This is less about that Childish Gambino video in and of itself and more an apologia for that facile kind of ‘fit this thing I don’t quite understand into the immutable category framework already established for myself’ as a placeholder for more rigorous media and cultural literacy/analysis (cf Dan Olson’s video on ‘Annihilation and Decoding Metaphor’). It’s ironic that the article is almost entirely uncritical of Fandom with a capital F’s blindness to context beyond its own bubbles. And especially grating when it slaps down such straw-man dingers like “the impartiality of reviewers was of dubious provenance anyway”. #link
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Good advice here. Shame I don’t have a promotion to go to locally, or one where I can have fun at any rate. But one day I’ll get to another RevPro show or few. #link
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There are variations of this kind of thing all over the web, and they’re indicative of a growing frustration with wrestling fandom that’s hard to articulate (in this case, the writer makes a category error in cleaving the fanbase between ‘casual’ and ‘smart’) other than saying that some people — the type who demand five-star matches, and only appreciate the ‘entertainment’ with ironic detachment — take things way too seriously. #link
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If the concept of shipping makes you go ‘huh?’ then you’d better also read Canon, fanon, shipping and more: a glossary of the tricky terminology that makes up fan culture. (Better make that youth fan culture, where everything has to be a competition. If only you young’uns were more philosophical about shit.) #link
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