Indecisive Dreaming

fandom tolerance

If you're on Wattpad, which, for the sake of this essay, I'm assuming you are, then you are part of a fandom.

There will be some who say that to be a member of an exclusive fandom, you have to meet certain requirements, or you're more of a fan if you've been watching it for longer, or you have to be an extreme devotist to the cause.

Admittedly, a lot of us do fit into these parameters. I, for example, am a very extreme participant in many of my fandoms, but this doesn't mean everyone needs to be. Although many fangirls don't realise it, there is such a thing as a casual fan, and it's perfectly acceptable to be one of these and yet consider yourself part of the fandom.

Additionally, fandoms do not have to be centred around some sort of media, like YouTube, or a television programme, or even a book. There is probably a fandom for people who love apples, and another for people who like Grumpy Cat.

I'm making this point because not everyone on Wattpad (just the majority) is a Whovian, or Sherlockian, or Trekkie, or Ringer. There are quite a few of us who are also members of the literary fandom, and are simply people who fangirl about books and reading. That doesn't make me any less of a fangirl.

So, if you need a real-life comparison for this to make sense, it's like religious tolerance**. Instead of any member of one religion being tolerant of all religions and all members of those religions, regardless of how devout, fangirls need to be tolerant of all fangirls in all fandoms and of all degrees of devotion.

What do you think? Do you believe in Fandom Tolerance? Should all people be considered fans if they simply enjoy something? Tell me what you think in the comments.

**Yes, I am bringing religion into this. No, I don't feel it's as much of a serious issue as religious freedom, but I was struggling to come up with a good real-life parallel.