SHIP WARS: A Simple Guide for Fandom

shinykari:

Q: Should I harass or bully someone over who/what they ship?

A: No.

Q: But they ship the wrong ship!

A: Still no. 

Q: Their ship will never be canon! It’s so obvious to anyone
reading/watching/playing.

A: I don’t care. The answer is still no.

Q: My ship is canon, and they ship one of the couple with
someone else! It’s like cheating! How about now?

A: Nope, not now either.

Q: The ship they ship is unhealthy/abusive/incestuous/icky.
I should definitely harass them about that.

A: It’s like you’re not even listening to me. No, no you
should not.

Q: But if they ship this about fictional characters, they must
support it in real life!

A: No, enjoying reading or writing about something is not
the same as supporting it in real life. Agatha Christie is not a mass murderer,
despite having fictionally killed over 100 people.

Q: Well, I guess it’s okay if the person shipping it is
doing so to deal with abuse or trauma of their own. But only then! Everyone else is fair game.

A: And how, pray tell, do you plan to enforce this arbitrary
rule?  You’re planning to compel people
to show their victim bone fides to
you, a complete stranger? So that you can pass judgement on whether their
trauma was “real enough” or if they are “victim enough” to warrant shipping
something you disapprove of? Not only is that absurd, it’s extremely offensive and damaging to the very people you’re purporting to help.
You don’t get to be the arbiter of someone else’s life experiences, period.
Some people use fandom as a coping mechanism, yes, and that is 100% their
business. Some people ship unhealthy/abusive ships for completely benign
reasons, up to and including “because they look pretty together” and that is perfectly valid. You don’t get a
free pass to harass someone in the name of great justice here.

Q: Fuck you, I’m going to harass someone anyway. I might
even make a blog about it!

A: Well, you’re an asshole then. I hope you step on a lego.