#landcon 2019 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bcacstuff · 2 years

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Thanks for answering all my questions with so much detail. Saves me asking multiple more. I have a question I’m hoping you can answer. I’m fairly new to Tumblr, new to the OL fandom or whatever you might call it. But on tumblr specifically it’s obvious there are groups. What I don’t get is why some will outright block someone if you’re not in agreement with their views OR if you’re unknown. For instance, I’ve not posted anything except reblogged a couple things. That’s it. I didn’t realize you could hide who you follow at first, but have been blocked by people FOR DOING NOTHING BUT READING their blogs. I read many. From many different points of view. How else is one to get information from a time when I wasn’t around? It’s mind blowing to me. I always go to your blog first. You always have great info and straightforward answers. Thx.

Thank you for writing to me Anon. Really like your message and happy to answer your questions.

I think I best answer this question by telling, from my very own experience how I came to end up here myself. By doing about the same you do right now. Reading on a lot of different blogs and platforms, reading several views and trying to draw my own conclusions from it. It's, imo, a healthy habit to read more than one view on things, it gives you a broader view.

I think for me it started on Twitter, end of 2019. If I remember correct, one of the first tweets I saw of him was when he arrived in Paris for the Landcon and getting shite on his hat by a bird. I just looked him up on Twitter, didn't follow him but was curious.

When I looked again, I encountered my first experience of the downside of this fandom. It was during Nola, when a fan was invited on the podium for a little game with the cast, in particular with SH. She made a sort of gesture when she stood behind him, looking like she touched his butt. Someone caught it on video from an angle where it looked like she did. And boy, whole Twitter went bullocks about it. They quickly found out who she was, and the woman was bullied and slaughtered right in front of my eyes. It blew my mind away... Little later on, it turned out she didn't touch him at all, just made a gesture in jest. Another video surfaced from another angle showing that nothing happened. And [here it comes, pay attention!], yes even S came on Twitter to defend the fan saying nothing happened. Still the woman was deteriorated and bullied of of Twitter while I was just watching the whole storm.

Well, that was my first experience and I was wise enough not to interfere, no matter how wrong I thought it was. I shook my head and focused on what was going on in the rest of the world. China was building extra hospitals in a week time while scientists started giving out louder and louder warnings that there was something very wrong with this virus and we all should be prepared.

I watched the OL S5 premiere and a fair bit of interviews about it. Didn't had any particular thoughts about it. But was interested in the show, the story. I started reading the books after discovering the show. Meanwhile, the virus threat was building up, hit Europe, Italy was first and I felt more and more concerned by it. Traveling was discouraged and after spring break we had an outbreak in the Netherlands ourselves. People coming home from ski trips in Italy and people celebrating carnival spread the virus in my country.

And that's where I started to wonder about S, gallivanting around in Portland, Mexico and promoting his BS movie. Theaters were already closing here, other movies that planned to release about that time postponed the release. And there he was still promoting and encouraging people to go to the theater to see his movie. Little by little I saw here and there some tweets, voices that said, this isn't good, this isn't going to end well. But they were silenced by his ardent fans and ... by him, when he RT-d not only the fans that happily tweeted risking their lives by going to the theater for his movie, but also a news article he seemed to have found on apple news, stating the virus was 'just a bad flu'.

That's when more and more people on Twitter came out to set him straight and telling him what was going on in Europe, people dying, corpses on the street in Italy because they had not enough capacity, hospitals, healthcare workers, mortuaries... Meanwhile the WHO already called the issue a global pandemic. Europe went in lockdown, governments calling their citizens to travel back home and stay home. I canceled my (first) birthday in lockdown.

Then he had a Q&A on Twitter, it was then when Nuria asked him innocently where he was spending his confinement.

And it all blew up when Pooks responded...

He was getting flak for it, more and more. He already had it after RT-ing the 'just a flu' article, but now the voices were louder (and perhaps not always that decent...)

There was one tweet that was rather rude and disrespectful (I don't have a screenshot of it) but he received many more to which he could have responded. He chose to respond to the most rude one though...

And set the example to block all that criticized him for going on a vacation during a pandemic.

Meanwhile I discovered Tumblr, as one of his ardent fans was tweeting not to go there cause they only spread venom and hate. I never heard of it, really! But don't tell me to 'not' go read somewhere, it only triggers my curiosity to find out myself if it is worth to read there or not... and so that's where I started doing exactly what you are doing Anon. Reading on several blogs, lurking actually. I didn't even had an account and wasn't planning to create one.

I started to find out about different groups that were quite aggressive to people with other opinions, something that turned me off but nevertheless I gave it the merit of my time to form my own opinion. I was quite appalled to see what was going on on Twitter, the bullying on both sides actually and the aggressive discussions. I found this corner where there was more wit and discussions, though sometimes a little heated were more fun. And I found the more broader view on things that were going on with him as well as in the fandom.

At one point I created an account, still wasn't planning to take part in it all but now and then I felt safe to comment and after all, we were all in lockdown, no theaters, no concerts, no shopping for fun... so 🤷‍♀️

I had a steep learning curve about all the groups, not only here but also in the rest of the fandom and on other platforms. I learned quickly how some bloggers have been searched out and exposed on other blogs of an opposing opinion. So in an early stage I learned not give away too much about my private life, even though I've always exercised restraint of what I put out on the net about myself and with whom to share it.

I know some people also in this corner, block people for not having content on their blog or following certain accounts. Most that I know do this because of a self protection, they've been doxxed. I've been warned to do the same, and be careful, but I don't block in general. Only a few that have proven not to be able to comment in a respectful way on my blog to me or other bloggers that comment on my blogs. I want to keep this a blog where people can differ in opinion and still feel safe to express their opinion. I can however understand that bloggers take precautions to not get doxxed and abused.

I've also been blocked by many, while not even having read their blogs, never went there nor interfered. Bloggers that spread lists about bloggers that, in their opinion need to be blocked, on the list several because they were following me. I don't know what they try to achieve with that honestly. Is it something similar to sticking your head in the sand in order to hope something that is out there goes away? It's pointless and of some childish behaviour imo. It's mindblowing to me too Anon, but that's what this fandom is. Though not everyone is as ardent, and perhaps when people block you because you follow someone not to their liking, they probably are not worth the time of day for you.

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