Dear fandom.
In these times of conflict, I was requested to post this.
When you share a fandom on tumblr, it’s like sharing a room: The more people that are stuck in the room, the more conflicts it will be. We are all different people, but no one are bad.
Some just feel the need to provoke a bit, or maybe they just feel plain bored? Some have opinions different from your own, some share their opinions with good intentions but unfortunately chooses the wrong words. The reasons are endless, but no matter what the cause is, we all come back to the same point: If we meet people with understanding instead of an over-defensive or even attacking stance, we would get so much more out of it. For instance
“Could it be that this person meant it in a different way than I first thought?”
“Perhaps I can see this from a different point of view?”
“This person must be seeking attention out of plain boredom. Should I attack him/her or should I just laugh with it and leave it?“
“This person posted something that belongs to someone else without sourcing it/something the fandom normally don’t post out of respect. Should I assume this person knows that, and blame him/her for what he/she’s doing - or could I inform this person in a nice tone?”
“These people ship a pairing I think is wrong/don’t understand. They are not doing anyone harm, though. Should I attack them for not having the right opinion (my own), or should I just leave it?”
All that I am saying is; if we want peace, we can have it. But we must all work for it and in general respect other people: Other fans, the creators behind your fandom, the non-fans and so on. Not only when reading other people’s posts, but also when posting ourselves. Twitter, tumblr - everywhere.
My rule-of-thumb: Treat people with respect, and try to understand: Treat people as you would want to be treated if you were them.
We are only human beings. Sometimes we do stupid things, or push things too far - but that is no excuse for answering with a hate-spree or witch-hunt.
And remember; focus on the good things.
