the big book of oneshots

how to deal with a hatedom or an anti-fandom

As someone who has repeatedly been in the minority of an opinion, I think we've all been through something like this before: Let's suppose that you have discovered an incredible piece of media: Maybe it's an anime, or a movie, or a video game. You are incredibly excited about this thing, realizing that it's either good or amazing! All you want is to find people who love what you do and talk about how much you love this thing. Eagerly, you hop off to the Internet to wax poetic joys, but you find yourself greeted by... Hate? Disdain? Disapproval?

"X sucks, Y is soooo much better."

"You have such poor taste for liking X."

"Ugh! X is terrible, why do you like it?"

"I swear, you should check out Y instead, it doesn't have all of the flaws that X has!"

"IT'S A FUDGING TRAINWRECK AND I HATE IT!"

Yes, I'm looking at you all. Sword Art Online fans. Fire Emblem Fates fans. Inheritance Cycle fans. All of you have probably had haters toss these beloved franchises around, beating them with either senseless loathing or carefully-thought-out reasons.

Maybe you've encountered them by scrolling through the YouTube comments of a popular video (which none of us should do). Maybe you were hanging out on a message board. Or maybe it was simply a casual conversation that popped up.

Whatever it is, you're dealing with an anti-fandom: defined as "A fandom that is dedicated to hating a work, idea, community or author, instead of loving it." Sometimes you will encounter somewhat respectful folk who dish out legitimate reasons as to why they hate or dislike what you love. Others are just bigots who don't mind angering anyone who remotely likes the object of their hatred, and believe everyone is entitled to his/her opinion.

So what do you do?

1. Calm down.

It doesn't matter whether or not this person is being reasonable: Calm down. Take a soothing bubble bath. Bake some chocolate chip cookies. Cuddle with your dog. Eat far too much candy and cry because it tastes so good. Watch the thing you love and remember all of the reasons you love it. Or if you feel you'll recover quickly, clear your head and take deep breaths. Keep your butt in the chair. Keep your butt in the chair.

If you're calmer, you'll be able to respond better to this person— or sometimes realize that such an argument is so pointless you shouldn't have to respond at all.

2. No fandom too small.

Because if you love or like any of the fandoms stated in the introduction, know that I love all of those things! So accept a virtual hug and know that you are accompanied by a fellow fan. Besides, there's probably no such thing as a fandom too small. Just google "I love [insert name of the franchise here" and a multitude of posts created by fans will pop up. It's easier to reassure yourself with positivity when you know that people agree with you.

Remember the name of that Sword Art Online track "You are Not Alone"? That beautiful, heart-wrenching piano piece played at the end of the Mother's Rosario arc? Well, even if you don't like SAO, recall that you are not alone. There are probably people who genuinely love the things that you love. And even if you're not a fan and are just reading this for something else, still please accept my virtual hug.

3. Evaluate the anti-fan's argument.

-Think about what they're saying. Keep these points in mind:

-Is the comment purposely degrading towards the creator(s) or you or someone else? (If so, you should probably report them)

-Is the person threatening to kill or injure fans/the creator(s)? (See above)

-Do they provide specific reasons as to why they don't like it?

-Are they mean-spirited?

-Do they insult it and hold another subject as higher?

-Are they even familiar, or are they just hating on this thing because it's popular?

If you've answered 'no' to all but the third, them congratulations. You've met the reasonable anti-fan. This anti-fan will provide particular reasons or roasts as to why they don't like the same thing you do. Maybe it makes you cringe, but it's well-worded, alright. Maybe they're even polite about it!

If they aren't, you should either report them or calmly call them out for their immature behavior. But if they are?

4. Do not start an argument with them.

Or at least don't hurl their words back at them, screeching wildly about how they're the dumb ones. If you're going to debate with an anti-fan, provide specific reasons and defense that will assist you— Not the slander of "#TRIGGERED" or "UR JUST JELOUS!" If they already have a bad impression of the fans, this will make it far worse.

5. Why should you even start an argument, to begin with?

Remind yourself that there are people who love your thing, that you love your thing, and that it doesn't have to change. And does one person's opinion really matter to you that much? So just shrug on and move with your daily life.

Hope that this little tidbit helped you with all of the haters in your fandoms! And remember: I'm always up for a virtual hug and will offer some gigabyte chip cookies if you ever need any! With that, goodbye!