[TL;DR ? Nothing Here, I made so many fallacies that not reading this would be the preferred choice.]
Anything that becomes too big a presence online becomes the target of such hostility, with many ?spoiling for a fight. This has gone on for as far back as 35500 B.E. (Before Internet.)
Long before the information age, men fought and accused each other, there was much general distrust and unflattering accusations of misappropriate behaviour.
Fandoms as a whole have a taint of stigmatism about them, no matter how minor it may be will cause a kneejerk response, an implicitly aggressive one.
All fandoms have those few spoiled apples. ?One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.?
The sorts of people whose unhealthy obsession causes shame and embarrassment in others by association. In others, it will cause them to cringe.
Using phrase and terms like: ?Innocence proves nothing,??HERESY!? ?EXTRA HERESY!? ?BURN THE HERETIC,? ?FOR THE GLORY OF THE IMPERIUM!? and other such delightful turns of phrase that becomes a mnemonic reflex to the point of euphoric 15th centaury ?witch-hunt? driven fervour, not unlike sanctimonious, self-righteous condescension, only much more fun. A feeling of scornful contempt towards things? anything really.
[Anyone who disagrees should get into their groups of friends and play a fun game of accusing others of heresy. You will find even the most introverted otherwise stoic people become as affluent and sinister as Archdeacon Claude Frollo. Heck, any game not unlike the Mafia (party game), etc. Will foster an immediate sense of camaraderie and community. Retorting to any remark with the phrase ?blasphemy? and ?heresy? is infectious fun. (Or maybe that?s just me.)]
There are those who find camaraderie when they share a common hatred (and other mutually shared interests notwithstanding.) It is in this temper that they find the magic? of friendship.
*Deliberate pun.*
There is a cruel joy to be had at the expense of others, accusing them of being debauched, depraved, dissolute, degenerate and other words starting with ?D.?
Not sure where I was going with that, changing my post?s topic.
The pilots are using an allusion to a show. ?My little Pilot: Flying is Magic.?
Such a reference can easily be dismissed as a send-up, satire. Or by an overt stretch, plausible deniability.
Now for fun I will suggest that the progenitor of the show sighed/struck a Faustian pact to ensure that the show would be well received. As always with such infernal bargains always come with a terrible price by way of wording. That the show will be well received, but by whom?
There is much to be said about: ?people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.?
As has been stated on numerous occasions in this thread.
We are all Nerds/Geeks/Weirdos here:
Look at how the media portrays us as ?gamers.? As childish-foaming-mad-violent-hoodlums!
Yet no one here would claim to identify as such, especially those dubious claims of being involved with public shootings.
Who here would claim that by virtue of playing videogames that they are misogynists?
We all ride on a bandwagon, and rundown anyone that gets to close. We all have an immediate dislike to any minority that gets vocal. We all call foul of threats that do not exist.
To those whose insult fails to cause a reaction, falling on death ears is one that is wasted.
For the gentleman who made his honest displeasure of that community to be known to others. Unlike others, he isn?t trolling. These last four years of escalation has made him incredibly uncomfortable to the point that he feels like the only sane man in a mad world.
He is predisposed to viewing this in the most pessimistic light. A probable outcome if the conditions where an even split between: accepting, neutral or adverse.
This is a man who has been driven to the edge, and needs help from a supporting community:
Arguing with someone who is angry will make them more angry.
Attempts to appeal to them based on formal discourse will make the applicant sound smug.
Attempting to settle him down by way of compromise will make the negotiator sound like an apologist of the most disputed sort.
No that is not grounds for a stealth conversion/assimilation/invitation, if your being nice just so that he can see ?the light,? ?the magic of friendship,? then its rendered moot. Showing him an image of what he perceives as a threat consorting with what he holds dear is going to, and has aggravated the situation. The situation being that he perceives it as an intrusive and destructive phenomena.
There is no point in hating him, cautious optimism and hugs, yes?
Or you can just tell him to deal with it. But that would only perpetuate the grimdark.
Or maybe it?s all hyperbole and he is responding as such because he is getting enjoyment from so many people going to the effort of defending something. In that case I?ve been duped.
Any fandom can be easily portrayed as something of a creepypasta story. NO fandom is free from suspicion. Nothing is sacred, comedy is always at someone?s expense (even if it?s your own.)
