Chris vs Tom fandom war
Jan. 20th, 2012 10:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chococatOkay, I gotta say something that's been bugging me for awhile. No offense is meant from this post. Everything stated is what I personally think, and isn't meant to reflect the opinions of anyone else.
Before Inception, before the craziness of Supernatural, I was a lurker who was happily splashing my way through Star Trek Reboot fandom. I was a Chris fangirl, and I still am, even though it's been toned down quite a bit since then. He is smart and hot and really just awesome since he's also went to the same college I'm going to now. I defended him against people (like my roommate) who kept saying he's not even that cute or can't act or that he has a big forehead and weird hair. He is wonderful the way he is, thank you very much.
Now on the other hand, I'm knee-deep in Inception fandom and I love Tom Hardy. Yes, it was a grudging kind of "I don't want to like you as much as JGL but GDI you keep winning me over with every interview/picture/quote" love, but he is a ridiculous human being who can't helped be liked. I lasted about a whole year after the movie came out before giving in and realizing that by refusing to like Tom, I was missing out. I am the picture of reluctant fangirl who can't but notice Tom Hardy and all the wonderful things he's accomplished.
From what I've been hearing from people on my flist/tumblr/etc, Chris fans and Tom Hardy fans aren't getting along. While I know most of it happens on tumblr where all the immature teenagers hang out, it's still important to say that it's not right to insult the other actor. People get invested in these actors, and their real feelings get hurt when the person they admire/respect/love get attacked. Fandom is supposed to be a happy place, and it can't be when people feel like they constantly have to defend themselves against others who probably just don't understand the appeal of the other actor, and this lack of understanding gets twisted into insults and hurt people on both sides.
The solution?
Follow the example set out bycherrybina and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jenlynn820 and tons of other people whose names escape my mind at the moment. (Sorry! I know you're out there!) Promote your favorite actor and try to get those haters to understand what they're missing out on. If they get bombarded with all of their good qualities, I'm sure they'll come around eventually. (I did!) Chris and Tom are two of the best actors out there, and seem to be genuinely good people.
Since I've been in both sides of the pool, I gotta tell you that Tom fans and Chris fans are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Excluding the dramatic and means ones that float around, the majority of them are warm and welcoming. I'm sure they'll gladly tell you about why their respective actors are awesome if asked, and getting to know these people will hopefully dissolve the tension leading up to the premiere of This Means War. Come on, this should be a joyous occasion! Two hot guys, who just happen to be best friends and are fighting over the same girl? Pure slash opportunity. Don't let it go to waste! All kidding aside, wouldn't you enjoy watching the movie if you liked all of the actors? (I'm assuming people have no grudge against Reese, because come on, she's pretty wonderful too.)
Promote what you love. Even if you don't end up liking the other actor, please don't bash them because the only thing you're doing is making people hurt and frustrated. I know I don't have the power to really make a difference in either fandom because I'm just a quiet lurker, but I want others to know that people are getting hurt, and some of them are my friends. I won't stand for that and I'm sorry that this post was posted too late to avoid people getting hurt. I know you all are wonderful people, and I just want you guys to think about how absolutely spectacular fandom would be if we stopped this Chris vs Tom war.
Before Inception, before the craziness of Supernatural, I was a lurker who was happily splashing my way through Star Trek Reboot fandom. I was a Chris fangirl, and I still am, even though it's been toned down quite a bit since then. He is smart and hot and really just awesome since he's also went to the same college I'm going to now. I defended him against people (like my roommate) who kept saying he's not even that cute or can't act or that he has a big forehead and weird hair. He is wonderful the way he is, thank you very much.
Now on the other hand, I'm knee-deep in Inception fandom and I love Tom Hardy. Yes, it was a grudging kind of "I don't want to like you as much as JGL but GDI you keep winning me over with every interview/picture/quote" love, but he is a ridiculous human being who can't helped be liked. I lasted about a whole year after the movie came out before giving in and realizing that by refusing to like Tom, I was missing out. I am the picture of reluctant fangirl who can't but notice Tom Hardy and all the wonderful things he's accomplished.
From what I've been hearing from people on my flist/tumblr/etc, Chris fans and Tom Hardy fans aren't getting along. While I know most of it happens on tumblr where all the immature teenagers hang out, it's still important to say that it's not right to insult the other actor. People get invested in these actors, and their real feelings get hurt when the person they admire/respect/love get attacked. Fandom is supposed to be a happy place, and it can't be when people feel like they constantly have to defend themselves against others who probably just don't understand the appeal of the other actor, and this lack of understanding gets twisted into insults and hurt people on both sides.
The solution?
Follow the example set out by
cherrybina and jenlynn820 and tons of other people whose names escape my mind at the moment. (Sorry! I know you're out there!) Promote your favorite actor and try to get those haters to understand what they're missing out on. If they get bombarded with all of their good qualities, I'm sure they'll come around eventually. (I did!) Chris and Tom are two of the best actors out there, and seem to be genuinely good people. Since I've been in both sides of the pool, I gotta tell you that Tom fans and Chris fans are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Excluding the dramatic and means ones that float around, the majority of them are warm and welcoming. I'm sure they'll gladly tell you about why their respective actors are awesome if asked, and getting to know these people will hopefully dissolve the tension leading up to the premiere of This Means War. Come on, this should be a joyous occasion! Two hot guys, who just happen to be best friends and are fighting over the same girl? Pure slash opportunity. Don't let it go to waste! All kidding aside, wouldn't you enjoy watching the movie if you liked all of the actors? (I'm assuming people have no grudge against Reese, because come on, she's pretty wonderful too.)
Promote what you love. Even if you don't end up liking the other actor, please don't bash them because the only thing you're doing is making people hurt and frustrated. I know I don't have the power to really make a difference in either fandom because I'm just a quiet lurker, but I want others to know that people are getting hurt, and some of them are my friends. I won't stand for that and I'm sorry that this post was posted too late to avoid people getting hurt. I know you all are wonderful people, and I just want you guys to think about how absolutely spectacular fandom would be if we stopped this Chris vs Tom war.
