Oh Internet Drama

For the record, you don't have to read all of this.

So I at first thought that I should keep my mouth shut and stay out of this. But after going away for the weekend only to come back and find some things said on a certain Franz Ferdinand fan board, I think we all need to take a break and sit back for a bit.

It's not my place to be a voice of reason but I'm at least hoping to impose some sort of unbiased viewpoint on the issue. At least, this is my perspective on the issue at hand. So to the members of the ffg, the members of leatherhips, the members of kyte, and heck - even the members of the muse boards and the lurkers, let's get down to business.

We're all passionate. This much is clear. We all like this band a lot, but this shouldn't be some sort of competition. It's not about who's the biggest fan, who's been to the most gigs, or who's met them. Seriously, it doesn't matter. It's awesome when people have stories and photos to share. But it seems silly to judge people on behaviour when you weren't there and don't know the story. Don't call people rude or creepy if they post a story that seems strange, because it probably made sense at the time. As well, no one should be considered less of a fan because they've never gotten the chance to go to a gig, or they've only become a fan of Franz since the release of 'Tonight'. We were all 'new' fans at one point, and it's hard - yes, it is hard - to become part of an already thriving community. It's imposing to walk in on a bunch of people that have a history and just sort of get in on it. Inside jokes can be taken as opportunities for exclusion (whether they are or they aren't) and it always seems to be an unavoidable issue with communities.

I think we need to realize that not everyone's going to get these jokes or feel like they're part of this community. I think what happened with the breakdown of ffg was that people who have been members for a while had felt ostracized by the increasing activeness of newer members and newer fans. These older members had their own set of social codes - whether it be the language they used or the attitudes they had towards things. Newer members might have interpreted this as strange behaviour, and said a few things against it, or displayed their own emotions through their own methods. Whatever the case, they - or we - just didn't mesh and it ultimately boiled down into what's just happened.

And things were said. Some of it uncalled for, some of it expected. I wish it hadn't been this way, because I felt that some of the posts were harsh personal attacks that no one would want to be on the receiving end of. It's all good and well to post your reasons for being angry and upset, but calling people names is just ridiculous. I think that if arguments had been made without such slander, a more reasonable reaction would have occurred. It's all good and well for people to want to leave, and it was even understandable in a situation such as this. Naturally, communities split apart and separate as they grow. It's human nature and change happens. I just wish it had been dealt with and expressed in a different way. It's not fair to call people out on their gig activities when you weren't there for the entire reaction. Having been in Montreal myself, I can tell you, there were indeed actual smiles. There was no fleeing, no hints of any anger, and absolutely none of that. In fact, they actually hung around for quite some time talking and telling jokes. Basing behaviour off of one silly photograph in an attempt to chastise someone isn't necessary. This misunderstanding between two very passionate groups was unfortunate, and I think we all need to realize that we're fans. And we're all fans of the same thing.

As for the pretzels, it's the same way. It's an inside joke - that's grown to a rather large scale. As far as I know, it doesn't bother the band. Assumably, it's harmless and inoffensive. If Bob wanted it to stop, he could by all means just say so and it would. We respect the band, but it's a joke. No, you might not get it, but that doesn't mean it's fair to slag off the people that do it. I've met some of the greatest people and had some of the funniest moments because of it (sentimental, I know). If you don't want to give Bob pretzels, nobody is cocking a gun to your head and forcing you to do it. They've got a sense of humour about it, and if you don't want to laugh at it, at least don't complain about how the people doing it are 'offensive' and 'rude'. Because that's silly. It's just a way for some fans to show a sense of community.

We've drifted apart. I'm sorry. I can't purport to understand everyone's logic behind how they handled the situation. Separate communities have separate languages. Maybe I shouldn't go so far as to say stop generalizing behaviour if you don't know the entire story, but I'd just like all this reckless judging of others to stop, because it's getting out of hand and dividing a group of people that should all be glad that they have a band like Franz Ferdinand to support. We know that they're great, and a huge majority of their fans are great. We either need to stop judging each other so harshly, or stay out of each other's way. This isn't going to turn into some big war between communities. When you see each other at gigs, you're not going to punch each other in the nose. The anonymity of the internet allows for things to be said that normally wouldn't. So calm down and breathe. Listen to some Franz Ferdinand. We love them, we just show it in different ways.

... And there's probably a reason why I'm not studying sociology.