Being irresponsible in fandom...

[ash48]

I'm not going to lose sleep over it but still, being accused of it is not easy...



Remember the stats bythedamned and I played with a couple of years ago looking at the deaths on the show per gender? I knew it would open a can of worms and I have to say I was pretty pleased with much of the discussion at the time. Misogyny on the show has always been a pretty big issue for some in the fandom and it was certainly not our intention to make light of it. A comment just came in saying that it was was irresponsible to publish that research. Sure - it lacked in some areas (namely we didn't provide ratio stats which would have been a more accurate examination of how many men/women die compared to the overall percentage of men/women who appear) but I know we didn't do it so people could say "see, SEE! it's not misogynistic!". We did it because we wanted to look at exactly how many men and women have died on the show and open a discussion about that.

We highlighted the pitfalls in the research (mostly we simply didn't have the time to count every single male and female who appeared on the show). We were just curious about who died and what sex they were. Maybe it is irresponsible to give fans an opportunity to say it isn't misogynistic. I don't know. I have no issue receiving criticism about anything I do (hee...just ask my betas) but being considered irresponsible kinda hits hard.

I am still interested in this topic though and 2 years after it was published I think looking at what's happened since then would be interesting. My gut feeling is that women have been given an even rougher deal since that data was published - especially with the fridging of Sarah and the deaths of Meg and Naomi. Unfortunately I don't have the time to crunch the stats on who's died over the last 3 seasons. I'm also not sure what it would prove now. There's no doubt the show is male driven (with 2 male leads and 2 - probably 4 - recurring male characters - Cas, Crowley, Kevin and Garth), but the stats were never really about that (which we got crit for I seem to remember). It was mostly about being able to investigate the claim that more women die on the show compared to men.

Anyway. I suppose posting controversial stuff is...well, controversial. But hopefully not irresponsible (but if it is I'll take it on the chin...)

Comments

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I wonder why do people so sensitive even watch the show. FWIW, I myself spotted no secret "agendas," and saw nothing that could be construed as "irresponsible" or "allowing people to pat themselves on the back for seeing no mysogyny."

Just note the comment, move on, and continue to do what you do so well. Do NOT stress over it! ayane42 said it best above -- it's only a TV show!

There's no doubt the show is male driven (with 2 male leads and 2 - probably 4 - recurring male characters - Cas, Crowley, Kevin and Garth), but the stats were never really about that (which we got crit for I seem to remember).

Huh. I bet I know why. A while back, I took some hits for stating that Jensen and Jared were the sole leads/stars of the show, and everyone else was merely a recurring character. Yikes, talk about opening a hornets' nest.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

Jared and Jensen are the sole leads. Period. Misha might be a close third, this upcoming season. You were assaulted my Misha's minions, weren't you?

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOLOL!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yeah - I gotta learn to ignore and move on. I just get so...grrrr about that stuff sometimes. I really like being challenged - as long as it's logical. Many of the comments there are thoughtful (which is exactly the kind of thing I hoped would happen when we posted the info) and mostly people really did discussion stuff considerately.

And wow? Stating that there are 2 male leads is controversial? Eeek - I didn't know that. We got comments (I seem to remember) about the stats being skewed because Sam and Dean die and come back etc. They bring a massive male presence to the show (which I am NOT complaining about I gotta say *g*) so it difficult to know how to place them in the stats.

But um...I find it remarkable that stating that the Js are the leads would cause a stir. Even this season it's can't be disputed. Misha may be in more eps than before but as far as I know he's not in ALL of them - which qualifies him as a recurring, secondary character I'd say. Hee..maybe "star" could be disputed as that may well be in the eye of the beholder. Personally I think the Impala is the star of the show...;D

Thanks for your comment honey. <3

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

In SPN fandom, sometimes the "ignore-and-move-on" attitude is your lifesaver. It took me way too long to learn that. ;)

Personally I think the Impala is the star of the show...

Truer words were never spoken! Jared and Jensen who? BABY IS THE STAR!! XDDD