We're huddling in the middle of the radar range pretending to be a mountain.
I really do like that analogy. *g* But I'd probably add that, as an old school fan, I feel that my position is that I am part of that mountain sitting in the middle of the radar range, but that rather than covering my eyes and pretending I'm not there, I am perched, covered in reflective stickers and 'keep left' signs, hoping that TPTB will see me and simply fly around me.
That they will know I'm there, that I know they are there, but that we are happily ignoring each other. That both sides are maintaining the polite fiction that we of fandom - harmlessly incorporating their property into our various works - are just another part of the great mass of consumers that TPTB are used to dealing with. We aren't hurting anybody so please just continue to ignore us.
Of course, some PTB are notoriously bad at the ignoring part. And some stomp down harder than others. Which sucks for those particular fandoms. My one small change of opinion in all of this has been the recent information released by OTW about how they intend to handle C&D's etc. Their case by case, on merit/support approach heartens me.
Yes, I'll like to see fandom's myriad creative activities protected. No, I'm not interested in mainstream society's approval. It's not why I'm in fandom. But a little protection would be nice.
The picture coming out, that OTW is going to pick its battles, heartens me. There may be some good come out of this. Because my greatest fear was the concept of OTW, astride an old mangy nag, tilting at windmills.
On one of your other points: I agree wholeheartedly on where you see the fannish drive to create coming from. It is not a case of 'give them a product and watch the fandom come to it'. We create because we've seen or felt something in the original source material, something that has driven us out there to look for more, and to create that something if all we find is vacuum. And the sharing of those creations in turn spawn more creations. We feed off each others' creativity. You can't turn that hunger to a 'safe', purpose-built product and expect us all to migrate to it. Because there will always be other products out there which will inevitably draw our hunger away.
no subject
I really do like that analogy. *g* But I'd probably add that, as an old school fan, I feel that my position is that I am part of that mountain sitting in the middle of the radar range, but that rather than covering my eyes and pretending I'm not there, I am perched, covered in reflective stickers and 'keep left' signs, hoping that TPTB will see me and simply fly around me.
That they will know I'm there, that I know they are there, but that we are happily ignoring each other. That both sides are maintaining the polite fiction that we of fandom - harmlessly incorporating their property into our various works - are just another part of the great mass of consumers that TPTB are used to dealing with. We aren't hurting anybody so please just continue to ignore us.
Of course, some PTB are notoriously bad at the ignoring part. And some stomp down harder than others. Which sucks for those particular fandoms. My one small change of opinion in all of this has been the recent information released by OTW about how they intend to handle C&D's etc. Their case by case, on merit/support approach heartens me.
Yes, I'll like to see fandom's myriad creative activities protected. No, I'm not interested in mainstream society's approval. It's not why I'm in fandom. But a little protection would be nice.
The picture coming out, that OTW is going to pick its battles, heartens me. There may be some good come out of this. Because my greatest fear was the concept of OTW, astride an old mangy nag, tilting at windmills.
On one of your other points: I agree wholeheartedly on where you see the fannish drive to create coming from. It is not a case of 'give them a product and watch the fandom come to it'. We create because we've seen or felt something in the original source material, something that has driven us out there to look for more, and to create that something if all we find is vacuum. And the sharing of those creations in turn spawn more creations. We feed off each others' creativity. You can't turn that hunger to a 'safe', purpose-built product and expect us all to migrate to it. Because there will always be other products out there which will inevitably draw our hunger away.