and finally, a TW wank!

[rm]

So there's a bit of a wank going on in the Torchwood community because of an unofficial book that quotes extensively from reviews of episodes fans have posted on LJ. The Author did not seek permission or notify the LJ'ers in question that he would be quoting them.

In addition to the expected discussion on LJ of the legality of this, netiquette, what actually constitutes criticism and the quality of the book itself, the discussion has also ranged quite far off LJ and become colored with some sexism that I find astoundingly unappealing, includng a snarky assertion about how LJ has become a safe space for many women.

Yeah, because that's what TW fandom looks like to me. Buh what?

Seriously, HP had its wanks, but it also was a predominantly female fandom and its dramas had, other than the Lexicon case which was also decided today (and which I will not be addressing) its dramas largely had a very different tone.

Torchwood isn't a predominantly female fandom. Doctor Who _really_ isn't. And this is going to be very interesting -- not just this specific situation, but this first foray into what has been a rather inevitable meeting between different fannish cultures deeply invested in the same media property.

http://rivier.livejournal.com/619067.html

Comments

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm also unsure of where I stand on the book and its citations, although it seems that few enough people were cited, that I think the guy could have at least let the LJ'ers in question know. Additionally, I'm not sure what jurisdiction the LJ'ers involved are in or where the book as published, which adds stuff to the legal wrinkles of the thing -- also, I am not a lawyer.

I was content to ignore the thing when I stumbled on it yesterday, but then I saw the new! exciting! sexism component of the thing and started to get pissy. Regardless of the initial infraction, that type of attitudinal bullshit has absolutely no place in this fandom, but in reading about it I had an of course moment, because Doctor Who really is a fandom that has many differnet constituencies within it, all of whom think they have the original claim and cred on the subject (because you know it's also like five minutes until some random slasher (and hey, I support random slashers!) who happens to be straight (and also an idiot) tells you, me or some other queer person in the fandom that they know more about homosexuality than we do).

Also, relevant to almost nothing above: I owe you email. Today is editorial hell day for the fic though -- it'll be posted by tomorrow morning and it's 33,000 words, which is kinda scary.