Originally Posted by
by M Sipher, on alt.toys.transformers
"True Fan".
I've seen that phrase tossed across this newsgroup countless times.
Every time, it disgusts me. Unlike some people, I don't feel this paranoid
McCarthyist urge to divide the world into the black-and-white division of
holy and good "True Fan" and evil "Not Fan" based on my own personal
preferences of the TF universe.
What is a TF fan? As far as I'm concerned, a fan is anybody who holds
an interest in the aesthetic aspects of TFs... someone who cares for MORE
than a TF's resale value. Someone who enjoys the IDEA. ANY part of that
idea. I know plenty of people whose only interest in TFs is selling them.
Does that bug me? Hell no, I deal with these people every weekend. If
anything, that prevents them from saving the cooler ones for themselves.
No skin off my back. (Go re-read the section on toy dealer comparisons if
you want to. The guys I'm talking about here fall into the latter
category.)
And guess what folks. "Fan" encompasses a WIDE range of interests AND
dislikes. I am SO SICK of seeing messages like "Anybody who likes/doesn't
like (Fill In TF Subgroup of Choice Here) isn't a true fan!", and "You
don't know what (Fill In The Blank) is? You can't be true fan!", and that
ilk. "True Fan" is a bullshit term used by insecure, narrow-minded people
acting holier-than-thou, trying to make themselves feel better by putting
themselves up on the "True Fan" pedestal while kicking others off. There
is no such thing as a "True Fan". There is only "Fan". Any measurement of
fandom is arbitrary and personal AT BEST. What you know, what you own, or
what individual aspects of TFs you like does NOT define whether one is a
"Fan" or not, and frankly, doesn't make anybody a bigger or better fan
than anybody else. Quit thinking that trivia and collection size equals
penis length. (Apologies to the female TF fans out there, but you know
what I mean.) I don't care if you could rattle off every tech-spec from
memory BACKWARDS, myself. I don't care if you own every TF ever made,
including rare prototypes. I don't care if you could act out for me every
episode of the American and Japanese cartoons, including the voices.
Anyone who hates/likes Beast Wars or Machine Wars is a TF Fan.
Anyone who hates/likes Action Masters, MicroMasters, Pretenders, or
any other generally disliked subgroup is a TF Fan.
Anyone who likes G1 but doesn't know what G2, BW or MW *is* is a TF
Fan.
Anyone new to TFs who only knows BW is a TF Fan.
Anyone who likes G1 but doesn't know anything about the Japanese or
European lines is a TF Fan.
Anyone who only likes the first two years of G1 toys is a TF Fan.
Anyone who likes the toys but knows jack about the cartoon/comic
fiction is a TF Fan.
Anyone who doesn't care about ANY of the toys but enjoys the
cartoon/comic is a TF Fan.
Anyone who only likes the first two seasons of the G1 cartoon is a TF
Fan.
Anyone who only likes the comic is a TF Fan.
Anyone who thinks the Decepticons have got it right is a TF Fan.
Anyone who doesn't like the way any of the fiction went but likes the
characters is a TF Fan.
Do you see where I'm going with this? Possessions and trivia don't
enter into it. Personal likes/dislikes don't enter into it. Those are
ASPECTS of TF Fandom, they don't DEFINE it. That "TF Fan Purity Test" of
Diana's is a JOKE, people. (I'm dead certain she'll back me up on this.)
It is meant to provide amusement. NOT to be used as a measuring stick.
I've been on this newsgroup for years. And there have been many
others on it before I was. Some may know more about the whole TF universe,
some may write fanfics or other TF-related documents, but they are no
"better" fans than some lurker or somebody who just joined last week. So
anybody who's been holding back on posting because they're afraid of being
stomped on by some almighty TF clique, stop worrying. Post away. Give us
your questions! We're here to help and encourage and share, godsdammit!