I realize that in a group as close as this fandom has become, we tend to depend on the opinions of our fellow fans as to what is worthwhile and what is not.
| Open Letter | |
|---|---|
| Title: | I realize that in a group as close as this fandom has become, we tend to depend on the opinions of our fellow fans as to what is worthwhile and what is not. |
| From: | Beth Blighton |
| Addressed To: | Beauty and the Beast fans |
| Date(s): | November 1989 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
I realize that in a group as close as this fandom has become, we tend to depend on the opinions of our fellow fans as to what is worthwhile and what is not. is a 1989 open letter to Beauty and the Beast (TV) fans by Beth Blighton.
It was printed in Once Upon a Time...Is Now #16. The editors of that letterzine prefaced this letter with their support:
There is a lady to whom this publication owes much. Her name is Beth Blighton. Her wonderful artwork has graced the cover of OUT-IN many times and she has been a solid supporter of ours for as long as I have known her. She has a letter in this month's issue that I hope you all will read carefully. It says exactly how the editors and staff feel at this point and don't have the room to print. Thank you Beth — for your art, for your words and for your friendship.
Some Topics Discussed
- what do fans owe their show?
- what do TPTB owe their fans?
- the upcoming third season of the show, and the rumored changes in casting, characterization, and direction
- fan entitlement
The Open Letter
That in itself isn't always a bad thing. It protects us from investing in projects, newsletters, 'zines, etc. that may or may not be to our taste once in our hands. But it can also be a bad thing when it starts to influence opinions and decisions that should really be left up to you. It seems from the splintering and factioning that appears to be going on, that there are a lot of fans out there who are apparently being swept along, possibly against their own will, the currents and eddies of conflicting personal opinion. It's as if they don't know what to make of all the rumors and reports, and being so emotionally caught up in the situation they are powerless to do anything more than "go with the flow". One minute they are outraged by some new "tabloid truth" and the next they're trying to draw some fleeting comfort from a rampaging "fan rumor".
We have a tendency to listen to what our fellow fans have to say and take it to cur hearts as if it were gospel; especially if it's from the mouth of a fan we have some respect for. But remember, every fan in this country is HUMAN and nothing more. We make mistakes, we have prejudices and we have faults like anybody else. There is NO PRIZE for being the one "Most In The Know". Please remember that. There is no "Grand Poo-Bah Hat" for the person with the most contacts and the most information. That kind of jockeying for position can only be a harmful thing, putting a price on that which should be freely given. There has been way too much agonizing going on about the alleged plot lines of the upcoming episodes, way too much theorizing and way too much conclusion drawing. Let's face the facts here — what is written, what is filmed, what is edited and what is aired can turn out to be vastly different things indeed. No one, probably not even Ron Perlman himself, can tell you exactly it will be in these episodes when they finally air. And even if he would or could tell you, it is a matter of how it is perceived! And filling our heads with preconceived notions of how we're going to feel about something we have not even seen yet could hardly be considered fair.
Yes, I grant you, there is always the possibility of being disappointed in anything we do, but is that the attitude we want to go into this thing with—the idea that there is no way that we'll NOT be disappointed? Is this what we've come to? Where is the spirit that drew us together at the beginning of the summer and helped us fight against all odds to bring this show back?
When did support suddenly give us ownership rights? Did spending dollars and time to save this show suddenly give us cart-blanche permission to tell them how we want it written, presented and packaged? Any thing we did, we did cut of purely selfish if noble reasons — WE WANTED THIS SHOW BACK. PERIOD. And now we want to put conditions on our terms? They do not "owe" us anything. The only deal that was ever struck between audience and production was that they make every effort to entertain us to the best of their abilities, that they give us the best acting, writing, and producing they were capable of. For the most part I would say they've kept their end of our deal. And our part? As an audience, the only thing we've ever been required to do is be open-minded and enjoy the product we like and turn off the product we don't. Buy how can we say we're not going to like something without ever having seen it? Could we have properly judged "Rest Is Silence" or even "Bluebrd" on the basis of some two page synopsis? That no doubt would have sounded incredibly stupid if looked at that way, and yet...
I would hate to see us, the same people who supposedly love this show, succeed where CBS obviously didn't have the creativity to and destroy this fragile show before it ever gets off the ground. Do we truly want the responsibility of playing judge, jury and hangman without the benefit of testimony and trial?
Over and over again I hear the cries of "They can't do this!" and "This is not what our show is about!" Frankly, I feel the same way, but not about the plot line. I feel this same outrage when I hear the fans premising to "Never watch such trash!" and turning their backs en masse on everybody who ever meant anything to us on the production staff. Is this what we've come to? Is this what they deserve? I, myself, am willing to wait and see. If anybody "owes" anybody anything, we owe this cast, crew and production staff that much. They've never let us down before and I don't see the wisdom in expecting them to now.
Whatever they decide to do, I'm most certain that they carefully thought out the options then did what they had to do, choosing the direction which offered them the most story opportunities. I truly believe, even if this isn't an exact carbon copy of the last two seasons, still it will be compelling, well done and from the heart.
So in closing, if you never listen to another of my opinions ever again, PLEASE. I urge you — Give this show a chance, not just the two hour movie or the first few, but stick with it, see what they have in mind. What we think isn't always what is. And remember...ANYTHING can happen in FANTASY!
Please, let's try a little harder from now on to pull together and be supportive of each other. In a group this size things can become ugly and I think it's time we all stepped back and took stock. This should be our finest hour. It's OUR TIME to prove to CBS and the rest that the support of quality does make a difference! We have the power to help make B&B one very popular program. The dream IS still alive, but only if we keep it safe, and the only way to do that is by sticking together.
"You've given me everything... everything. Give that much to each other."