My first exposure to the term "queerbaiting" came through Supernatural. Supernatural, which was on a smaller network for fifteen years, was a horror-adventure show where two all-American boys with frayed psyches and shotguns hunted demons and vampires all over America, almost entirely filmed in Vancouver, BC. Anyway, in the later seasons "Destiel" became a big thing. "Destiel" was the shipping name between Dean (Winchester)―one of the two brothers at the center of the show―and Castiel―an angel who helped them in their fight against evil of all kinds. A number of fans, some of whom had toyed with a brother-brother angle I won't go into right now, had convinced themselves that these two characters should be a couple. Of course Dean was pretty flagrantly heterosexual and in the context of the show getting romantically involved with an angel was always a bad idea. Anyway, the writers made the mistake of acknowledging the fan's desires but never fulfilled them. Resulting in much denunciation.
Fandom is a double-edged sword. These days almost nothing has what would have been considered a big audience in the 20th century. If some of the people who do watch get really involved and talk about your work on social media, that would seem to be a good thing. But in a number of cases they have expectations, and don't like being told no. Look at the world of fanfic. Now some people who write fan fiction may be good writers, or could develop into such. But as a rule it takes what is already a fantastic environment and pushes it further towards simple wish fulfillment. Sometimes this is sexual, which gets all the attention, and sometimes not. But a lot of this stuff is united by an attitude of "I want this to happen, so it will happen."
If, as deBoer says, this approach has been spreading to real world politics, that's not a good thing. Politics is a two-way street. You have to recognize that other people will want different outcomes from the ones you want. If you just expect to be indulged and you don't pay some respect to those who dissent from you, the long term results will be destructive whether or not you get what you want in the short term.
1 comment:
You've really caught me offguard with this post as I can't say I've heard of either one - Stranger Things or Supernatural. But overall I agree with you about the modern world of fandom and how people get emotionally involved with purely imaginary characters. I can't remember having watched an episode of Gunsmoke the night before that we'd all get together the next day to wish that Miss Kitty and Matt Dillon would tie the knot or do you think the Lone Ranger and Tonto are gay? It sounds as though a number of these fans actually could do with having a life of their own.
The overenthusiasm you've noted in the two shows isn't just about them but is a very astute comment on every popular entertainment. It's a way of displacing real concerns in order to focus on trivia rather than what's happening in the real world. Wish fulfillment is a very descriptive and meaningful phrase in this regard. I imagine pro wrestling might have an even sillier fanbase.
You're right that politics has become more of a spectator sport than a serious process to determine who would be writing our laws, directing our commerce, and planning for our future. It was Frank Zappa who said 'Politics is the entertainment branch of government'. Not only was he right but when the politicians are involved in the same gameplay it makes it next to impossible to ever look for the return of even a little maturity and grace in our public figures.
Post a Comment