were thinking about them, but will instead start whining about how you made the show crash and burn.
See also Single Issue Wonk. A specific example is Die For Our Ship. Contrast with Fake Posting. And do visit this JournalFen community, dedicated to collecting the most spectacular cases of Fan Dumb. Fan Dumb is a number one contributing factor to both Artist Disillusionment and Fan Disillusionment. Although often a minority, the shrill obnoxiousness of this kind of fan has nevertheless permeated enough people's impressions to construct the stereotype of the Straw Fan. Can be confused easily with a Troll. See also Unpleasable Fanbase and Broken Base.
One last thing: every fandom has Fan Dumb, no matter how much they deny it. Yes, even yours.
One thing after the last thing: Compare and contrast with Hate Dumb.
Common Fan Dumb variants include:
- The Purist: a fan who has an idealised vision of what the show should be and isn’t going to let anything or anyone affect or change that vision... not even the show itself. They tend to react to any changes made in the show’s format with hostility and suspicion. Although often a fan who's been burned by Adaptation Decay or obvious merchandise pandering gone wrong, some just simply don't like change and respond to it with pram-shaking tantrums.
- The Elitist: these fans tend to spring up when the show goes from being a cult favourite to the mainstream. They are often prone to "I judge you if you like..." or "I judge people based on whether they have seen..." They tend to resent the influx of new fans as 'plebs' and 'Johnny-come-latelys' who are infiltrating and bringing down the tone of their previously exclusive, niche little club. As an ego-stroking exercise, they might actually try to set themselves up as an elite and attract any Lickspittles and mimics they can find; alternatively, expect to hear a lot of whining about how the show has 'Sold Out' or 'Gone Commercial', fairly or not.
- The Culture Alien: this fan often seems to have no Willing Suspension Of Disbelief, often leading him to criticize or refuse to accept plots, characters and themes that might be necessary or even essential for that show or genre to function. He often appears to be a member of a Periphery Demographic who cannot or does not wish to accept that the show is not actually aimed directly at him (if at all), and yet resents the fact that it is not actually aimed at him. Therefore, any complaints about how it's not aimed at him are legitimate complaints and considered "Weaknesses".
- The Toxic Critic: often a more noxious and malevolent version of the above, this fan claims upfront to dislike the entire genre, and insist that everything in that genre is the exact same as one thing they dislike. Fandom is confused to why they expect anyone to listen to him and or why they would involve themselves in fandom except as an ego-stroking exercise, usually pulling the Dont Like Dont Read argument. Do not under any circumstances point out any form of fallacy in the Toxic Critic's views, because the Toxic Critic's view of "quality" is very very high, often skewed by a very very sharp Nostalgia Filter, but you should always treat him the way you treat other reviews, and no matter how uneducated they are, all of the criticisms they make are legit, even on stuff they haven't even seen. Individuals genuinely holding these opinions tend to have ulterior motives for talking about them or are extremely jaded, but are otherwise usually assumed to be trolls unless they have known positive opinions about other content.
- The Highbrow Elitist: A fan who is convinced that he is so much more sophisticated and intelligent than those around him. Tends to come in two varieties:
- The Toxic Genius: a fan who seems to believe that the fact that people are disagreeing with his strongly held opinions is not because they have different but equally strongly-held opinions, but because he's just so much smarter than they are that they can’t see that he's correct. The operative term is usually "you just don’t get it" (i.e. "you’re much stupider than I am and thus can’t see why this show is amazing / dreadful"), couched in as patronising and condescending a fashion as possible. This variant can also be found engaging in slightly pretentious (and often wildly off-mark) analysis of the show. Many times the Toxic Genius is often shown as being a single-character-interpreter blind to Alternate Character Interpretation, believing that only their interpretation of the character is correct. (Seen especially in character-heavy works like books, film, and some video games) They will also not allow anyone to view the character any differently.
- The Toxic Visionary: Like the Genius, the Toxic Visionary uses his perceived intelligence as a weapon... except he thinks that he’s smarter than the creators. A self-proclaimed (if falsely-humble) expert on everything, the Visionary is given to long discussions about how the creators clearly don't understand their own show as much as he does, often peppered with phrases such as "I don't like the direction <the creator> is taking <insert series here>," "I may not be an expert on _____, but..." and even, in sufficiently bare-faced examples, outright coming out and saying "I could've written it better," said completely without irony. Like the Critic, they can usually be found picking over the work for Subtext that doesn't exist and overestimating the significance of 'hard' fandom as a whole. Usually an antagonistic variant, a Visionary may once have been the creator’s biggest supporter (with similarly know-it-all defenses of the work) until the creator ended up doing something he didn’t like, in which case all good points were conveniently forgotten. Ironically, they often don't actually have an understanding of how drama works; the Toxic Visionary is often someone who makes incredibly stupid decisions and claims they're all for the best...in their eyes only. Arguably the purest distillation of fan stupidity.
- The Strawstuffer: This fan might express what is a healthy amount of criticism... but ignores the chain of decay, middle management and all those who contribute to decision-making as an explanation to why things go poorly, instead preferring to focus their ire on an easily-named and recognized target regardless of what their involvement in this might have actually been. This target then becomes the subject of blame for all of the things that go wrong with the show, regardless of whether they can reasonably be blamed for it or not. Furthermore, any failings or missteps are subsequently treated not as human error or the kind of slip-ups that any creative may encounter from time to time, but evidence that their target is out to spite them personally (which can lead to some overlap with the Tinfoiler below).
- The Tinfoiler: A more paranoid and tragic version of the Strawstuffer, the Tinfoiler ignores Creative Differences or apathy to figure out why things occur. However, they instead believe that everything they don't like is evidence that the creators are out to intentionally and personally attack them. Reasonably or not, they see slights and attacks everywhere, and blame everything on a vitrolic creator out to attack them personally. This extends to intentional deconstructions of their favourite plots and characters, Creator Breakdowns and characters (especially those the fan identifies with) presented as less than ideal or in an unconventional way. Tinfoilers are usually involved in Periphery Demographics and, more tellingly, Misaimed Fandoms.
- King (or Queen) Customer: This fan thinks that money equals control; having pumped a crapload of money into merchandise related to the fandom, they believe that they now own the fandom and that all creative and executive decisions must be run through them first. This tends to translate to an insanely overdeveloped sense of entitlement; the producers must bow to his every wish, regardless of how impractical or impossible this would be. Obviously, King Customer seems to have a very entitled "The Customer is always right" mentality, and probably knows even less about business than a person who has never taken a business class in their lives. Since it's impossible to ever satisfy his wishes down to the last iota he will inevitably find something to complain about. He is prone to gloating over / complaining about the amount of money he has invested the fandom, with the idea that no one has forced him or continues to force him to buy every single piece of merchandise apparently not occurring to him. Whenever exclusive sweepstakes or promotional events happen, you can bet your bottom that King Customer may be the first one complaining how it should be available to everyone, which may be justified in certain cases, but not for stuff like Collectors Editions or tours. King Customer is also usually one of the leaders of any fandom protest that results from a company issuing a Fanwork Ban, though such a protest can be justified in the case of especially draconian or unreasonable Fanwork Ban by a company. This is the same type of person who will attempt to fight a speeding ticket with the line "My taxes pay your salary!"
- The Old Timer: (Also known as "Methuselah") The Old Timer's been around since the beginning (or a very long time, anyway), and isn't going to let you forget it. They too have an overdeveloped sense of entitlement, but this time it's based on how much time they've invested rather than money, or devotion. Because they’ve stuck with it over the years, they believe that they're far more important to the franchise than these kids and 'Johnny-come-latelys' who have only just arrived, and resent the show changing in any way to include them. They view the franchise through a sharp Nostalgia Filter; the show is never as good as How It Used To Be, and any criticisms raised of the show at / before this point will be viciously rebuffed. Especially long-running properties will attract Old Timers who will resent and attempt to get rid of younger fans who had the misfortune of being born after the property (and they) were. It can also happen to works that are no longer in production (classics) - but still manages to attract younger fans. Essentially, they're the grumpy old men of the fandom constantly complaining about the good old days and shouting at the "young whippersnappers" to "get off their lawn", saying that they're too young to deserve it.
- The Vocal Loyalist: A fan who appears to have nothing in his heart but loathing towards the show... and yet still keeps coming back, often insisting on how loyal they are in the process. Often a fan who's been burned in the past, he nevertheless keeps hanging around purely to complain about how he's been burned. Sometimes, this may be justified in that they're expecting developers to wise up, or because the work is a Long Runner that might change to suit him more the next time a new writer/showrunner takes over, but keep in mind that this is Fan Dumb, and even if it's tailored specifically to his desires, he will be replaced with 95% of the existing Fandom who are now alienated by such a stupid business decision (and in any case, even if the show could improve in future, he doesn't have to keep hanging around banging on about how he currently hates it; he could easily find something else to do until it improves to suit his tastes). The Vocal Loyalist is very fond of announcing that he has been burned once too much and will be leaving, and yet you'll see him come back the next day, or several years later, you will still notice him around, so obviously they're doing something right, since he hasn't packed his bags and left like he said he would dozens of times already. Despite the fact that he does nothing but complain about it, should anything threaten the show's existence (such as a cancellation threat), his will be the loudest voice raised in protest of the cancellation; apparently, he'd rather have something he desperately loathes rather than nothing at all. Basically, for those of you who have worked in a business or public service job, the Vocal Loyalist is, in summary, the type of customer who says they will not be coming back to do business with you, but comes back again and again.
- The Mad Bride/Groom: This fan is more a fan of a specific character than the show, with the series largely being a vehicle to enjoy them. The lack of this character's involvement in the series or characterization going off in another direction than expected often turns this fan into a more personalized version of the Tinfoiler. Tellingly, the fan often has a rather idealized, if not distorted, view of the character. Shippers are heavily associated with these sorts of fans; this can become doubly worrisome if the character they like is involved with another character the fan actually identifies directly with, or if they become involved in a Love Triangle. Contrast with (and sometimes rivals to) The Hate Monger.
- The Hate Monger: The opposite of the above, the Hate Monger possesses a passionate, burning hatred for a particular character that they will never let up on. Not only do they hate the character, however, but they will never allow the character to have fans, and will launch a holy war to try and dissuade people from liking this character. They’re usually prone to the Double Standard, loudly criticising the character for faults that they are more than willing to excuse in characters they like. Shipping again plays a part; it’s common for a Hate Monger to be actively shipping a rival character, which partly explains the venom. Hate Mongers are often created by Hype Backlash against a popular character they think isn't a good one and is undeserving of his popularity.
- The Perfectionist: Like the Purist, the Perfectionist believes there is only one way to do things. However, whereas the Purist is hung up on a particular period, the Perfectionist is consumed with a particular way of enjoying the product; there is only one correct way to play this game, or listen to this music, or watch this film, and that's his way. Anyone who derives enjoyment of the product in a different way is wrong and must be lectured at length as to why they're enjoying it in the wrong way. The Perfectionist is often seen in hating work by simply not giving it a chance, since they may be playing a game or using a piece of software and realize that it's not exactly like their favourite or something they've been playing with for awhile and then deride it as "mindless" while crying for their own preferred level of desirableness.
- The Misplaced Champion: "Fandom — love it or leave it!" Usually a supportive variant, this fan gets a bit too confrontational when it comes to criticism of the object of their fandom. Regardless of how mild or gentle the criticism. Regardless of how valid or reasonable the criticism. Regardless, in some cases, of how even the Word Of God may even agree with the criticism. As such, even saying that you really liked last night's episode but thought that this particular scene was a little bit lame will have him swooping down to berate you for your lack of loyalty and demanding to know why you don't just go and watch something else if you hate the show so much. The number one culprits of Complaining About People Not Liking The Show, tied with the Willfully Blind.
- The Litter-Bearer: Sometimes a fan's frustration towards the Fan Dumb goes full circle and creates its own Fan Dumb. A Litter-Bearer seems to hate his fellow fans to the extent that even valid criticism can be dismissed simply because it's coming from a fan and not an 'approved' source like an outside critic. Convinced of the stupidity and utter worthlessness of their fellow fans, they begin to see things from such a skewed perspective that in their eyes, any disapproval from the fanbase just proves that the creator is right and the show is good. In extreme cases, this can extend to the Litter-Bearer himself, who believes that if he, or any other fan, doesn't like the product, "it's fine the way it is and if we don't like it that's our problem".
- Chicken Little: Chicken Little sees doom in every raindrop, and lives in perpetual terror that the sky is about to come crashing down on top of him. Whilst no show can claim to be entirely perfect and flawless, the Chicken Little is terrified that any misstep on the part of the producers will result in cancellation. While it is, in fact, possible for shows to get worse, Chicken Little responds to every proposed change, every teaser, every trailer and every bit of Kudzu Plot with paranoia.
- Bizarro Chicken Little: Like Chicken Little above, Bizarro Chicken sees the doom of cancellation in every raindrop. However, he operates under the belief that even the tiniest voice of criticism will reach the ears of the Powers That Be, who will immediately cancel the show in the belief that nobody likes it anymore. Ergo, all voices of criticism must be silenced without prejudice in order to keep the show on the air.
- The Willfully Blind: This fan refuses to see any faults in the object of his love at all, even if they're staring him right in the face. Tends to go beyond merely liking something to an irrational state of mind where, because he likes something, that means that it cannot possibly have any faults at all. They also will not realize how other people won't like it, and will likewise tell them they're worthless for not finding it the best thing since sliced bread despite that this mentality can lead to massive Hype Backlash. (Hype Backlash practically has this type of fan plastered all over it) The Willfully Blind is fond of the Quality By Popular Vote line of argument, often insistently referring to ratings or sales figures to support this assertion. If they encounter evidence of a flaw that even they cannot ignore, they are then prone to rationalize it away with the excuse that "it's still better than everything else" or "The rest will make up for it". (Some do not do this, only a subspecies called "The Pardoner" will do this) They will also defend their own fandoms this way, because in their worlds, all of their fellow fans are just like them. When encountered here on TV Tropes, these tend to be fond of chalking any and all criticisms up to an alleged Unpleasable Fanbase, as if that automatically invalidates them. Especially seen in fandoms with "Indie" in it and anything that is affected by the omnipresent Nostalgia Filter.
- The Easily Impressed: These types of fans come in two varieties, the Benign and Malignant forms. The Easily Impressed people will be Exactly What It Says On The Tin, and some people just look for very few things in a show they watch and will be impressed by even shows they find Mediocre as being watchable. This may sound beneficial, but only to the Benign variety as they may often be the Silent Majority who watches a show plagued by Fan Haters who insist they should not be allowed to like it. They may often be aware of what other people think of the show but just ignore them and don't let it impede on them enjoying it. These are not Fan Dumb. The Malignant variety, however, will, like all other kinds of Fan Dumb, will insist they're the real majority of the fandom and believe that everyone else thinks different from them because they are just too picky to enjoy stuff (Which may be true to some extent) and will try and make sure that everyone knows how picky and stuck-up they are to the level of being Fan Haters. Malignant Easily Impressed people may also overlap with the Willfuly Blind and refuse to accept any criticisms towards their fandom or the show they like, and find it because once more, everyone is just too stuck up to enjoy the Fandom, even if they come with legitimate complaints.
- The Insane Avatar: This fan will idolize, nay, see themselves as a character from something they love. Everything associated with said character is something they'd do or should be doing. Everyone who has a slightly different opinion other than the character in question is 'awesome' is wrong. "Those people cannot understand why 'Character X' does those things! How could they?! Only I understand them!" is a common mantra for this fan. This fan will also fight tooth and nail when defending any ships this character is in.
- The Monomaniac is Serious Business taken to the extreme. Nothing outside of the object of the fandom exists for this person, except perhaps the fandom itself. This means that they will attempt to discuss the object of their adoration every single chance they get, often attempting to twist or divert other discussions to this end, regardless of how awkward or nakedly inappropriate this is ("Yeah, it sucks that your father died; I felt exactly the same way when Captain Magnatron failed to defeat the Zargons in Episode 19"). This often leads them to grossly blow the actual significance of the work in a general context quite out of proportion... and, naturally, leads to nothing but contempt for those who aren't quite as committed to the show as they are, or who (gasp) aren't part of the fandom at all — don't they realise how important it is? Naturally, any of the other listed types of Fan Dumb may find themselves ending up here. Unfortunately, this is the way the vast majority of fandom is portrayed in the media.
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