“We, the Fans” – Let’s Have a Talk.

Wooooooooooo. So the internet is already ablaze with about nine billion other things, but hey, let’s add some more shenanigans!

Earlier this month, a Twitter user posted this gem of a statement, aimed at Disney, LucasArts, and especially the new overseer for the Star Wars films, Kathleen Kennedy, along with director for The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson.

I had to google if this was real or not, much like many, many, many others.

Not only has this statement been put out, there’s also a crowdfund going on to remake The Last Jedi, which their website swears they have almost $200 million dollars to do so with, copyright and legal recourse be damned.

(To which Seth Rogen is like WTF?)

Shitty bonuses: both Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran have been forced from their Instagram accounts, due to harassment– facing racial and sexist bombardment for their involvement in the Star Wars films.

Let me go ahead a tl;dr this: THIS BEHAVIOR IS NOT OKAY.

It’s hard to even put into words the sheer rage I feel at some fandoms at the moment. Toxicity is becoming the norm. Threats of violence or outright killing people, or telling them to kill themselves, is just about every other post. People are getting SWATted and Doxxed. And it isn’t just Star Wars- we’ve had #DnDgate, hateful Doctor Who fans (re: the new Doctor being a woman), gaming companies like BioWare & Ubisoft being eviscerated for their development choices… the list is never-ending. And it’s incredibly sad- “we don’t need anyone’s help, we geeks and nerds can sabotage ourselves just fine.” We’ve cannibalized, and we’re eating our own.

You are absolutely welcome to dislike something- even hate it, if you must! You are certainly allowed to like or love something! But you cannot, and should not, take to the virtual streets as judge, jury, and executioner, especially in a tirade that ultimately disassociates the fans around you.

From an author, and as a creator, I say this lovingly: you do not get to decide how a creator creates. The art does not belong to you. A story can live in you- and hopefully touch your life in a meaningful way. But it is not yours.

An artist owes you art, and nothing more.

By all means, vote for your favorites with your wallets and your time. I am utterly thankful for the people who have read and enjoyed my works! Thank y’all for that! But please, let’s be kind. We have bigger fish to fry anyway… such as the myriad dumpster fire things going on in the world. Use your voice for good… or at least something legally and socially quantifiable?