Misaimed Fandom - Television Tropes & Idioms

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
— Mohandas Gandhi

The writer has a vision. They've created a character who represents everything they loathe, and have placed him in a world that satirizes everything they hate about modern society. Bring on the Moral Guardians and Media Watchdogs; he's prepared for controversy!

Only... it doesn't quite work like that. Instead of seeing a loathsome, hateful figure, the audience sees a Woobie who only is the way he is because of his daddy issues, and feel sorry for him instead of hating him... or even find him cute. They take the author's painstaking satire at face-value. The Crapsack World the writer has created is somewhere they think is pretty awesome. They have, in the writer's view, completely missed the point and avoided the subtext that the writer had thought was obvious, only to see the text-text — and they like the text-text.

They've become a Misaimed Fandom. It's around this point that the writer learns exactly how different they are from their fans... and, often, actively begins to hate them.

There are many paths leading to a Misaimed Fandom, but many of them originate from the 'Death Of The Author' theory; the idea that the interpretations of the text agreed with and intended by the creator of the text are not the only valid interpretations of that text. No matter how many times Word Of God states their case, there's always going to be a large portion of the readers who will have their own very different perspective. And they're always going to be able to find something in the text to help their case, whether the author intended it to be there or not. Of course, while fans are open to their own interpretation, that does not mean they are right. The writer's original intention should always be considered first before all others. This doesn't mean that fans have to worship at the writer's feet, but they should at least show him or her the same respect they would show their fellow man or woman (or critic.)

In some cases, the reader may genuinely be seeing something that isn't there, or might not be looking hard enough; if the text isn't read correctly then the interpretation that follows is naturally going to be flawed. The reader might miss some of the more subtle meanings or interpretations. Alternatively, they might read the text too closely, and find symbolism and meaning that the author never intended — especially if the symbolism in question is something quite obscure, that the author may not necessarily be aware of.

Often, however, the fans know full well that their interpretation of the text isn't that of the author's, and may acknowledge what the author was trying to do, but choose their own interpretation anyway. They may be aware that the author is satirizing them and their views, but they're good sports and can appreciate a well-done jab in the ribs, especially if it's not without affection. Furthermore, even the best authors can at times include subtext in the work that wasn't consciously intended; the subconscious can be a powerful influence.

And sometimes the Misaimed Fandom simply comes from the fact that the author's not that good a writer. If a message is poorly communicated to begin with, then of course there's going to be problems when interpreting it. Some authors go for subtlety when when they really should have been a bit more obvious, or try to set up a Strawman Political only to make the strawman's arguments more logical and valid than their hero's. In these cases, the fandom is misaimed because the author's botched the sights on the rifle.

See also Designated Monkey, Draco In Leather Pants, Ensemble Darkhorse, Finagles Law, Strawman Has A Point, and Truffaut Was Right. Compare Isnt It Ironic for more musical examples. Misaimed Fandom is also a frequent cause of Creator Backlash and result of Alternate Character Interpretation. Often, the writer can try and force their interpretation by making the character jump off the Moral Event Horizon. Dis Continuity is a weapon frequently used by the Misaimed Fans to keep their preferred interpretation alive and well. Contrast with Rooting For The Empire, where the fandom knows that these are bad guys they're rooting for, and still support them anyway.

For tropes with misaimed fandoms, see Square Peg Round Trope and Trope Decay.