Delta503 wrote:
I suppose my question is, why is fanfiction the target of a lot of criticism, while speculation about their real lives is often swept under the rug. The self-consciously /fictional/ (lol) nature of fanfiction I think protects it from moral dubiety more so than even this forum. Here we comment without the veil of fiction to protect us, and instead it acts a running commentary on two people’s public and, occasionally, private lives. Now, I’m not trying to spark any sort of crisis in anyone about the morality of posting here; I’ve come to an uneasy truce with my conscience since I feel there is no other space for reasonable criticism of youtube content, plus I have a personal preference for the forum format. However, personally, I find the attempt to ‘prove’ or even ‘deny’ their relationship status based on actual information more troubling and worthy of critical discussion than obviously self-generated imaginative works, like fanfiction and fanart. And that’s backed up by what Dan’s said in the past; even at the height of his 2012 rages, it was not fanfiction that peed him off, but the attempt to dredge up bits of his past. Likewise, Phil hasn’t tried to take down any fanfiction, but he has tried to copyright the timeline. Obviously this isn’t a gg-specific issue, but I think the illusion that this space is separate and underground does make it a good example as a place where this kind of discussion frequently happens.
I've thought about this a lot as well. It is funny how gossip/speculation about people in the public eye's personal lives is so widely accepted yet fanfiction is mostly marginalized & written off as "creepy" by a pretty large portion of humans. I honestly have never really delved into the fanfiction world since it's just not really my thing, but I don't understand the shaming & negativity people throw at it. I can see how fanfiction can be hard to wrap your head around if it is about you or someone you know personally. To me, that's a completely understandable reaction, but fans (or followers) shaming other fans for it just doesn't really make sense to me. It is pretty easy to just ignore fanfiction if it doesn't float your boat; no need to hobbyshame.
I really like the fact that they both seem pretty ok with the idea (Dan more vocally than Phil) & validate it to some degree. It is a healthy outlet for people (not just young girls!).
I enjoy reading D&P theories as much as the next person, but it does irk me a bit when people are completely unable to see the possible merits of an opposing viewpoint or choose to speak in
absolutes. There just are no absolutes; there's only observation, perception, interpretation, etc. Close-mindedness in general bothers the fuck out of me in all aspects of life. I live in the grey & I very rarely do black & white (like the agnostic I am)!
re: Fetishization. I actually see this
less on GG than I do in the great phandom. & for the record, a lot of us middle agers are in the "don't give a fuck" phan shipping boat.
Thank you for the noseporn,
oqua. I've been in need of good distractions since Radiohead on sales are stressing me the fuck out (think TATINOF ticket stress x a billion).
I feel so attacked
