Pimping a new comm

[donutsweeper]

A new community has been created on LJ with the idea that bashing is bad and we should do everything we can to prevent it.  It is called bashmenot and I heartily support its efforts and encourage everyone to join it.  For more information about its creation please see wendymr's post here.  I know that my flist is the best bunch of people in the world and will happily jump on the bandwagon of such a worthy cause.

Comments

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

That sounds nice, I think! I certainly come down on the side of politeness and rational discussion in fandom. Thinking about your post and that community have made me realize that I've been so isolated (and cautious? cowardly?) that I only know about bashing second-hand. I gather that it's where a person says strongly negative things about a character just for the sake of being mean? Or can it be more subtle than that? What draws the line between expressing dislike of a character, and bashing? (And does bashing include things other than characters? Like fic?)

Heh, sorry. I don't know if I've seen examples, so I can't get a clear picture in my head of exactly what's being opposed. I'm sure they don't mean disagreements as a part of intelligent discussion. (Several of my friends don't like Gwen, for instance, and I do, but I don't think any of us has ever offended each other.)

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that if friends want to discuss the pros and cons of a character it's fine. The idea behind this is to prevent someone from laying down their version of the law and swooping in and saying you're an idiot for liking Gwen because she's a stupid slut and then going off on Gwen's inanities for three paragraphs. This post explains a bit more (http://community.livejournal.com/bashmenot/3322.html)

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

That post is locked, but I did read the one you linked up in your post. I just have been so isolated in safe little fandom places, I guess, that I honestly haven't run into this type of thing, so I didn't have a concrete idea of what was meant. (Sounds like I'm lucky!) The basic idea is respect for other fans' opinions, I take it, which I definitely support, especially in communities and places where public discussions are taking place.

Thanks for explaining more!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

glad to help. It's a great idea, not sure how it could be ever really enforced, but I think think it's a worthwhile thing to support

[eumenidis.livejournal.com]

Does that mean no more Owen-doesn't-get-any donut stories? But I love Owen being driven nuts, it's like Wile E. Coyote...

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

oh no, of course not, Owen-not-getting-donuts is an idea story idea. The idea of this comm is that if someone posts a story where Owen is nice and sweet (or even snarky and annoying) someone else doesn't come and comment "how the hell can you support Owen, he's a rapist and evil and you're an ass for thinking otherwise."

Basically, as I understand it, it's attempting to keep things in the discussion format instead of lecturing and belittling.

[eumenidis.livejournal.com]

I didn't really think so, just thought I'd get some clarification on the term "character bashing". Mostly, I was concerned that the kind of excessive & ill-mannered personal attack you describe had put a crimp in the good times rolling.

Hm. If Owen is Wile E. Coyote, I guess that makes Jack the Roadrunner.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

*beep beep*