Why Slash? Why Het? Why Gen? Why Anything?

[browngirl]

This isn't really the evenhanded, reasonable, persuasive essay it should be. It's more of a stroppy little rant, because I got exasperated.

So recently there's been another panfandom round of Why Do You Like Slash/Gen/Het/Whatnot, with its dire followers Why My Chosen Genre Is the Best and Why This Other Genre Is Not Just Not To My Taste But Is Morally Wrong And Its Adherents Are Puppykickers.

mtgat said it beautifully when she said, "Slash is Like Pants". Those women who wear pants aren't viragos; those who wear skirts aren't antifeminist. We just all have different tastes in clothing, and also in fic. As someone who likes slash, het, *and* gen, and who believes that about tastes there really should be no arguments, I am beyond weary of watching people with a marked preference for one over the others disparage the other genres and their adherents. We can like what we like, we can discuss why we like what we like, without justifying it by attempting to prove all other choices Globally Wrong.

After all, for those of us who like fanfic, I think we should remember that much of the rest of the world has decided our hobby is freaky or pathetic if not outright theft. Maybe we should hang together before we hang separately. (See also, The Organization for Tranformative Works.)

This has been your daily rant. *curtseys and gets off soapbox*

Comments

[dreamflower]

*applauds*

You know I'll read het or slash sometimes, though my heart's in gen, but--well, yeah! it is about taste and what one person likes is not the same as what another one likes.

I did read something the other day that rather irked me, though. Someone said, "Well, fanfic's all about getting the characters between the sheets," (And it was just kind of thrown out there like it was a fact everyone knew.) Say what? But they were in a totally different fandom, so maybe that was true for their fandom--but, still!

I wanted to say, "No, it's about exploring the characters in all sorts of different situations--and sometimes that's between the sheets and sometimes it's not." But I was a lurker in their LJ, so I kept my figurative mouth shut.

[capra-maritimus.livejournal.com]

"No, it's about exploring the characters in all sorts of different situations--and sometimes that's between the sheets and sometimes it's not."

I have to say word on this comment AND ruby's post. :D:D:D

Love the Slash Is Like Pants thing. :D:D:D:D:D

*cough* I like nudists too. *cough*

[mariole.livejournal.com]

"Well, fanfic's all about getting the characters between the sheets,"

Gosh, I guess all my G-rated fics don't qualify as fanfic. *mourns*


Ruby, I just got asked this question today: why slash? I think it would be obvious! :D But I dispatched a suitable answer, and went on my way. *whistles*

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

*nod* And it also strikes me as being like... why chocolate? Why vanilla? Why strawberry? Why is it that people feel the need to challenge each other on matters of personal taste? *sigh*

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Someone said, "Well, fanfic's all about getting the characters between the sheets,"

Ooooh, that irks me too. Fanfic can be about SO MANY things. Why do people always want to limit it?