The 'ship-measuing contest'?
Oct. 22nd, 2006 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
misscamHow much do contest play into shipping, I wonder?
Now, I have my ships too, and I'm certainly not saying that's what it's basically about, but... Take that ever lovely CSI fandom. Ever since Grissom and Sara shagged it up (implied) in the season six finale, fandom wanked its little socks off. And among the other fun stuff, I did notice trends of what I call 'ship-measuring contest'. Frequent arguments* included:
- Our ship has more chemistry
- Our ship is less forced
- Our ship is more Canon
- Our ship is more liked by the actors
- Our ship has better writers
- Our ship has more mature shippers
- Our ship has better fics
* Some of these claims might be true, given the value of true.
The point of all these arguments seem to be to elevate that particular ship to above the others, to be the better one. And it's not just that fandom, either. I've seen arguments on which is "the higher sort of love" in Harry Potter. I've seen Doctor/Rose shippers and Other Shippers both feel hated on in Doctor Who fandom. (Both might be true, depending on your perspective. Also, I divide it into that simple because of numbers. There are heaps of little inter-plays at work, between Nine/Rose and Ten/Rose too.) And that's not taking into account all the stuff going on within a ship - hierarchy and BNFs and what-not.
Course, people are generally into ships because they like them and most shippers are sane and lovely and I give them chocolate, but I wonder how much this behaviour just feels a bit natural after a while. After all, opposing shippers often diss your ship, so you try to lift your up. No one likes something they like being attacked. It's natural to want to defend or to feel better about your particular like, maybe even feel it is special. But it does feel like it sometimes goes a bit far. That humans have a certain need to feel superior to other humans at times and this comes to play in fandom in not always attractive ways.
Maybe I'm totally off. Tell me? Have you noticed anything like it?
Meanwhile, here are two cats who clearly disagree on ship.
Now, I have my ships too, and I'm certainly not saying that's what it's basically about, but... Take that ever lovely CSI fandom. Ever since Grissom and Sara shagged it up (implied) in the season six finale, fandom wanked its little socks off. And among the other fun stuff, I did notice trends of what I call 'ship-measuring contest'. Frequent arguments* included:
- Our ship has more chemistry
- Our ship is less forced
- Our ship is more Canon
- Our ship is more liked by the actors
- Our ship has better writers
- Our ship has more mature shippers
- Our ship has better fics
* Some of these claims might be true, given the value of true.
The point of all these arguments seem to be to elevate that particular ship to above the others, to be the better one. And it's not just that fandom, either. I've seen arguments on which is "the higher sort of love" in Harry Potter. I've seen Doctor/Rose shippers and Other Shippers both feel hated on in Doctor Who fandom. (Both might be true, depending on your perspective. Also, I divide it into that simple because of numbers. There are heaps of little inter-plays at work, between Nine/Rose and Ten/Rose too.) And that's not taking into account all the stuff going on within a ship - hierarchy and BNFs and what-not.
Course, people are generally into ships because they like them and most shippers are sane and lovely and I give them chocolate, but I wonder how much this behaviour just feels a bit natural after a while. After all, opposing shippers often diss your ship, so you try to lift your up. No one likes something they like being attacked. It's natural to want to defend or to feel better about your particular like, maybe even feel it is special. But it does feel like it sometimes goes a bit far. That humans have a certain need to feel superior to other humans at times and this comes to play in fandom in not always attractive ways.
Maybe I'm totally off. Tell me? Have you noticed anything like it?
Meanwhile, here are two cats who clearly disagree on ship.
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damn typos
Date: 2006-10-30 08:38 am (UTC)I think that just about covers it. However, let's not forget the "transcendent/eternal/forever" argument. It usually goes something like this: the love between Blah/Blah2 is "a special transcendent bond" or something whereas the love between Blah/Blah3 is lustful/physical/somehow inferior. Although I think you did touch on that in the first paragraph with the "higher sort of love" example. I've seen that argument not only in HP but in the Buffy and Firefly fandoms as well.
Course, people are generally into ships because they like them and most shippers are sane and lovely and I give them chocolate, but I wonder how much this behaviour just feels a bit natural after a while.
There are times I really think the whole of online fandom, even the "sane" people, would look pretty crazy to people who don't go online and aren't in any fandoms. :p
Re: damn typos
Date: 2006-10-30 10:06 am (UTC)Shipping: A Cross-Fandom Study.... Ah, perhaps one day.
There are times I really think the whole of online fandom, even the "sane" people, would look pretty crazy to people who don't go online and aren't in any fandoms. :p
Now there is a truth. Sanity is sometimes a matter of perception.
Re: damn typos
Date: 2006-10-30 10:33 am (UTC)Re: damn typos
Date: 2006-10-30 01:15 pm (UTC)Re: damn typos
Date: 2006-10-30 09:48 pm (UTC)(via