I know asking, “Why is there so much anger in the Backstreet Boys fandom,” is a loaded question. There can be many answers, some answers most of us don’t want to hear.
But guess what? Even in a fan-mily, as it’s called by Sara over at What Happens on the Backstreet, there’s arguments and fighting. God knows there’s fighting within families. A fandom is no different.
But at what point does it become too much?
I won’t lie and say that I’ve never been in drama online because that’s so far from the truth. I’ve had my fair share of drama – from words being misconstrued to being bullied, to just being a plain bitch, but over the last few years, that’s changed. I’ve found out that there’s more in life than waiting to see what someone said about you online because, really, what’s it going to do? I got pointed to a message board last week where I found out that people think I get picked for a cruise event every year (false – only been picked once), that I’m egotistical, and, this is the best part, that I’m racist.
Did I get mad, sign up for an account and start attacking people? No. Why? I have an account, but it wasn’t worth my time. Also, I found it funny. It’s so far from the truth.
Because you see some of us bloggers online posting things on Twitter or on Facebook, posting blog posts on our sites, people may think they know us, but it’s far from the truth. I tend to be kind of public about my life on my site and social media, but that doesn’t mean you know everything that’s going on. Because we may try to be positive online, doesn’t mean that we’re always positive.
You ever heard of being your own worst enemy? That’s me – battling anxiety and depression since I was 15.
While looking over a Facebook group, doing what I’ve been asked to do, I get attacked because someone thinks they know who I am, because they’ve probably read crap about me on another message board where people like to sit and pick apart people they don’t know.
Then other people are attacking other people for asking a question, or posting a photo. When someone posts something online, you can’t hear their tone or if they are being serious or funny. Try to find out because you jump on them.
And don’t get me started on psychopathic people still attacking BSB fans because of certain allegations. That’s a whole other bag of chips that I don’t want to touch. Actually, I probably will, in another blog post this weekend
So why is there so much hate going around, especially in our fandom? Can we not sit and talk on a Facebook group without fear of never knowing if someone is going to start attacking you personally? Can we act like the adults that we are, share opinions, and let that be it?
Whether we like each other or not, we are a part of something bigger than all of us, something SO great that really is a “once in a lifetime” (no pun intended) thing. We are Backstreet Boys fans. Those five guys have brought all of us together to be a part of something special.
Right now, while the guys are basically on a sold-out world arena tour, we should be rejoicing and celebrating this achievement that we all knew would happen and could happen again. We stood by as people called them has beens.
We should be celebrating, not tearing each other apart.
