...not earth logic

[reenka]

I guess I miss feeling that innocent atmosphere of -enjoyment- I remember from Nimbus last year; something separate from analysis or enjoyment of analysis-- it's what makes you want to -do- the analysis. Meh. There's a difference between discussing canon and feeling like you want to dictate where canon goes. Alternatively, people who are 100% sure of their canon interpretation also puzzle me in that sort of 'um, why....' sort of way. The least one can do is separate what's personal projection onto the characters and what's an objective-as-possible reading of what the text is saying 'as is'. Even then, hopefully it will remain in context of that particular reader's biases. Claim your bias!! Why does nearly no one do this? Why, why, why, why, why?

Seeing people judge characters as if they were real people outside their context and then compare them and claim they're 'better' (smarter, more deserving of love, anything other than 'more interesting to them as a reader', which is the honest thing to say)-- man. It just turns me off from fandom. All too often, 'discussion' is really an excuse to pick fictional(!) sides and 'put down the enemy', and what fun is that?


It's just a sad day for all involved when I, of all people, am moved to defend Hagrid. I don't even care about Hagrid. Or like, most of the minor characters. I don't even feel militant enough by nature to defend Harry most times. But the sheer amount of bashing and not-Earth logic, man.

I wish there were more people who saw the positive in any character, but that's just too good to be true, isn't it? Well, it still pisses me off.

When one goes from descriptive to prescriptive analysis-- that's where I feel it's not fun anymore, for me at least. That's where one starts feeling the seething bitterness and then what's the point of still reading/writing? It's just bad vibes if there isn't that layer of sheer fun, man.

If I can't get myself to believe I'll make a difference to the people who think Sirius is 'better' than Snape, how can I make a difference to JKR? So it's a choice, as I see it, to accept and outline one's discontent without passing judgment or to set yourself up for disappointment and bitterness.

Perhaps I can only say that because I'm only really invested (in terms of canon) in Harry, but I don't think that's true. I care what happens, I will just allow pretty much anything to happen, because I think when I 'bond' with a story, I'm open to it and allow it to sweep me along. If I enjoy it, I trust the author to entertain me, and if they don't, I stop reading. It all seems so simple, but fandom makes it so complicated....

I'm open to suggestion, I guess. I have no real desire for canon to go in any particular direction, and maybe that makes me a weirdo, I dunno.... All I can say is, I'm interested in the story, but I'm not the one telling it, and I wouldn't if I could. I write fanfic about characters, but these are -my- versions of Harry & Draco, not JKR's. JKR is writing about hers, and can do with them as she wills without drawing judgment from me on her choices until the end; after the end, I can, I suppose, call her a bad writer for said choices and detail where I think she went wrong, but even that won't be very earth-shaking as far as I can see.

I do -wish- to see Ron/Hermione and I -hope- Draco gets utilized and I -hope- Harry doesn't die, but all I really need is for the books to make sense within their own context. As long as I feel I'm reading the same story, it's good enough for me, 'cause that's what I signed up for. The story determines my expectations, and informs my responses. I only like Ron/Hermione or Harry (or Draco, or Snape) as a character 'cause JKR set the books up for me to do so. If she continues to write in a consistent manner, then logically speaking, I shall continue to enjoy it. Simple, no?

In fandom, nothing is ever simple, it seems, past the 'omg, SQUEE' stage. *sigh* Such is life. Maybe I should take another break.

Comments

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I'm overreacting. I've seen the OoTP/character X/whatever-aspect-of-the-books/JKR sucks for awhile now, and it's been building. I would never want to shut anyone up, it's more like-- that's the only thing I see. Where is the balance? Where is the love?? That's what I want to know. Instead of bashing character X, why don't they praise character Y???! Meh.

The Dead Dog Party is like, a great metaphor for everything that I find wrong with fandom these days. There's the mindless squeeing and loads of H/D fluff & then there's CANON SUCKS :/ :/ :/

[malafede.livejournal.com]

I think there's an amount of POV interference here, because the only thing I felt I was seeing until now was the religious author/canon love and the attempts at guilt-tripping everyone else. So it's either me having a persecution complex or you having it or just that perspective sometimes sucks. And, well, canonical extremists can be just as fanatic and hateful. Gryffindor Tower?

Also, while one can say that canon suck (I don't, but I will say: "canon has some huge problems) they're still in love with at least one part of it. Death Eaters? Snape? Draco? Slytherin? Marietta? Yeah, it's all subversive, but that's love too. And there's also people like me who say: Harry's a prick, Sirius's a prick, the twins are prick, no they aren't ethically justified, but I love them. Just like their Author wanted!

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Maybe I have the wrong people on my flist...? Or something....?? Plus I don't exactly read the Daily Snitch... but then, I don't want to. I don't really have this great hunger for HP canon-meta, it's just all the meta I see tends to be negative crit, which is not of the making-Reena-happy. I don't -follow- Gryffindor Tower or whatever people, I guess. I have my little 70-or-so person H/D centric flist and that's it, y'know. I don't surf around. I only read what I'm linked to. So there's that. I don't think I have a persecution complex (...I've never had one before... just not my style)-- I just feel overwhelmed by the stupidity and negativity and... the not-Earth logic, as I said. It wouldn't be half so bad if people weren't using such bloody stupid arguments.

Me, I'm tired of asking whether people are ethically justified all the time-- I don't like to police either people or fictional characters. I'm not directing this at you, I'm just saying all this judgmental 'this character is an awful prick and should be punished by FATE or an act of GOD and/or DIE FOR HIS SINS' or whatever just turns me way off :/ People are so mean. In laying down this judgement, they're just as mean as the people they're judging. When -everything- about someone's personality/spirit is about the amount of justification you can/can't direct at their actions... man, I'm outta there. I like -people- and their stories and their hearts, bitter and twisted and beautiful AS WE ALL ARE, DAMMIT IT ALL TO HELL. Plus, ethics = subjective = basic anthropology/sociology concept, etc. Mostly, all the 'X character is/isn't any better than Y' seems like a waste of time, but mostly it just upsets me.

Everyone is an asshole sometimes, but that's not all there is of them to know or love, right? People are multidimensional, complex, contradictory, intractable, difficult to pin down... interesting people, and Harry & Sirius & Draco & Snape are all what I consider 'interesting'. To reduce it all to 'yucky incorrect behavior' (even if one still 'doesn't mind') just... makes me sad.

[malafede.livejournal.com]

eeeeh! that's what i was saying. there was this great essay where it was pointed out so clearly that morals are not *all* there is to a character. as for me, i love talking morals, and i hate passing judgments, and i hate when the "goodness" of a character is equalled with their moral fibre because that's missing the point where they have to behuman we've got to feel empathy. but then there's this obsession with "good person" so all the character discussion tends to focus on their moral fallacies (if you hate them) or their lack of moral fallacies/being perfectly justified in their moral fallacies.

dude, i love the twins so much, but they are fucking mean. so what? eh. same with draco. maybe i should take eloquency pills.

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

<3.... at least we are not alone in our oppression ....??? AHAHAHAHAH