Gina Carano, Joss Whedon—this week has been full of dispiriting news about people many fans admire.

POSTED BY: captaincrunch
UPDATED: Monday, June 13, 2022 22:06
VIEWED: 21401
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CAPTAINCRUNCH

Friday, February 12, 2021 9:33 PM

Whedon in the news agains for all the wrong reasons:

https://www.wired.com/story/disappointment-of-fandom/

The Crushing Disappointment of Fandom
Gina Carano, Joss Whedon—this week has been full of dispiriting news about people many fans admire.

"A long time ago, in a WIRED office far, far away, a colleague once said, “There are a million and one ways to be a geek.” In a newsroom full of people with obsessions—science, movies, gadgets, math, etc.—the meaning was clear. Everyone’s a fan of something. Part of that fandom is attachment. When we really, truly admire someone, whether they’re an Avenger or Anthony Fauci, there’s a tendency to mimic their personality, even their morality. Media theorists call these bonds “parasocial relationships”; parents of kids with one too many Star Wars posters (probably) call it “over the top.” But the people in it, the ones who write fic and spend days making cosplay before the next convention, call it part of their identity, the fabric of who they are.

Until it’s not. Earlier this week, actress Gina Carano lost her job playing Cara Dune on The Mandalorian. The former MMA fighter had been facing criticism for months for her anti-science views on mask-wearing, mocking transgender-sensitive pronouns, and tweets about voter fraud. Then, on Wednesday, after she shared an Instagram story that suggested having differing political views was akin to being Jewish during the Holocaust, the hashtag #FireGinaCarano began to trend on Twitter. That night, Lucasfilm issued the following statement: “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”

Carano’s comments are harmful for a lot of reasons, but they seem to carry an additional weight for fans. Cara Dune was a hero, someone who fought for people, a tough, competent female hero in a genre often dominated by men. Fans looked up to Cara, and by extension Carano, but the actor’s comments on social media left one of those things harder to do. “The pain was felt acutely by those who admired her character the most,” Anthony Breznican wrote for Vanity Fair, “including some who cosplayed as Cara Dune and hoped the spirit of the hero matched the feelings of the person performing her.” Others, meanwhile, backed Carano’s statements and started a competing hashtag, #CancelDisneyPlus, as this week’s news began to spread.

Conflicts over these feelings live in the hearts of fans everywhere. If having a relationship, even a one-sided one, with a character, an actor, a director, or a writer means adopting part of their moral code, or seeing part of your own morals in their work, then what happens when those things no longer align? What happens when a hero is no longer your hero?

You may think I’m on a fast track to a screed about cancel culture. That’s understandable. But that’s not the point exactly. Canceling someone or something used to be a strong reaction to something that person or organization said or did. When they made a racist statement or supported a transphobic cause, it became hard for fans to enjoy their work, so they stopped doing so, as if their show was taken off the air. Then, over the course of 2020, it got misinterpreted as an attempt to silence people. Even as people spoke on national television wearing masks that read “Censored,” people failed to grasp that canceling someone doesn’t mean they can’t speak, it just means everyone has the right to choose whether or not they want to listen, buy their records, or watch their movie.

To put this idea in context, here’s another example from this week: On Wednesday, Charisma Carpenter, the actress who played Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, accused the creator of those shows, Joss Whedon, of creating “hostile and toxic work environments” on his sets. Her comments, which were themselves made in support of Ray Fisher, who accused Whedon of “abusive, unprofessional”

WISHIMAY

Saturday, February 13, 2021 12:25 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by captaincrunch:

Carano’s comments are harmful for a lot of reasons, but they seem to carry an additional weight for fans. Cara Dune was a hero, someone who fought for people, a tough, competent female hero in a genre often dominated by men.

She can't seriously have thought Rethugs not being in power anymore was JUST LIKE gassing an entire generation families to death, can she???

I get being mad, but damnnnn, that's just mind-numbingly stupid..

Jo is right. Gullibullz. Full steam ahead into irrational when mad.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, February 14, 2021 7:22 AM

LOL

Wow. That really was your takeaway from her posts?

I think there might be some truth to us living with two parallel timelines that have collided, because you seem to be living in a fantasy world completely detached from objective truth.

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A government is a body of people usually, notably, governed by Mark Zuckerborg and Slack Dorsey.

WISHIMAY

Sunday, February 14, 2021 10:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
...because you seem to be living in a fantasy world completely detached from objective truth.

It took less than two weeks of me leaving RWED for sundowning Kiki to figure out you are a narcissist, and you still think it's NOT YOU.

It's YOU, honey.

And you will never be self-aware enough to "get it"

In the seconds before you leave this dumb planet, I really hope you finally think "Yanno, maybe it really WASN'T all about me after all".

Maybe I still believe in miracles, eh?

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, February 15, 2021 2:02 AM

Not talking about me, dummy.

Read the thread title.

You're deranged. You're a cultist.

Either back up your words about Gina with proof, or shut your fucking ugly mug.

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A government is a body of people usually, notably, governed by Mark Zuckerborg and Slack Dorsey.

Collection of links to Second's, Nilbog's and Marcos' death threats: https://cutt.ly/tkCvEX6

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, February 15, 2021 7:49 AM

--------------------------------------------------

A government is a body of people usually, notably, governed by Mark Zuckerborg and Slack Dorsey.

Collection of links to Second's, Nilbog's and Marcos' death threats: https://cutt.ly/tkCvEX6

WISHIMAY

Monday, February 15, 2021 9:00 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

You're deranged. You're a cultist.

Either back up your words about Gina with proof, or shut your fucking ugly mug.

Gonna make me??

You and what narcissist army??

Yep, I'm from the cult of FACTS and EDUCATION. So sorry you chose the cult of LIES and GREED for FOUR YEARS and then pretended to be apolitical when they got flushed down the drain.

Better luck next time, sport

Go to hell and take your ugly ass "hero" whore with you

Hope you both get Covid and choke to death so you can REALLY REALLY understand the stupidity of thinking you have things in common with the Holocaust.

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, February 15, 2021 9:56 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by WISHIMAY:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

You're deranged. You're a cultist.

Either back up your words about Gina with proof, or shut your fucking ugly mug.

Gonna make me??

You and what narcissist army??

Yep, I'm from the cult of FACTS and EDUCATION. So sorry you chose the cult of LIES and GREED for FOUR YEARS and then pretended to be apolitical when they got flushed down the drain.

Better luck next time, sport

Go to hell and take your ugly ass "hero" whore with you
Hope you both get Covid and choke to death so you can REALLY REALLY understand the stupidity of thinking you have things in common with the Holocaust.

Cool.

One more.

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Collection of links to Second's, Nilbog's and Marcos' death threats: https://cutt.ly/tkCvEX6

WISHIMAY

Monday, February 15, 2021 10:04 AM

You know you have waaaay more in common with Hitler than Jews??

He didn't understand why the rest of the planet wanted him removed from it either.

Fuckin' Nazi's, both of you!

6IXSTRINGJACK

Monday, February 15, 2021 10:28 AM

Okay Seth Rogan.

You're a joke dude.

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A government is a body of people usually, notably, governed by Mark Zuckerborg and Slack Dorsey.

Collection of links to Second's, Nilbog's and Marcos' death threats: https://cutt.ly/tkCvEX6

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