[ SECRET POST #6063 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #6063 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 47 secrets from Secret Submission Post #867.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

See, I'm all in favor of the fun. Can't say I've got much sympathy for people trying to turn a profit in USian fandom, though. And they spend altogether too much energy trying to browbeat people into becoming their customers and position themselves as superior to fans who make art and fic for free.

It was different in Latin America - there were a lot of kids selling cheap buttons out of fanart they got off the internet, and adults who designed really nice, more complicated things: the best anime calendar I ever bought was pirated, while the official one the studio put out was overly influenced by trend-following and "grunge is in this year." But there was deep admiration for the fact that fandom was full of people from all over who were talented enough to make wonderful things, and generous enough to make them available. There was a sense of obligation to the community, that translated into a lot of high-quality free things available in Spanish, papercraft patterns and cosplay tutorials and whatever people felt like they really knew how to do. I never ran into a single vendor who was fool enough to act like "I'm better than you because this is my job," and I doubt I will, because such disrespect would be the fastest way to be shown the door by absolutely everybody.

But in the States, it feels like the people setting up merch tables regard anyone who isn't charging as unfair competition. And when they posture about belonging here more than other people, all I can think is that they don't belong in fandom at all. They're just after money and hope to duck the restrictions that come with running a business. And often, so much of the stuff they're depending on is stuff other people contributed to everyone for free, with the expectation that it would keep being shared in the same spirit that they offered it. But no, it's the last people to arrive who hope to plant their flag, enclose the commons, and monetize at will.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but when someone posts about how they're "okay with" people being paid for things in fandom, I tend to assume they're a so-and-so with an online business of some sort, trying to convince the rest of us that they're actually not doing something gross. Despite all evidence to the contrary.