What is a Buffy fan?

[Skanky Vamp]

Was talking with a friend over the weekend and I made a odd Buffy-quote to which I had to explain the meaning and from whence it came. The conversation then turned to the 'average' Buffy fan and I was rather shocked by his idea of what a Buffy fan is.

For the most part he thought the average Buffy fan belongs to a secular group, to which I could agree. He also thought that we, Buffy 'fans' were not as accepting to the casual observer. Again, I could almost agree with this, due in large part the the Buffy mythos and continuing storylines- they prevent the casual observer.

Then, for the most part, he then compared fans to that of a cult. Not cult as in a cult following, but more like shave your head and play the tambourine at the airport cult. Based on all of the fanfics, Buffy tattoos, looking down on other related shows and comparing them to Buffy etc etc (whut? you are a twilighter? you must repent! convert and be saved, kinda thing)

What do you think? Is the Buffy (diehard) fan a member of a cult (brainwashed by evil Angellus and Joss) or are we just a tight family?

 

[Washburne]

I think your friend described almost every fan of a specific tv-show. Not like he pointed out anything special about being Buffy fans compared to others besides the fact that it's of course Buffy and not Lost, Star Trek or any other show that we're discussing. But not like Buffy fans just like Buffy and Whedoncreated shows and are exclusive to them. We just happens to like this a lot.

If I remember correctly Kean made a thread about this subject. Or at least kind of. I should go look for it.

 

[Blondie Bear]

I think, like any counter-culture, nerd group, we've got our insane people and our not-so-insane people. Look at D&D, for example. Haven't people said the same things (and worse!) about them? Any group that's fascinated by something that others don't get is going to be mocked and ridiculed and stereotyped. That's just how the human brain works (unfortunately).

I think we're mostly not-so-insane people who just get excited when we meet someone else who's into Buffy because, statistically, there aren't a lot of us!

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Not like he pointed out anything special about being Buffy fans compared to others besides the fact that it's of course Buffy and not Lost, Star Trek or any other show that we're discussing.

Actually.. he did.. he started to go into the typical demographic of Buffy fans and how we are weakminded etc Unlike say Star Trek fans where he said they were generally over-educated scientific folk.. hence the cult, we (the buffy fan) is easier to lead.

---------- Post added at 07:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:57 AM ----------

because, statistically, there aren't a lot of us!

I think that was why he said we are inclusive and dont like outsiders.

EDIT: I think the longevity of it helped that as well.. KS you mention Lost, which one could point out Twin Peaks as being Lost-like. TP had a large fan following, but quickly died once the show ended. Yet, Buffy has lingered around if not gained more fans. Kinda like a religion as well.

 

[Blondie Bear]

Actually.. he did.. he started to go into the typical demographic of Buffy fans and how we are weakminded etc Unlike say Star Trek fans where he said they were generally over-educated scientific folk.. hence the cult, we (the buffy fan) is easier to lead.

Point him to Slayage. He obviously has no idea how many intellectuals are interested in Buffy. There are articles on there dealing with psychology, sociology, business, linguistics, history, anthropology, physics (there's your science!). . . . All sorts of "over-educated" stuff.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

Actually.. he did.. he started to go into the typical demographic of Buffy fans and how we are weakminded etc Unlike say Star Trek fans where he said they were generally over-educated scientific folk.. hence the cult, we (the buffy fan) is easier to lead.

I know enough people who have been a fan of both shows! And interestingly enough, Star Trek I already was a fan of long before I even hit my teens, whereas Buffy I only started when I was 13 and prefer today. So, at least in my case, that should defy the weakminded vs. over-educated stereotype, as we can assume I got smarter over the years (hopefully, lol).
Besides that, I don't think any fandom really has a prototype intelligence level, it's just about what people enjoy watching. Of course Star Trek with all their fancy futuristic technology slang seems like you need a whole lot of intelligence for it, but they also have action which could draw people into the show. Well, my point being, shows have different layers, some very complex, others completely simplistic, and because of these layers just about anyone, no matter how smart or dumb, can enjoy them. That's just what TV is made for, something everyone can understand.
Of course Star Trek has a reputation of being cognitively demanding, and a show like Buffy hasn't, but if you think that Buffy doesn't have any higher level to it, you clearly have never really watched the show! I doubt we would all be frequently re-watching the show if that were the case.

Regarding the whole 'cult' thing, I don't think you really can group us fans together. Of course we have some fans here who get Buffy tattoos and everything, but I'm sure we also have others who just secretly enjoy the show. It's not like we're all a bunch of lunatics, we're just individuals who have different ways of expressing what we like. None of the things you named that would make us cult like is really specific to Buffy fandom. I'm also a fan of the X-Files and active on one forum, and there I've even gotten the expression that they are way 'worse' with their fan expressions than us Buffy fans!

 

[Washburne]

Actually.. he did.. he started to go into the typical demographic of Buffy fans and how we are weakminded etc Unlike say Star Trek fans where he said they were generally over-educated scientific folk.. hence the cult, we (the buffy fan) is easier to lead.

We are weakminded? Could you share the reasons for this? And how exactly is the typical demographic for a Buffy fan?

EDIT: I think the longevity of it helped that as well.. KS you mention Lost, which one could point out Twin Peaks as being Lost-like. TP had a large fan following, but quickly died once the show ended. Yet, Buffy has lingered around if not gained more fans. Kinda like a religion as well.

So because the show is good and attracts more fans that makes it kind of religion? Then he must think that a lot of things are like religion. Some would just call it a good product. Or that people were too stupid to get it at first. 😉

New fans? Yes how bad that young people that were hardly born when the show started likes it. It's must be very evil indeed.

I know.. but.. vampires, comdey, chick lead character.. not 'real' so, just fantasy crap.

Which only shows what people think not what they know. So they have nothing to back it up with. The same logic I use when I say that Manchester United is crap. Since everyone that know something about football know that they aren't. So it's just a personal opnion based on what ever that can't be backed up with facts. 😉

 

[Skanky Vamp]

We are weakminded? Could you share the reasons for this?

I think it was because he viewed Buffy as a kiddie show.. so any adult that enjoys it must.. I dont know! Didnt really wish to discuss it much.. it wasnt drinking beer or football playing so..

 

[Professor Walsh]

What's your friend's thoughts on pop culture fandom in general?

 

[Skanky Vamp]

What's your friend's thoughts on pop culture fandom in general?

Big sports fan.. all sports.. plays sports games etc.. I dont recall ever really speaking to him about movies or TV shows before.. he even thought that Eliza for the Maxim Dollhouse photoshoot was Buffy, because it mentioned the show in the article.

EDIT: just remembered his childrens' names are named after famous coaches for his favorite team.. so I think SOME aspects of pop culture he gets all too well!

 

[Professor Walsh]

I think a lot of people, sports fans definitely included, considers book or movie/television fandom as something very odd. To follow a team or be a fan of a band/musician is very accepted, but to be a fan of something like "Buffy", "Harry Potter", "Pride and Predjudice" or "Narnia" is percieved som something different. Perhaps it has to do with the internet identity these kind of fan communities have developed. Of course there are web boards dedicated to Bruce Springsteen and places where Tottenham fans can discuss the minutiae of their selected interests, but the fan communities that have grown around films, movies and books on the net seems to me to be something apart. Can it be that this is percieved as "young" because the internet culture as such is young? (Allthough that doesn't explain why it's better to be a trekkie than a Buffy fan.)

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Can it be that this is percieved as "young" because the internet culture as such is young?

Possibly, but more likely it is viewed as 'virtual' fandom- kiddie fans; because the real fans meet face to face and share in the common excitement.

A sport or music fan can share real experience with one another at the game or show respectively, whereas, there is no central way for internet pop culture fans to assemble in sharing of activities. Save the internet of course, but that is not a real life experience. I hypothesize that is why it is trivialized.

We are but virtual fans.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

We are but virtual fans.

Au contraire, mon frère. Didn't you read about our BB London meet, for example? Or, to name a different example, I met this X-Files fan girl online, we met up, and now we do regular X-Files marathon nights! If you really want to, there are many possibilities around the internet. Another example from the X-Files world, last month A Doll's House, starring Gillian Anderson, was on stage in London. You won't believe how many people from the Boards I'm on went there, from all over the world, to view the play and meet the other fans. I'm kinda sad I couldn't make it, but from what I've heard almost about anyone knows the internet people in real life now, and most of them haven't even met for the first time, but also before (like the XF2 London premier).
Okay, now I made TV fandom sound like we're all a bunch of crazy kids, but I do believe I brought my point across, that internet is not our restriction!

 

[Skanky Vamp]

..BB London meet...X-Files marathon nights! etc

Yes, but if you are not involved in said communities, you do not know the means by which people interact on a personal level. It is more secular than many other forms of fandom. Even if you are not involved in the sport or music communities, odds are high that through some form of press or marketing you are aware of fan gatherings. There is no such awareness for internet fans.

 

[faeriegrrl27]

Big sports fan.. all sports.. plays sports games etc..

I'm not a big sports fan, myself, and see sports as something that doesn't require too much intellectual activity. I'm sure I'm wrong, but that's just my point. I can't see how sports could inspire a deep and intellectual conversation or anything all that interesting. While, on the other hand, it seems to me that your friend can't imagine Buffy stimulating such a conversation.
As this thread shows, we're not weakminded or stupid to any degree. I'm sure there are some Buffy fans that are, but from what I've seen, they are in the minority. One of the things I love about the BB is that there are so many smart people here willing to discuss in an intelligent, though not passionless and purely logical, way.

As to Star Trek being a "smarter" show, I'm not so sure about that. I love it, but it doesn't seem to require too much effort and thought when watching it (although the political commentary in the original series is sort of a deeper meaning, I suppose). Plus, it shows several scientifically inaccurate happenstances, such as sound in space. It must be noted that Firefly presents no such thing.

So, sure, many Buffiers are fanatic and *really* into it, but to call us a cult in the non-cult-following way that has been adopted by pop culture to mean something with a large fanbase, seems ludicrous. Although my friends often joke that I worship the show, I neither pray to Buffy nor do I present sacrifices, marry many women with whom I have lots of babies, stand outside waiting for a UFO to abduct me, or do acid in the hopes of contacting a higher power. I think I can safely say that most, if not all, of these are practiced by very few of the Buffy-loving community.

 

[Kanazaka]

It's too bad that most of you guys are overseas, otherwise I'd definitely attend the London Meet-Up or some other such meet-up. In the U.S. there are comic-book conventions, and I do attend Anime Central each year to meet with people from that convention's forums, but a U.S. Buffy Meet-Up would be nice.

Regarding Buffy fandom in general, I believe there are all kinds of fans. Asmiley from these forums (with whom I am friends off the forums) is Catholic, and occasionally collects Buffy merchandise. I'm non-denominational Christian, and I'm just a fan of Buffy, Angel, Fray, and the Season Eight comics. I'm far from obsessed, too. But I enjoy chatting with her and all of you guys and girls about my enjoyment of the Buffyverse. However, being a fan of Buffy has led me to enjoy other works by Joss Whedon, such as Dollhouse and Serenity (haven't gotten to Firefly yet). And I enjoy projects by former cast members, such as Bones (mostly that show, but I've checked out episodes of How I Met Your Mother and an episode of Leverage).

 

[Blondie Bear]

Apparently there was a Whedonfest not far from where I live last weekend. Anybody know anything about the Whedon Fan Club of Middle Tennessee? If I'd heard about this thing, I'd've been there.

 

[Bluebird]

I find it hard to take someone's opinions too seriously when they're judging something, and generalising the intelligence of a whole group of people, when they don't know anything about it.

 

[Grey Ghost]

We are like most groups, we are into our thing and like to be with or communicate with others who are like-minded. No one questions if you belong to a football/soccer fan club or something similar that is widely accepted. But if you belong to something where there are not millions and then you are considered weird, if that is the case I don't mind at least I'm happy and not doing harm to anyone else.

 

[Tasha]

everyone here at Buffy-Boards shouldn't be judged.

we're Special people

: scared :::evil2::
haha.