322. When Do Fandoms Turn ‘Toxic’? - Fantastical Truth | Lyssna här

That’s how it starts. The fever. The rage. The feeling of powerlessness. That turns good fans … toxic. How does this toxification happen? Or does it happen? Maybe it’s all the fault of big corporations. Or social media. Or foreign adversaries poisoning the discourse. In either case, we need discernment to sort honest criticism from harshest cynicism.

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Critics are writing off famous fantasies, and we concede their demise. We also believe in an Author who surprises us with epic resurrection. Listen to episode 307.

1. They don’t—some of this is legit criticism.

Quick snack from the Concession Stand. We’ve talked about this.
Big corporations selling bad storytelling have blamed “toxic fans.”
Disney tried this against fans who disliked Star Wars TV shows.
They maybe learned their lesson and didn’t try it with Snow White.
And even the current DC regime didn’t do that much with Supergirl.
In this case, studios may be driven to these scripts by leftist media.
In fact, look for some media pundits to do this against Andy Serkis.
But the fans may just be saying, “That’s not for me.” Loudly.
Often the fans have legitimate reasons for loudly rejecting stories.
Stephen feels this way about previous and current DC hero movies.
But in the past, the studio lied to DC fans and called them “toxic.”
Even some false criticisms have some truth mixed into them.
Fans claimed an actor called “Elliot Page” was playing Achilles.
It turned out she wasn’t; she played another soldier character.
But this is still a gender-bend. And that character replaces Achilles.
So what angry fans told you was true, from a certain point of view.
In either case, this isn’t “toxic.” That label implies a kind of sin.
One may spy the familiar hues of the old fundamentalist legalism.
But if you can’t call something sin, don’t manipulatively imply it is.
Sin is binary. Actions are motivated by idolatry or by faithfulness.
And anything that isn’t an actual sin is just creative differences.

2. Fans may see actual folly, but overreact.

Nevertheless, some fans have too much fun booing the screen.
This is best illustrated by the infamous “Cinema Sins” channel.
Its maker monetizes constant, often foolish movie nitpicking.
This impulse, when it catches, ruins otherwise good franchises.
Most recently, some anti-fans did want Christopher Nolan to fail.
They did spread lies about Odyssey casting as if these were fact.
Meanwhile, sociopolitical agitators slander Greta Gerwig’s Narnia.
They claimed as fact “Meryl Streep is playing Aslan.” Unconfirmed.
Frankly, Stephen believes this could be Netflix’s rope-a-dope tactic.
If/when we hear Ciarán Hinds voices Aslan, the goals get moved.
Fans may then easily forgive “race-swapping” or era-changing.
We’d miss the real crime: ignoring Lewis’s original 1900s setting!
So don’t get played either by studio false-flag ops or the agitators.
Yet a few YouTubers, known for criticism, can be more balanced.
Behind their loud clickbaity titles and aggression is an earnest side.
Example: Gary Buechler says he earns just as much from positivity.
In fact, his whole TV interview (even on Piers Morgan) is healthier.
Stephen enjoys these YouTube roasts, but also these critics’ praise.
For example, it’s been a pleasure to see Buechler loving One Piece.

3. Later they become lost in sinful cynicism.

We do need legitimate or balanced criticism, shared reluctantly.
Alas, some of these voices do take over factions of our culture.
This is the hateful, spiteful, deconstructive impulse from actual sin.
We see this in many political movements that despise creativity.
Often they are spreading lies and subversion more than big studios.
One could conclude these “critics” aren’t even happy being critical.
And we see this from certain Christians who have axes to grind.
Zack and Stephen see some voices only cursing cultural darkness.
They are selling negativity and/or implied solutions (they made up).
But at least the faulted corporations did try making new things!
We’re back to the adage, “Don’t curse the darkness; light a candle.”
Christianity gives no moral clearance for “professional cynics.”
Our worldview is eternally positive. No matter the evils we see.
And even non-Christian humanists ought to catch biblical optimism.

Com station Top question for listeners

Have you ever been accused of being a “toxic fan”?

Next on Fantastical Truth

Everyone’s talking about that new release from Christopher Nolan, the feature film that is just so big that it’s one everyone oughtta see. Zack plans to see it. Stephen may eventually get there. Meanwhile, what about that book by Greek poet Homer that changed the course of our world’s epic storytelling? Dramatist and author Phil Lollar—no stranger to that name!— will return to the studio for our tour of The Odyssey.

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