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There are moments when I feel rather grateful that I was always something of a non-entity in the Harry Potter fandom (and am even more of one now, since I pretty much stopped writing in it or posting on Fiction Alley Park after Rowling killed off Sirius for no apparent reason--but that's a rant for another day. Several very long rants, actually). HP was my introduction to fanfiction (which came simultaneously with my introduction to slash), and to the entire concept of fandom, as well as the first fandom I ever wrote and posted in, and as such it will always hold a special place in my heart no matter how disillusioned I become with Rowling's books themselves.
But damn, the fandom has some scary people in it. Scary, cruel people of questionably emotional/mental stability. They can wank like no other fandom (anyone else remember when Cassandra Claire got kicked off ff.net because some claimed she had plagerised them?), and the wanking gets really damn bitter sometimes.
My case in point? Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I give you![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fandom_scruples. He/she of the closed comments, the unlisted email address, the "blacklist" of R and NC-17 fic authors fans should boycott, the vicious (if questionably dangerous) threats. Whether or not his/her desire is to become the Senator Joe McCarthy of HP fandom, they're off to a decent start.
And (thanks toelke_tanzer for providing the info), it may now be possible to send email to them at fandom_scruples@livejournal.com, thanks to the generosity of a fan who bought them a paid account for that very purpose. I doubt they'll read it, but I felt compelled to write anyway.
My passive-agressive, sickeningly polite, email to McCarthy's mini-me:
Dear Fandom_Scruples:
Please read this entire email before you delete it. I swear to you, it is not a flame of any kind, merely a request.
I won't even try to argue with you about your crusade. Because I have a sinking feeling that none of you will listen--the fact that you turned off the comments to your journal indicates to me that you do not have any real interest in my opinions, or those of anyone else who may wish to speak to you. Even, I'd like to point out, those who agree with you, who cannot contact you because of the lack of any contact information given at your journal.
I know you are all very dedicated, principled people, who only want what's best for the children in your lives (or the hypothetical children somewhere out there in the ether) , but please, please, I'm *begging* you, before you start bringing people to the notice of the authorities, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
By bringing Harry Potter fanfiction--*any* piece of Harry Potter fanfiction--to the notice of the federal government, you run the risk of having the entire fandom shut down. Please remember, technically, *all* fanfiction, not just the graphically sexual or violent sort, is illegal. It violates copyright. And if Warner Bros has our sites, livejournal lists, and archives brought to its attention, particularly in a negative context, they would be within their rights to issue all of us (Fiction Alley, The Sugar Quill, Diagon Alley, Armchair Slash, Azkaban's Lair, you name it) Cease and Desist letters.
By attempting to remove a part of the fandom, you run the risk of destroying all of it. The G-rated fanfic of those authors whom you support is just as likely to be sued for copright violation as the R or NC-17 fanfic of those authors whom you are trying to drive off the internet.
Sincerely,
Elspethdixon
But damn, the fandom has some scary people in it. Scary, cruel people of questionably emotional/mental stability. They can wank like no other fandom (anyone else remember when Cassandra Claire got kicked off ff.net because some claimed she had plagerised them?), and the wanking gets really damn bitter sometimes.
My case in point? Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I give you
fandom_scruples. He/she of the closed comments, the unlisted email address, the "blacklist" of R and NC-17 fic authors fans should boycott, the vicious (if questionably dangerous) threats. Whether or not his/her desire is to become the Senator Joe McCarthy of HP fandom, they're off to a decent start.And (thanks to
elke_tanzer for providing the info), it may now be possible to send email to them at fandom_scruples@livejournal.com, thanks to the generosity of a fan who bought them a paid account for that very purpose. I doubt they'll read it, but I felt compelled to write anyway.My passive-agressive, sickeningly polite, email to McCarthy's mini-me:
Dear Fandom_Scruples:
Please read this entire email before you delete it. I swear to you, it is not a flame of any kind, merely a request.
I won't even try to argue with you about your crusade. Because I have a sinking feeling that none of you will listen--the fact that you turned off the comments to your journal indicates to me that you do not have any real interest in my opinions, or those of anyone else who may wish to speak to you. Even, I'd like to point out, those who agree with you, who cannot contact you because of the lack of any contact information given at your journal.
I know you are all very dedicated, principled people, who only want what's best for the children in your lives (or the hypothetical children somewhere out there in the ether) , but please, please, I'm *begging* you, before you start bringing people to the notice of the authorities, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
By bringing Harry Potter fanfiction--*any* piece of Harry Potter fanfiction--to the notice of the federal government, you run the risk of having the entire fandom shut down. Please remember, technically, *all* fanfiction, not just the graphically sexual or violent sort, is illegal. It violates copyright. And if Warner Bros has our sites, livejournal lists, and archives brought to its attention, particularly in a negative context, they would be within their rights to issue all of us (Fiction Alley, The Sugar Quill, Diagon Alley, Armchair Slash, Azkaban's Lair, you name it) Cease and Desist letters.
By attempting to remove a part of the fandom, you run the risk of destroying all of it. The G-rated fanfic of those authors whom you support is just as likely to be sued for copright violation as the R or NC-17 fanfic of those authors whom you are trying to drive off the internet.
Sincerely,
Elspethdixon