Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10402
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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 Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 3:45 pm Post subject: Re: The Rancor Pit actively condemns hatred |
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Disney is not saying the entire Star Wars fanbase is toxic. (No one is saying that all toxic fans are racists or that all racists are toxic about it.) Toxic fandom is not a problem unique to Star Wars. There are just a lot of toxic people in the world in general, so in any large enough sample size (e.g. Star Wars fans), there is going to be a percentage of toxic people in that group. It is a small minority of fans who are the real problem in the fandom.
| Quote: | | Some fans instantly get defensive when the racism and hatred corners of the fandom are even brought up (they doth protest too much, methinks)... Truly moral, empathic people would be horrified to learn about the treatment other humans are getting, treatment that has nothing to do with the writing or even actor performances. |
Below were Lucasfilm's specific comments after Ingram spoke out publicly in resistance to the hateful, racist harassment she had been receiving since the show started...
It's been pointed out to me that a corner of the Star Wars fandom takes offense at these tweets, claiming that these are bashing all fans. I've seen it being spread that Lucasfilm is saying all legitimate non-racist criticism of the OBK show itself is really racially motivated. Lucasfilm hasn't actually addressed any criticisms of the show that I have seen. I am a part of all fans. I am not in the slightest bit offended by these tweets, and the reason is simply that these statements are clearly not directed to all fans. The main tweet clearly indicates it is only directed towards anyone making the actor "feel in any way unwelcome," which is an extremely gentle euphemism for the vile hate speech she has been subjected to. The second one effectively advises to not choose to be racist. That is clearly directed only at those who choose racism. If you aren't a racist Star Wars fan, then these tweets do not apply to you. If you take offense to these statements, that says a lot more about you than Disney and Lucasfilm. If you feel you are not racist but get called a racist a lot in your life so this is a sensitive topic for you, then maybe you should take a good look in the mirror and examine why that keeps happening to you. And if media outlets are running with stories about how toxic all Star Wars supposedly are, they are just as prejudice as the haters. Not all fans are toxic, and Lucasfilm is not responsible for others warping the facts of their statements.
I noticed that Lucasfilm doesn't ever take the lead on these things. Lucasfilm is very reactive to problems in the fan base, and it makes business sense to not be too proactive. Fans are customers and Lucasfilm is selling a brand with many products. They would prefer that none of their customers are viewed as toxic, for fear of scaring off other customers who don't want to be associated with them. It seems to me that the problem of toxic fandom is officially ignored for the most part. Lucasfilm mostly only ever says something supportive after an actor rightfully speaks out against harassment from fans. Disney would likely rather everyone pretend there is no toxicity in the fandom, so they can keep selling their products to anyone who will buy them. Toxic fandom can be bad PR for any franchise and bad PR can affect sales, so they are not going to go around attacking their paying customers and making it worse. They are going to say the right thing only when they really have to. It seems to me that Disney often tries to protect their most precious customers, those blind faith customers with low standards that just love everything "Star Wars." It's like Disney doesn't want to upset their naive worldview that there is anything wrong with some Star Wars fans.
I've also been made aware that a corner of the fandom is pushing the absurd conspiracy theory that Lucasfilm is completely manufacturing the racist harassment drama to distract fans from the legitimate content criticisms about the OBK show itself. They say it is all a hoax, that a new black women SW actor on the show really hasn't gotten a single unwanted racist message because no Star Wars fans are racist. First of all, this is a pathetic attempt to dismiss the problem of racism, like the revisionist history lying that the American Civil War wasn't at its heart about slavery. Secondly, this hasn't in the slightest bit distracted from all the non-racist criticism of the show. I have observed that each week, fan criticisms of the show's content have only grown in number and severity, not minimized in anyway. Most of the criticism has nothing to do with Reva or her actor. Disney clearly has little impact on the narratives. The conspiracy theory that toxic racist harassment doesn't actually exist in Star Wars fandom is pure bantha poodoo, and you are a fool if you believe that.
The Rancor Pit actively condemns hatred, and it will continue to do so. This is an official stance of the Rancor Pit, as indicated by the forum guidelines and the phpBB registration agreement. You are free to think and feel however you want. If you don't want to feel you are being called out, then keep any hatred and its apologetic propaganda to yourself. It's that simple. Thank you.
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