As a rule, I don’t argue with strangers online. Often they lack the range, and while I have a lot of it, I find that there are better uses of my time. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when I want to put my rules aside and go at it. Especially when it comes to the latest issues plaguing our society (and by society, I mean the media discussion spaces online.)
This comes up most often for me in the fandom spaces discussing why a certain piece of media is bad. Usually, it’s because the characters are bad, the story is bad, bad actions are occurring, or several other issues. While most people would usually not engage further with a story they did not like, a certain subset of fans or anti-fans continuously engage. They’re creating content about why it’s awful and disparaging people who like said media, and it becomes almost a contest to see who can trash the media and its fandom the most.
In my circles, I see this often with the popular BL manhwa Jinx. Created by Mingwa, Jinx is about a physical therapist named Kim Dan who is truly down on luck. He starts treating MMA fighter Joo Jae-kyung, who is literally the worst. This series is highly polarizing. People either love it or hate it. I’m not here to discuss or convince you of the merits of Jinx. If it’s for you, it’s for you, and if it’s not, that’s completely valid. The story itself, like many romance stories (not limited to BL, manga, or manhwa) contains a lot of elements that are unsavory.
The hate for this Jinx, though, goes further than hate I’ve seen for other BL series of a similar caliber. I’ll be watching a reel of someone giving BL manhwa recommendations, and someone will comment, “Thank GOD no mention of Jinx! I don’t know how anyone could like it,” and then 15 replies all stating the same thing. Someone will list a BL they like, and here comes the anti-Jinx brigade, “Finally someone talking about green flag tops unlike JINX!”
And trust me, this doesn’t just happen with Jinx or BLs. You can find anti-fans like this across all fandoms. They specifically seek out media that is the opposite of what they hate and insert their hate, masked as a compliment to the other thing. They get off on this fake superiority for not liking the terrible thing that others like.
Considering my age, I rarely pay attention to fandom things. I like what I like, and I’m not here to convince others why I’m not a terrible person for liking said thing. But what gets me, and why I am writing this essay, is the recent deep dive into associating fictional interests with morals. It’s not new, but lately, along with the return of conservitism and purity culture, it feels related. And brace yourself, I’m pulling out my corkboard and red string tape for this one. (I hope I don’t lose you.)
We’ve seen in the past few years, especially the last few months, the demonization of sex and anything that can be considered sexual. We’ve seen audiences misunderstand antagonists and villains. There are hate campaigns for characters who are supposed to be bad and actors getting backlash for portraying “bad” characters. Creators are getting backlash for writing evil characters. And a lot of the time, anyone seen explaining, defending, or making a point in contrast to those views is demonized. You’re immediately an apologist of whatever evils the character is doing.
Walk with me here: all of these things are connected. Because it’s not just about the hate trains and the morality issues regarding fictional media. It’s the extremist reactions to anything that is deemed “bad.” We’re seeing it with the rise of fatphobia, the “clean girl” aesthetic, science, modern medicine, tradwives, and more. And because I’m a product of my environment, I see the connection. I see how the extreme vilification of things is resulting in these breeding grounds for hate and dogpiling.
Last year, a school board in Texas decided to ban Sasaki and Miyano for LGBTQ+ content. As many fans stormed social media, the consensus seemed to be, “But SasaMiya is so tame?! It’s one of the best BLs! It’s totally appropriate.” What struck me and others is that if this is the line, nothing is safe. As X user @lizcourserants pointed out, “You’re helping no one when you say that “problematic” lgbt+ media needs to be banned. Because homophobes are out here banning the un-problematic wholesome lgbt+ media that you approve of.“
I can hear you thinking, “Lisa, where are you going with this? Jinx is in no way comparable to Sasaki and Miyano. Furthermore, no one is asking for it to be banned.” Yet, no one is asking for it to be banned yet. But even if people aren’t asking for it to be banned now or won’t be, the thought of “said person like this terrible thing = they must be a terrible person” is how it starts. And if it’s not the media itself being banned, it’s the cancellation and the hate train of anyone who enjoys the media or dares to discuss it in any way, shape, or form.
Jinx is not the hill I’m willing to die on. Or any story for that matter. I firmly believe we are allowed to dislike or hate things. I also welcome critiques (and enjoy) of things. But the hill I am putting my stakes in is the one that we need less of the mobbing and demonizing of people enjoying fictional things. We also need to understand that liking a thing in fiction doesn’t make you a supporter of said thing. Because it starts with Jinx and calling anyone who reads it a terrible person, but then where does it end? Especially in these times, where a disagreement with an online stranger ends up with massive hate trains, creators being doxxed, or threatened with violence for differing opinions.
Overall, I don’t have the answers, but I do think we can begin to explore ways to combat or reduce the rise of this specific type of anti-fandom. I think we can begin by not engaging with comments that are specifically meant to start drama with bad faith arguments. We can reduce our exposure to random takes or content, and make it a point to seek reviews and critiques from well-rounded creators/writers. And this isn’t to say we can’t critique media or bad characters and tropes. We absolutely should and need to. However, there’s a difference between a critique of media and someone who is trying to rage-bait and incite online mobbing.
Ultimately, I believe that these issues plaguing fandom communities are just a mirror of what is plaguing our society at large. While it seems small and irrelevant in small doses, it slowly starts showing up everywhere. Now more than ever, I believe it’s important to be vigilant and to question what is happening in these spaces. Because if we’re not careful, we can easily be swept up in it and become exactly who we said we’ve never be.
The mobb mentality is ass. While I have my gripes about a lot of things within fandom culture. People should be allowed to have their own thoughts and options even if it differs from mines. It’s as simple as just not engaging in the things you don’t like. And let people do what they do. As long as its not harming nobody