Friday, January 17, 2020

Fandom Friday: Why are Star Wars fans so angry?


Happy Friday!

I wanted to talk about a topic that's not so happy, angry Star Wars fans. I don't know why the Star Wars sequel trilogy stirred up so much anger in some fans. However, it's not just the sequel trilogy that have invoked anger but the franchise itself. So many fans seem to be angry over the littlest things and it's truly mind-boggling the amount of hatred that was and still is directed at the movies, shows, characters, actors, directors, etc. I have seen where some fans have accused Disney of ruining the franchise and had even started petitions to change the movies as well as boycotted the films. It's a weird sort of entitlement that has these fans feeling like they own the product and it makes me wonder if these are some of the same fans who harassed George Lucas about the prequel trilogy to the point that it probably factored into him selling the series to Disney.

It's disappointing that fans have taken being a fan to such extremes. Just because we love something that doesn't mean we own it or it gives us permission to attack others when a movie, TV show, book, etc. doesn't turn out the way we want it to be. I don't understand why so many Star Wars fans are angry all the time it's causing them to stop enjoying the things they once loved. I think it's okay to question things or hope for a certain outcome but when things are different that doesn't mean it's bad or you start boycotting. It just means the writers, directors, etc. decided to go in a different direction than what we thought might happen.

Being a fan shouldn't have you angry and on edge ready to lash out at any given moment when your favorite fandom is mentioned or thought of. I hope that anger will not continue to be equivalent with being a Star Wars fan because fandom should be a fun experience not something that makes you miserable.

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