It's too bad that enthusiasm's been given such a bad reputation.
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| Title: | It's too bad that enthusiasm's been given such a bad reputation. (untitled, this is the title used here on Fanlore) |
| Creator: | Stephanie A. Wiltse |
| Date(s): | Fall 1991 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
It's too bad that enthusiasm's been given such a bad reputation. is 1991 Beauty and the Beast (TV) essay by Stephanie A. Wiltse.
It was printed in Pipeline v.4 n.8/9.
Some Context
This essay was written at a time when Beauty and the Beast (TV) fandom was in turmoil due to in-fighting and anger over changes that had been made to the third season, and ultimately the show's cancellation.
Wiltse's newsletter, Pipeline, was in the forefront of these discussions and controversies, both quelling and fanning fan anger and disagreements, often in the very same issue.
See Beauty and the Beast Fans and TPTB.
See The Beauty and the Beast Wars.
Some Topics Discussed
- Wiltse's opinions regarding what constituted "good" fans and "bad" fans
- scolding fans for their poor behavior
- the Saturday Night Live skit aired on November 16, 1991, "Linda at the Bar"
- Beauty and the Beast fans who acted like they were members of a cult
- how buying officially licensed merchandise was best way to be a good fan
- letter campaigns were mostly useless
- fans were their own worst enemy in making themselves look ridiculous in front of journalists and TPTB
- Wiltse, who'd encouraged and coached fans for years regarding their letter campaigns, tells fans these letters only did harm as they weren't spontaneous and were done with "coaching or coercion"
From the Essay
One journalist noted that she felt fans thought they were supporting the show if they simply thought of it every waking moment, wrote continuous streams of fan mail directly to the stars' agents, and watched their video tapes religiously (wonder why they call us a cult?). Her point was that that was like rooting for the home team from outside the stadium. If you don't buy a ticket, you're not part of the game. The bottom line? If Republic Pictures gets its original, mammoth, million-dollar-an-episode investment back with interest, the more likely Republic, or some other studio, will finance further production later on. Film and television are 'commercial' arts, it may not be the artists' first thought, but money will definitely be his/her backers' major motivator. So, look for authorized memorabilia licensed by Republic Pictures from catalogs and at conventions, and if you don't already have one of everything land only if you can afford to, buy something. Writing commentary or fan mail, at least in care of Republic, does still demonstrate interest, but that's about all.
And as for commentary, 'the right to an opinion' notwithstanding, press and industry people have a hard enough time as 'tis taking our passions seriously, but when it comes to complaints or requests for what is not in the power of the entreat-ee to deliver, they simply write the passionate off altogether. It's too bad that enthusiasm's been given such a bad reputation — but one can see how it got that way. Perhaps it is time to let brand-new fans, people who couldn't care less about classic or 3rd seasons, to keep the powers-that-be reminded of all our continuing interests. Their spontaneity will shine from corporate mailbags just fine without coaching or coercion.
One reader called in to say that she resented the impression that Linda Hamilton had given to the effect that the actress thought all fans were disturbed individuals (from a Premiere or PreVue magazine, anyone have a clipping?). How does that saying go? "All the world's insane except thee and me ...and sometimes I wonder about thee." Yes, it must be admitted there are some pretty off-the-wall individuals out there, and I'm afraid more than a few of them have stalked or otherwise gotten in the face of our first Beauty. Look at it from her point of view, remember the skit from November 16th's "Saturday Night Live?" How would you like it, if someone you'd rather not have met at all pinned you down in a hallway proclaiming at length how much alike you are and how much she identified with you — not even the character you played — but you? That is definitely not a compliment. A professional body guard who protects celebs (including the likes of Sly Stallone) added that the sort of thing that went on in the above mentioned skit and the 'Linda at the Bar' segment actually happen constantly and can get a lot worse than what was shown. His observation was that it's the likes of these that stars know as fans!
Another free-lancer who covers the field gave our fandom a year to live! When the observation was made that "he didn't seem to have much respect for fans" the reply was that he'd seen "too many fandoms chew themselves up." Glance at nearly every other Starlog magazine's letter column, the arguments are always the same, and so are the names.
It's hard to explain this mutual antipathy to the uninitiated (nearly half our number) who came into our fandom during or after the 3rd season. It is sad but true that fandoms are more representative of the world-at-large in microcosm than they are the utopian societies they would like to emulate. But then again, even in the tunnels people had their differences, what they could not resolve they had no choice but to accept or reject, just as we do. Many 'up top' have simply retreated happily back to their closets, they're still fans but that's a secret. Embarrassing as it might seem, the fact is real people can be both beastly & beautiful, bearing that in mind can save a lot of heartache.