Is politics a fandom?

[miss_s_b]

I'm filling in a meme on a DW community, and it's asking me what other fandoms I'm involved with aside from the one the comm is based around. And it got me thinking (possibly because I have been reading The Wee Yin's tumblr too much, and she definitely treats politics as a fandom) - does politics count as a fandom?

Poll #12355 Politics as a fandom?

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 22

Does politics count as a fandom?

Hell yes
14 (63.6%)

Ew no
4 (18.2%)

What the hell are you talking about?
0 (0.0%)

Snowflake
4 (18.2%)

Comments

[el_staplador]

EVERYTHING IS A FANDOM.

[miss_s_b]

Your comment is making me think "Boom-de-yada..."

[http://www.nickbarlow.com/blog/]

And it just occurred to me that factional arguments in the Lib Dems are arguments over canon - 'No! Hayek was never canon, but of course Beveridge is!'

[miss_s_b]

This is a VERY good point.

[sassy_scot]

Well, I did compare a Doctor Who Convention to Lib Dem conference this weekend...

There are definitely similarities, passion, sharing of ideas - and there is a dark, misogynist side to fandom that reflects not only politics but the whole of society. However, having just spent the weekend in a place where it didn't matter what gender, sexuality, background, race, religion etc that you had, a place that was hospitable to new ideas and full of positivity and passion, I'd say there are some elements of the fandom that we need more of in politics.

Fans can also be very critical of writers and producers in much the same way as Lib Dems can be critical of leaders. I'm not in any way suggesting this is a bad thing.

Interesting thought.

[miss_s_b]

Heh how did you know it was a Who comm I was talking about? ;)

[rmc28]

When I was convincing Tony to come to LibDem Conference, I described it as "like an sf con, only for politics".

The main difference of course is that the actions of politicians have real-world effects, whereas the actions of, say, Tony Stark & Bruce Banner do not. Well, apart from persuading a lot of people to go to the cinema, buy DVDs, write fanfic that helped keep me sane this year .... So some real-world effects; but do they compare to benefits caps, drug reform, equal marriage ?

Politics has bigger / more widespread effects?

[etoile]

I can see why people would think of it that way but what happens in say, Doctor Who, doesn't affect whether I can get medical treatment or how often the bins get collected. It shouldn't be a niche interest for a few people to squee over but if some squee gets more folk involved, then I'm okay with it.

On a personal and only vaguely related level, fanfiction featuring real people, not just characters, really squicks me out but that might be because I've had someone very publicly rewrite my life to entertain themselves and it wasn't pleasant.

[miss_s_b]

Yeah, I tend to avoid RPF, having somewhat dabbled in it in my early fandom career (for want of a better term) for the reason that it's got to be a weird thing for the actual person(s) in it.

Sadly, these days, politics very much is a niche interest. It shouldn't be, but it is :(

But then I don't think Doctor Who should be either ;)

(FWIW, in the actual poll, I voted snowflake)

[perlmonger]

Yes, but Fandom-as-insane-factional-tribalism, which (as someone who's only ever been right on, or rather just outside, the edges of fandom and thus is a dispassionate and entirely unbiased observer «hem.») is only a small, if loud, portion of fandom-as-a-whole.

[miss_s_b]

As in (to take an example from metalfandom) YOU'VE GOT A BON JOVI ALBUM YOU'RE NOT A TRUE METALHEAD! "WELL YOU LIKE LED ZEPPELIN AND THEY'RE OLD!!!" etc? Yes, that seems to fit.

[innerbrat]

Yes, absolutely. There are very few fannish behaviors not present in politics.

(And if Snapewives exist in politics fandom, I don't want to know.)

[azurelunatic]

I remember rahmbamarama fondly. (US politics RPF.)