Fan Dumb: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"The public is a ferocious beast: one must chain him up or flee from him."''|'''[[Voltaire (philosopher)|Voltaire]]'''}}

Then there's '''Fan Dumb'''. '''Fan Dumb''' is the underbelly, where [[Serious Business]] becomes obsession. They are the fans who claim to be the [[Media Watchdog|watchdogs]] of their fandom, but in reality, they're the rabid dogs that need putting down (it's tempting to say literally).

The key characteristics of a '''Fan Dumb''' tend to be someone with an over-developed sense of entitlement and/or victimization and (usually) an under-developed sense of humour or perspective about the subject of their fandom, coupled with an obsessive level of an interest and (frequently) some rather irrational views on the whole thing. They usually believe that the very fact that they are a fan of something either entitles them to special or exclusive treatment or that they are being persecuted by numerous different parties (the creator, the producers, other fans, the world at large, etc) because of their fandom.

The end result of all this is someone who believes passionately that they're the champion elite of the fandom, guarding and preserving what makes it special, whilst ultimately contributing little of any actual value to the property or the fandom, even contributing to its ruining in the process. As a general rule of thumb, the phrase "[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/True_fan True Fans]" (or some variation thereof) being thrown around is an identifying signal that you're dealing with '''Fan Dumb''', particularly if it's being self-applied; the subtext (or text), of course, is [[Fandom Heresy|"I'm a True Fan, and]] [[No True Scotsman|you're not."]]

Although a '''Fan Dumb''' often holds idiosyncratic views about the show and demonstrates a passionate interest in it, it is important to note that neither controversial views or intense interest are themselves indication of '''Fan Dumb'''; differing viewpoints are inevitable in a large gathering of people (and knee-jerk objection to a differing opinion simply because it's a differing opinion is often a good sign that you belong in '''Fan Dumb''' yourself), and most people join fandoms in the first place ''because'' they're [[Serious Business|passionate about something]] and they want to celebrate it with other people who find it special. Many people manage to hold contrary or passionately enthusiastic viewpoints whilst still remaining civil and decent; similarly, many dismissed as '''Fan Dumb''' hold views that, on the surface, are actually quite reasonable. The problem with '''Fan Dumb''' is not the level of interest or the viewpoint, but the way it is expressed; even a reasonable argument will sound insane if it's being screamed in someone's face.

Taking these fans too seriously is usually a mistake. Although they tend to be louder than the rest of the fanbase combined, [[Vocal Minority|they are usually a decided minority in almost every fandom]] (though they often claim to be a majority). '''Fan Dumb''' also tends to suffer from an extreme case of [[Fan Myopia]], regardless of what kind they are; in any variation, they are often intractably convinced that the views of "the fans" (or perhaps more accurately, their ''personal'' views, which they tend to confuse with the views of fandom as a whole) are both more widespread and more mainstream than in fact they are. If you're a producer, then [[Pandering to the Base|pandering to them]] is usually a good way to make your show crash and burn. And to add insult to injury, they usually won't be very grateful that you were thinking about them, but will instead start whining about how you made the show crash and burn.

See also [[Single-Issue Wonk]]. A specific example is [[Die for Our Ship]]. '''Fan Dumb''' is a number one contributing factor to both [[Artist Disillusionment]] and [[Fan Disillusionment]]. Although often a minority, the shrill obnoxiousness of this kind of fan has nevertheless permeated enough people's impressions to construct the stereotype of the [[Straw Fan]]. Can be confused easily with a [[Troll]], but, as a rule of thumb, bear in mind that a '''Fan Dumb''' is NOT a Troll. See also [[Unpleasable Fanbase]] and [[Broken Base]] for the massive versions of this.

Sadly, every fandom has to and/or has had to deal with this and all of its variations...no matter how much they deny it and how much they wish this problem didn't exist. Trust us, these people even annoy the makers of the shows that you like as much as they annoy the rest of us. Don't worry, '''Fan Dumb''' are usually just a [[Vocal Minority]]. Keep that in mind if you decide to put this as an example to any media or see this in any media here. [[Silent Majority|Most of them]], including yourself (unless you actually do fit this and you know if you are) are not complete and utter morons and just want to enjoy it like everyone else.

As a footnote, to a devoted member of the Hatedom, any form of Fandom appears like '''Fan Dumb'''. '''Fan Dumb''' and [[Hate Dumb]] are light and darkness in these regards in that one cannot exist without the other (and that in this case they're usually as equally bad as each other).

Do '''''not''''' list or pothole to this on a work's main page. Put it on the work's YMMV page. If the work doesn't have YMMV page yet, make it.

{{examples|Common Fan Dumb variants include:<ref>Press the "Normal version" if you have a lot of time on your hands; press the "Abridged version" labels to see the TL;DR versions.</ref>}}

* '''The Monomaniac''': This is, although not the only type of Fan Dumb by any means, probably the most classic example of it. S/he is [[Serious Business]] taken to the extreme. ''Nothing'' outside of the object of the fandom exists for this person, except perhaps the fandom itself. This means that they will attempt to discuss the object of their adoration every single chance they get, often attempting to twist or divert other discussions to this end, regardless of how awkward or nakedly inappropriate this is ("Yeah, it sucks that your father died; I felt exactly the same way when Captain Magnatron failed to defeat the Zargons in Episode 19"). This often leads them to grossly blow the actual significance of the work in a general context quite out of proportion... and, naturally, leads to nothing but contempt for those who aren't quite as committed to the show as they are, or who (gasp) aren't part of the fandom at all—don't they realise how ''important'' it is? Naturally, any of the other listed types of Fan Dumb may find themselves ending up here. Unfortunately, [[Straw Fan|this is the way the vast majority of fandom is portrayed in the media]], which is why we have a trope specifically for that.<ref>A fan whose life revolves around the show, and nothing else. The classic Fan Dumb variant.</ref>

* The '''Fandom Moral Guardian''': This kind of fan is very concerned with the morality of their chosen series. While they may be part of the target audience themselves, the Fandom Moral Guardian focuses their attention on criticising adult- or teen-oriented books or programmes [[Think of the Children|for being inappropriate for children]], even though younger audiences clearly aren't what the creators had in mind. The Fandom Moral Guardian sees a lot of fiction in terms of [[Black and White Morality|black and white]]; there are "dark" works which can only be enjoyed by adults and there are "light" works which are only appropriate for children. However, if the creators of the latter category decide that they'd like to make their work even a little bit darker - maybe [[Harry Potter|they want the work to age alongside its original audience]] or hope they'll have greater story opportunities - the Fandom Moral Guardian is convinced that the work is irretrievably shifted into the "dark" category, so they'll be there to [[Contractual Purity|complain about the creator "betraying" them]] and berate other fans for continuing to enjoy such [[The New Rock and Roll|immoral material]]. Accordingly, expect this type of fan to be a little bit oversensitive about tropes like [[What Do You Mean It's for Kids?]]/[[What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?|Not For Kids]] and the [[Animation Age Ghetto]].<ref>A self-appointed [[Moral Guardians|Moral Guardian]] who will scream about any sign of "dark" or mature themes in works, fanmade or otherwise, especially those for children.</ref>

[[Category:YMMV Trope]]