Random Poll

[paraka]

So, there has been some talk on the Numb3rs part of my flist about fandom in general, how it works and how it impacts us (or how it should impact us).
(Links if anyone is interested)

I'm not really going to talk about it right now but I'm curious. It was mentioned in munchkinofdoom's post that fandom can be split into two groups, those who think fandom is a way of life, and those who think it's just a hobby. Out of curiosity, where does my flist sit on that idea?

[Poll #1218832]

Comments

[ana-grrl.livejournal.com]

To me, the idea of a way of life implies a set of beliefs and actions that imbue every day life, with specific moral and ethical aspects (though those morals/ethics will differ from person to person). It implies commitment (although not rigidity, because I don't believe we get much from being inflexible in certain circumstances. I also think we refine our beliefs and actions over time). So fandom can't be a way of life to me - because I take breaks from fandom, or periodically lose interest in aspects of fandom, and so on. On the other hand, I don't take breaks from my specific ways of looking at who I am and what I do in everyday life (things that involve specific ideas of responsibilities and ethical behaviours to other people, the environment, and non-human animals).

Fandom is one of my hobbies. It's one I enjoy, and when I find it gets frustrating or less enjoyable (wank fests and so on), I either ignore this and focus on the parts of fandom I like, or focus on other hobbies for a while (one of the reasons I really like Firefly fandom is that there haven't been many fandom explosions. At least that I've seen). But fandom is not one of my main priorities - I don't live and breathe fandom (don't get me wrong here - I do value fandom and get a lot out of it). This is why I wouldn't consider a way of life for me.

[paraka]

To me, the idea of a way of life implies a set of beliefs and actions that imbue every day life, with specific moral and ethical aspects
Ha, it's funny that you should say that because actually? That is kind of true for me. Maybe it's because I can get sucked into metafandom and such discussions but I find fandom can keep me honest or teach me things about how I see the world/act in it. Don't get me wrong, fandom can be full of a lot of bullshit, but so can life, and it's all about wading through and picking what you choose to believe. I know that a while ago I was sort of having a fight/strong discussion with my mom, because religion is very important to her and it's a huge phobia of mine so we don't really see eye to eye on the subject. At one point she said something like, "Going to church helps to remind you or what's right and what's wrong" and all I could think was "If that's the only reason to go, than I'm good, because fandom can do that for me."

So fandom can't be a way of life to me - because I take breaks from fandom, or periodically lose interest in aspects of fandom, and so on.
Hmm, and again, I firmly put myself in the "fandom as a way of life" category but for me, even when I step away from fandom, or am offline for months, I still have... personality traits? No, not really, more like habits that I firmly consider fannish. Even if those habits aren't being done toward a specific fandom, or I'm not applying them in a normal fandom way, I still can't help but associate those actions with fandom.
Granted, fandom isn't something I discovered on my own; a friend showed it to me. Looking back though, I realize that what I did before I discovered fandom is a lot like what I do now in fandom, I just did it on my own or else with RL friends on a smaller scale rather than online as part of a "fandom".
Those fannish behaviours and tendencies are a part of who I *am*. So even if I can turn the computer off, I can't turn the fan off inside of me.

This is why I wouldn't consider a way of life for me.
Thanks for explaining. I really liked your answer. I think I'm going to make another post about this later when I have a chance so I'm really glad you took the time to explain why. Because I think how people choose to interpret the term "Fandom as a way of life" is really a huge part of how they answer the question.