The Toxicity of Fandom

The summer semester has started, I have some new duties at work, and I’m not sure how much more I can take. I know that I just need to suck it up and get through it because honestly, my life is pretty good. That having been said, I really do feel like I’m losing my shit a good chunk of the time. *sigh*

Toxicity & Trek

It all started out innocently enough. My good buddy Ross posted a tweet praising Anson Mount’s performance as Captain Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, specifically a fun subtle moment in the second episode of the season.

Ross Riley @RossRiley13

#StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds That moment when Captain Pike has a gentle laugh at Uhura falling for a prank might be the best comic moment in the long history of #StarTrek well played @ansonmount

🐛 Emma Stefansky 🐛 @stefabsky

I pity anyone who isn't watching star trek strange new worlds https://t.co/7jjaYHLF7g

I couldn’t agree more with Ross. This scene was excellent and so far, Strange New Worlds is an outstanding show and a tremendous addition to the canon of Star Trek. So I replied as such, with what can only be called an innocuous reply.

Dave Brown @OklahomaLefty

@RossRiley13 @ansonmount This show is soooo good!!!!!!!

Someone disagreed. (Shocking, I know.) The disagreement itself is not an issue. We all have opinions and that is a wonderful thing. But instead of making a reasonable comment that simply stated a different opinion, this individual stated his opinions as if they were facts.

Spare Head 3 @hsmjohnston4000

@OklahomaLefty @RossRiley13 This show is such shit and not remotely like Star Trek 😔

And this went on in multiple replies that essentially can be boiled down to the sentiment “back in my day, everything was better” (there were also hints of playing the victim, fear of loss of privilege, lots of anger, some attempts at gaslighting, possibly some racism, and definitely some toxic masculinity). My only response was this, very appropriate, GIF —

Obviously, this is an extremely mild interaction compared with so much of the nastiness that goes down online, but it’s probably the first time that I have experienced it personally. Generally, the ugly comments that have been hurled my way have happened while talking politics, but thankfully I’ve learned to just avoid that kind of stuff.

Here’s my question to those who deal with toxicity in fandom on the regular. How do you deal with it? And, to those who engage in toxic behavior, why? What do you get out of it? Or, do you not even realize how poorly you are behaving?

Trying to engage with people on social media is getting to the point of near impossibility. Especially within various fandoms. Maybe that is one of the reasons why I feel so incredibly distant and detached from the online communities surrounding things like Star Trek and comics. Too many people out there make it just not worth the bother.

Sage Wisdom from The Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama @DalaiLama

We have to remember that each and every one of us is part of humanity. We must be determined to achieve positive change, but also to take a long view of what needs to be done. What is important is not to become demoralized. Optimism leads to success; pessimism leads to defeat.

Tweet of the Week

I swear I don’t live on Twitter. This just happened to be a busy week…

Kayla Braxton @KaylaBraxtonWWE

People who just leave their grocery buggies in random parking spots instead of putting them away should have to spend their entire afterlife only retrieving and returning grocery buggies.

One Band, 5 Songs

Hailing from New Brunswick, NJ, The Gaslight Anthem perfectly mixes elements of punk, college rock, Heartland rock, indie rock, and even '60s soul into a sound that is heartfelt, earnest, raw, and incredibly honest.  The band recently announced a return to full-time status after going on hiatus in 2014.

So…