Who died and made you Father?

Meta
Title:	Who died and made you Father?
Creator:	the editors of Beauty and The Beast: The Newsletter
Date(s):	September 1989
Medium:	print
Fandom:	Beauty and the Beast (TV)
Topic:
External Links:
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Who died and made you Father? is a 1989 essay by the editors of Beauty and The Beast: The Newsletter.

It was printed in the seventh issue.

The essay's topic was fan behavior.

NOTE: The title of the essay was officially "Letter from the Editors." The title used here on Fanlore is a line from the essay.

Topic

There were five sections.

• 1. Patience Please! (don't hassle the editors, have patience, how to be a supportive fan)
• 2. Rumors, Rumors, Rumors (don't believe them, don't spread them)
• 3. Who died and made you Father? ("A sad thing is happening to fandom in general. We're talking about fans who are setting themselves up as demi-gods")
• 4. Treatment of editors and publishers (regarding submissions to zines)
• 5. AND FINALLY (entitled and rude fans)

Introduction

The executive committee has come to us with some suggestions for a happier relationship between the fans expectations and reality. These suggestions apply to all your dealings with any club or publication related to B&tB.

Excerpts

Who died and made you Father? A sad thing is happening to fandom in general. We're talking about fans who are setting themselves up as demi-gods. It is not enough anymore to have received a letter from an actor or actress, or gotten to meet them in person. No, several fans have set themselves up as mini-stars themselves. They expect special treatment from other fans. (A favorite line: Do you know who I am!) They try to dictate how fandom should be run. (You can't do that because...) They try and use their relationship with the actors/writers/producers to get even with people who don't give them the recognition they want. Not only does this put the actor/writer being used in a difficult position, it forces that actor/writer to become less accessible to everyone, and it gives them a bad impression of fandom.

This is happening in other fandoms also - not just ours. How to get around it? We're not sure, but getting even is not it. We probably should just ignore them, they'll figure it out after awhile when no one talks to them anymore.

This club does not play games. Although we are an all volunteer organization we strive to be professional in our dealings with everyone. We share what we can with all of you. There are some things that only Deb has access to - that the rest of the exec committee and the newsletter editors don't have access to. She keeps her contacts list secret from everybody!

This club has not and will not threaten anyone.

[...]

If you hear someone threatening to use this club to shut someone down - politely interrupt and tell them it ain't so. We're too busy to shut anyone down. Every group has a right to exist - as we all cater to different elements in fandom. This club is the first contact most of its members have ever had with fandom. Once Upon a Time Is Now... is a letterzine that caters to those who like writing letters commenting on the show. The JND group in Colorado is aimed at the librarians and teachers associations and making them more aware of Beauty and the Beast. Local groups are encouraged, because it provides an outlet and lets you know you are not alone. We all have our role in fandom - there is room for everyone.

This club does not go in for revenge. If you want to write us a nasty letter - that's fine with us. If you don't sign it, writing that letter was wasted energy on your part. Because we don't read unsigned mail. It goes in the dead letter box. If you sign your letter - we will not kick you out of the club or anything of that nature. We don't have the time or the energy to waste on retaliatory measures. We will read the letter, and be depressed for a week - because we don't like to let anyone down. And, your writing a nasty letter to us implies that we did let you down.

Treatment of editors and publishers: When you submit your heart's work to an editor, don't scream and holler and jump up and down because they send it back asking you to make a few changes. The editors in fandom are semi-professional.

In general, they have a lot of experience editing, and they know what the reader wants. If you're not happy with the changes requested, then tell the editor you are withdrawing your submission from consideration, and enclose monies for them to return your submission to you. Then send it to another editor. This is the way it works in the real world, and the way it works in fandom. Maybe the next editor will use it as it stands. Maybe they'll suggest different changes. Whatever. There is no reason to get upset - you do have other options open to you.

The same goes if they don't use it right away. Many editors have too much material to use - and they have to cut somewhere. Your submission was just the unlucky one this time. Some editors are so overwhelmed with material that they can rearrange the material into themes. They'll concentrate on Catherine material this issue, and Mouse next issue.

If your material is not rejected outright - it is a good bet that it is still under consideration for later use. Again, you do have the option to withdraw your submission.

AND FINALLY - this fandom just lost two fine editors/publishers this summer. They decided to quit .because of the fans themselves. In one case, a fan had demanded back issues that were no longer available - so that fan said they were going to make copies and sell the copies their self. This is not the way to go about making friends. All publications are copyrighted! To make copies and sell them yourself is illegal. Just because back copies are no longer available and you want one is no excuse. They are someone else's hard work - not yours. You have to remember - the editors and publishers slaved over those publications and put up their own money to have them printed in the first place. They provided the storage space for the issues until fans decided they wanted one. All credit and monies were earned by them.

If you find someone is selling items copied/stolen in this manner - don't support them by buying something. Walk away. Be a good helper!

There is also a very possessive attitude among some of the fans. Deb experienced it earlier this summer when a member told her that a lot of people were very unhappy with her - because she belongs to the SCA (Society for Creative Anchronism). And it was printed in the USA TODAY article, that she was Lady Catherine. Well, the reporter got it wrong, she is Lady Kateryn de Devilin.

Deb has a right to a life of her own outside B&tB. She was very upset that that fan was upset. She has belonged to the society for four years. Was she supposed to give it up just because B&tB came along?

And what about her Robin of Sherwood membership. Is she supposed to give that up too? Are the rest of us supposed to divorce our husbands and give up our children, and devote ourselves exclusively to B&tB? It's not realistic - so when you see someone trying to impose this attitude on others, interrupt them - let them know they are interfering with the private lives of others.

Deb gives a lot to this club. Time, money, more time, more money. She has not stinted this club because she has other interests. She Just makes more time for everything. (I think she manufactures extra time somehow.) But for a fan to demand that she devote herself exclusively to one club - she's just not going to do it. She is not going to give up friends and interests on anyone's sayso. But it is this type of attitude on the part of some fans that is driving some editors and publishers to stop. Not Deb, not us, but some others.

Video-tapes; The biggest scam this summer - especially if permission was not obtained from the con-committee where the panel or talk was taped, and it wasn't cleared with the actor, or speaker, or other persons appearing on the tape. If possible, this is even worse - 1) because someone is using a person's image without their express consent. and 2) because the actors make their living by appearing on tape for a fee - and if someone is making money selling tapes of something they haven't approved, they could conceivably sue.

Fandom is not a wide-open do anything you can to make a buck arena. It has been and will continue to be dominated by those who work hard to create a good product for the other fans to enjoy. Those who rip off the work of others will find themselves shut out of fandom because true fans will not support them. It's up to all of us to police ourselves - because if we can't, we're all going to end up losing. Too much energy this summer has gone into taking sides and fighting among some of the groups. The studios don't like it and refuse to deal with anybody. The fans end up being dis-enchanted. And the show loses big time. We are sorry that some of you are mad. We know some of you don't like to be told what should be perfectly obvious to everyone. But there has been too much complaining and too much backstabbing going on this summer. We received more phone calls about what someone said, or what someone did. than we thought would happen over ten years, much less one summer.

Everyone will be happier if we all could just be a little bit more considerate of others.

Lets all do our part to make the real world just a little bit more like the tunnel world. Patience, courtesy, and consideration for others. Please...