Its time to talk about the f-word. Yes, thats right Im talking about fans. Heres something you should know; Im not a fan of the term fans. And I dont mean: 1. an apparatus with rotating blades that creates a current of air for cooling or ventilation. or 2. a device, typically folding and shaped like a segment of a circle when spread out, that is held in the hand and waved so as to cool the person holding it by causing the air to move. (amazing definition) Those things are pretty awesome, so when used in that context its cool. Probably because of the fans. No, what Im talking about is when its used to define a person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular sport, art form, or famous person. Whats my issue with it you ask? Well, first let me be clear that I have no problem with others who choose to use the word to refer to those who follow/support them. I, however, prefer not to refer to anyone who may admire or enjoy my work as such. I assure you that I do not take offense if others wish to classify themselves in that way, as in expressing to me something to the effect of Im a big fan. Thats perfectly fine as long as you dont mean one of the first two definitions. In which case Im going to need some hard evidence before I believe you. The reason I prefer not to use the word in said situations is that it feels... impersonal to me. I dont see myself as above anyone else and I feel referring to followers/subscribers as my fans just seems egotistical in some small way. I want everyone to feel they are on the same level with me. Now, when talking about this facebook page I will call it a fanpage for the simple fact that its how most people identify these things and its the easiest way for others to know what Im talking about. Facebook requires you to make a personal page before you can set one of these pages up, but I do not post on that page and only use it to comment on the personal pages of others. So for all intents and purposes this page youre currently viewing is technically my personal page. By no means am I saying I want others to feel bad about using the stated terms in ways contrary to my feelings. I have no intention of influencing anyone to change their mode of operation. Rather, I simply want to convey my thoughts on the matter and give you some idea of how I try to connect with people. It should also be noted that rarely do I ever say that Im a fan of someone else. This isnt because I dont admire and appreciate what others are doing. I think many out there are producing inspiring works in a variety of fields. I would just choose to frame things in another way. I might say, I think youre doing some really amazing stuff. or perhaps, You do some of my favorite work. Those are just some rough examples but you should get the idea. I cannot claim to have never said Im a fan of your work. To me thats an expression of valuing the art, but I do tend to shy away from even going about it like that. This is all to avoid putting any one person on a pedestal. I think Albert Einstein said it best when he said: Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. Thats what its all about for me. Respect for others. Im certainly no big name videographer within the cosplay community... but even if I was I would want people to feel like they could approach me regardless of any acclaim. I dont really buy into celebrity culture and all that. But that could lead to a whole different topic so I wont even get started on that. The last thing Ill mention here that at least slightly pertains to this topic is when I talk to cosplayers directly, whether in person or online... I typically will want to refer to them by their real names, unless they prefer otherwise. Again, it just feels less personal to me to call someone by their internet handle or what have you. The only real times Ill use their chosen monicker is when I need to be clear to someone else who it is Im referring to. Alright, I think Im done assaulting you all with a wall of text. If you made it this far, you are champions of the book of face and I thank you very much for taking in my thoughts. #cosplay #fans #fanpages #respect #rambling
Posted on: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 11:26:06 +0000
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