Commercialism in Strekdom
| Meta | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Commercialism in Strekdom |
| Creator: | M.J. Fisher |
| Date(s): | July 1976 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Commercialism in Strekdom is a 1976 Star Trek: TOS essay by M.J. Fisher.
It was printed in Spectrum #26.
Fisher wrote many essays in "Spectrum." Some were part of a series loosely called "Fannish Thoughts," and some were standalone essays.
Fisher wrote: "We all know it. Commercialism is one of the most strongly felt forces in fandom; there is almost a heart-felt taboo about commercialism within our ranks."
For some context, see Timeline of Fandom and Profit and Fandom and Profit.
Some Topics Discussed
- fandom and profit
- Star Trek fans are in a "cult" and therefore "ripe for the plucking"
- the author has an ax to grind regarding a specific zine that he does not name
- fan courtesies versus fan taboos
- fandom is a hobby and "all fans should be able to contribute and benefit from this hobby no matter what they can afford to donate personally."
- those who produce fanworks should do it selflessly and with loyalty
From the Essay
There are those that would question my statement that there are taboos in fandom. It's a complex thing, fandom, and just as there are fannish courtesies, things that we try to do in order to help our fellow fan or make things easier; there are also taboos, little regulations that are understood by most even if they aren't written down anywhere. Many of these regulations shape the ways in which we work in fandom, the type of fanac we perform. Few zineds would make a policy of making public in a zine private conversations or arguments between two other fans. Aside from bad manners there isn't much that says that zined can't print such information. Instead, the people involved in the private argument assume that the editor of any fanzine knows the courtesies to follow before printing anything personal, i.e. he should ask permission of all parties involved and point out if he intends to edit the material or not.
Aside then from personal rights, commercialism is probably one of the most closely observed taboo in fandom. Thou shalt not cheat thy fellow fan...might read the taboo if it were carved into a pair of stone tablets. There is ample rationale behind this taboo. First and foremost is the fact that fandom is a hobby and a collection of persons knowledgeable in a certain field. Those people who are really into fandom are dedicated to it, as any avid hobbyist is. They are hooked, and despite the cost to them, they value it so much personally they, not only participate in the hobby but work to keep it viable. There's that personal stake that keeps fandom alive. All fans should be able to contribute and benefit from this hobby no matter what they can afford to donate personally. It should be possible to give everyone a share in fandom if he or she wants it badly enough. Commercialism gets in the way of that. A person who is out to get money for his or her zine, or convention or whatever is not helping fandom - but himself. This escalates the costs, making things less affordable, when they might not be worth the price. It makes things available to only those who can afford them and hampers the lines of communication in fandom. Commercialism is something that throws a monkey wrench into fandom. In a hobby where we try to help each other, commercialism would have us out for the $$ with every man for himself.
Another rationale behind the commercialism taboo is in the folk that comprise mainstream fandom. The people that have been in fandom for years are the ones that have seen commercialism personally. They know about it because they've risen from the ranks and have probably spent plenty learning what they know about fandom. Not only have these people wasted time and money on overpriced zines that aren't worth the price of their paper, but they've also seen the effect of commercialism on cons an other aspects. These people are the ones that can easily see the shit beneath the candy-coating. These people act as a watchdog for fandom against commercial exploit.
The unfortunate effect of commercialism is that many Star Trek fans are just ripe for the plucking. Star Trek has become a cult lately, even more so than it was in the early days. There are more companies out with books, records, dolls, puzzles, and other trivia then there ever were. The fringe and neofans buy the stuff left and right. They seldom have any real merit, except for amusement value, and few of the professionally produced items have ever won merit in fandom. Actually, there is little fandom itself can do to discourage the shameless buying of the various pieces of ST tripe on the market. What has been done with the commercialism taboo is to discourage people in fandom from buying that type of stuff. This also applies, perhaps more so, to stuff sold at conventions.
Someone who is in fandom who attempts to exploit others is often the subject of discussion. A professional producer of junk is one thing, but we can do something a- bout a fannish producer of tripe. A fannish producer of worthless or overpriced material is actually doing more harm to fandom, even though the effect is on fewer people. These people are guilty of cheating fandom and corrupting our fannish ideals for their own selfish gain.
A case in point in a particular fanzine, which will remain nameless for the sake of discussion. Suffice it to say that although the fanzine in question is of reasonably good quality, the price charged by the editor is so outrageously overblown as to make the person clearly guilty of selfishness and avarice, certainly traits that aren't admired even outside of fandom. The fanzine I refer to cost $6.00 in person, I will not bother with the mailing price. Let me go through the prices and calculate what it would have cost any other fanzine editor to produce....
[much snipped about detailed hypothetical costs regarding a zine]
If producing fanzines is part of the hobby, then overcharging for them surely doesn't help increase the availability of in formation or lubricate the lines of communication. When I entered fandom I never decided to see how much money my fanzine could make, I only wanted to use it as a forum for communication, something to share with fans. Evidently, some people don't share these same ethics.
As long as the material in such a fanzine is of value to fans they may still buy it. The fanzine could also be over-hyped by ads and whitewashed by reviewers who are too cowardly to step on toes or too insecure to raise valid or constructive criticism of the fact for fear of hurting feelings. So- the fanzine may still sell, but it doesn't change the fact that the person charging the prices is still in the wrong, and the people who are afraid to speak out against such practices are prostituting their fannish ideals, and thus hurting fandom.
The things happening outside of fandom can hardly be put under control, but the items for sale inside of fandom, those few bits of commercialistic despotism -- those can be handled. By educating more fans, showing them what to look out for, how to judge an item, a zine, or a club, we can curb commercialism within fandom. It isn't a job for one person though; few people are that high and mighty. It is something all of fandom should gear themselves for. Part of the job rests with zineds who are hon est with themselves and fandom and viith reviewers who aren't content to play nice-nice just for the sake of being #1 good guy. Back-patting is fine, if it's deserved. It's a lesson all the fans can take to heart when judging zines, cons, sales items, or even their fellow fans. Where do your loyalties lie in fandom? Toward yourself, or the real reason you're in fandom?