"Y'All Jus' Jellus!" The Scary World of Fandom

[indygirl]

kanding said:

And isn't his hair pretty?

So, so pretty...

[fentonsnakedmom]

Back when I used to lurk on the MTV.com message boards, there was this hugely obsessed Britney Spears fan. She would get banned, then would come back with a new screen name. Not only was she a fan of Britney, but she was a huge Christina basher. She would say stuff like she wished Christina's bio dad would come back and beat her and other horrible stuff. It's okay to not like someone, but to wish abuse on them is beyond classless.

[mostlyharmless]

there was this hugely obsessed Britney Spears fan. She would get banned, then would come back with a new screen name. Not only was she a fan of Britney, but she was a huge Christina basher.

They must be pissed now that Brits career/figure/reputation/life is down the tube and Cristina is doing well!

[luciano]

So . . . someone who attended a charity game that Michael Rosenbaum was at [or something like that] gave him a gift of:

a superman tin that we've [rightfully] dubbed the 'smut box' (because it contained a pocket pussy, wet lube, a whip, Panty Dropper Massage Oil, Everyone Loves a Happy Penis -- Penis Massage Creme, Tit Tarts, Aphrodisiac Chocolates, Kama Sutra Cards, and a purple cockring).

TWoPpers were baffled.

And then there was wank.

I haven't read it all, as I'm still in the "Buh? BUH?!" stage that developed when my brain processed the fact that someone would actually think that giving a gift like that to a stranger [or, you know, almost anybody] was a good idea.

[huntergrayson]

Ohhhhhkaayyy?

Firstly, not even my bestest friend, with whom I have the most random inside jokes (i.e. Field Hockey Pasta & the Domineering Bitch Mother Store, for starters). Granted, she is a girl, but if she gave it to me, I would be in the "what the fuck" zone.

Secondly, I have not ever watched Smallville, nor ever plan to. But I do know that the Rosenbaum love/worship is strong on TWoP. Very, very strong. Incorporated into the recaps and practically considered canon strong. So when that group is saying you have gone too far...yeah, you may have gone too far.

See, it's stuff like this that sparks the ever-eternal debate in my head - are cult/fringe celebs even more a victim of fans or less so (i.e. it may be more intense but in smaller numbers) and if the latter....jesus christ, I can't even fucking imagine what the Brad Pitts of the world have to deal with in fan mail.

[pepper67]

I love how the ones who gave the 'gift' and the ones who are supporting/defending them are saying, "Hey! He likes Playboys! Therefore it's okay to give him vibrators and cockrings!"

Just because you are aware that someone is a sexually active adult doesn't mean you can give them sex aids. ::facepalm:: When was that not common knowledge?

I'd hate to be associated with a bunch of people who think that giving sex toys to a complete stranger is okay.

[luciano]

pepper67 said:

I love how the ones who gave the 'gift' and the ones who are supporting/defending them are saying, "Hey! He likes Playboys! Therefore it's okay to give him vibrators and cockrings!"

And don't forget: "He smokes weed!"

[Libelle]

luciano said:

pepper67 said:

I love how the ones who gave the 'gift' and the ones who are supporting/defending them are saying, "Hey! He likes Playboys! Therefore it's okay to give him vibrators and cockrings!"

And don't forget: "He smokes weed!"

And he curses!

According to one poster at Fandom_wank, somebody gave Michael Rosenbaum a life-size cross-stitch model of his head. Somehow, that seems even creepier than the sex toys to me, probably because it takes much more time and effort.

[slanderous]

See, it's stuff like this that sparks the ever-eternal debate in my head - are cult/fringe celebs even more a victim of fans or less so (i.e. it may be more intense but in smaller numbers) and if the latter....jesus christ, I can't even fucking imagine what the Brad Pitts of the world have to deal with in fan mail.

I think that the crazy is probably spread out a bit more for the Brad Pitts (e.g., grains of sand on a vast sandy beach), and that with superstardom, there are also fewer opportunities for fans to imagine a "real connection" between themselves and their obsessions. I would guess then that the cult status of the Michael Rosenbaums and James Marsters of the world --with the added "umph" of "We are the special fans that recognize true acting genius when we see it!" sentiments-- and their circulation at fan conventions (which is jam on top of their bread-and-butter jobs) make them that much more "available" (in fans' minds) as objects of devotion and pseudo-intimacy.

The sex toys box seems mild in comparison to some of the crazy directed toward Rosenbaum, though I think it's sort of sad/scary that the gifters are hoping he'll mention them in their next interview. I remember reading one woman's frantic messages on TWOP when a massive gift box she sent to him wasn't acknowledged yet a month later. Ooookaayy.

Wow, reading the justifications for the "smut box" at TWOP is frightening. They really think they "know" him!!

[laconicchick]

Well hell, look at Dominic Monaghan and Elijah Wood. That's some prime crazy right there. And yeah, LotR is a huge fandom, but the portion that are fans of those too? Is not so huge. There are a lot compared to other fandoms, I guess, but I think it's fairly concentrated. Plus it's still not really as "mainstream" as Brad Pitt et al.

What about Harry Potter? There's a lot of batshit insane in that fandom too (omg JKR didn't acknowldege my OTP she doesn't know H/Hr like I do I am going to shut down my website and DIE because she is dumb and I know that they are REALLY IN LOVE!!!!!), but it's pretty large as well.