A frequently asked question

[sombrefan]

Why has this rule been in place for so long?

'Shipping' is not allowed on Whedonesque. Any post or comment that is aggressively focused on any particular 'ship' or any particular actor and/or actively supports fan factions and feuds is subject to deletion.

Apparently this is going to be part of someone's PHd thesis so it's been in my mind of late. Well years ago the Spuffies and Bangels were fighting so much, it was derailing any thread we had about Buffy. There may have been a "oh Joss reads the site so we'll have to show our strength" vibe behind this but I've never seen anything concrete about it. However the fighting got so out of hand despite bannings (people would re-register afterwards to carrry on fighting) and warnings so we brought in a zero-tolerance policy. And things settled down. Well generally. There is the occasional coded attack and flare-up. And I do get a shipping smear tactic lobbed my way from time to time "you can't trust him - he hangs round at Cold Dead Seed, he's pro Bangel or he has Spuffies on his LJ flist". But I don't take those seriously.

Can there ever be peace between the rival factions? I don't think so, it would be great if there was mutal respect but it all seems to be about separation in the fandom over the last few years rather than inclusiveness. Good luck to anyone trying to sort it out.

Comments

[rua1412.livejournal.com]

Being neither a Bangel or a Spuffy shipper, I never saw the reasoning behind their wars. They aren't comparable for me.

Buffy was in love with Angel and Angel was in love with Buffy... Spike was in love with Buffy. Buffy wasn't.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

This is where the problem lies with shipping. I believe Buffy did love Spike. Her actions in season 7 show it. That's my opinion, and I'm allowed to think it. When someone says "no, she didn't love him, how can you think that?" is when we have a problem.

[rua1412.livejournal.com]

Because for me when someone almost rape you, it's impossible for that person fall in love with that person.. steem yes (in extraordinaire cases like the one portrayed in the show) but not love.
But as you said you are allowed to think it and I'm allowed to not believe it. ^_^

[jaded-jamie.livejournal.com]

I have to jump in here and say that I completely, totally and utterly understand *all* of the points you have made in various comments to this post.

I empathise and understand completely what you're saying.

[rua1412.livejournal.com]

You are a great friend.

Thank you so much to be here for me about this.

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

I think it is a good rule for whedonesque. Ideological fights between (less educated) participants is never pretty (and "romance" is just the chosen outlet in fandom(s) insead of dirty fights about politics).

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

'less educated'? Err what?

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was just me hinting at how ugly political discussions become when the participants don't really know what they're talking about. A mud slinging party with the gutter of the psyche involved, so to speak.

And, well. "Shipper wars" are ideological "discussions", and a lot of participants are not very steadyfast in their logic, or rational thought process (from my experience and observation).

Which doesn't mean that all participants in "shipper wars" are rambling lunatics - but some are. *g*

[rleyser.livejournal.com]

Personally I'm a Buffy/Clem shipper. Total love there. Can't stand to be apart. She was gutted when he left Sunnydale. Truly she was.

Or maybe I'm lying.

[menomegirl.livejournal.com]

LOL! Buffy/Clem.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

You and beer_good_foamy are keeping the torch alive! :P

[ruthless1.livejournal.com]

ZOMG! Simon you forgot about the Spangel shippers! How could you?
*flounces away*

[shakensilence.livejournal.com]

Love your icon!!!! I miss Due South so much!!!!!

[ruthless1.livejournal.com]

It's still one of my favorite shows. And hooboyo did they have some shipper wars that put the spangle, spuffy and bangles to shame! RayK vs RayV! It got really ugly for awhile.

[2maggie2.livejournal.com]

This thread is pretty much a Q.E.D. for you, Simon!

Rua -- you are NOT neutral.

[kuzibah.livejournal.com]

You know, I was going to write something about how people could just agree to disagree, admit that every argument's been made and minds are never going to change, and the greater love for the show is more important than who would have theoretically ended up with whom... but, um, never mind.

[rleyser.livejournal.com]

LOL

Good choice.

I am starting a Buffy/Clem campaign, would you like to join?

[kuzibah.livejournal.com]

Heh. Maybe, if I can take some time away from my Angel/Harmony newsletter.

[lazyjay09.livejournal.com]

Swander (Sweet/Xander), baby, all the way!

But really? I know people are passionate about their entertainment, but why argue over the couplings of fictional people? Seems kinda silly to me.

[phyrelight.livejournal.com]

LOL! XD

[angearia.livejournal.com]

This is a relatively tame shipper argument, no? Still, it touches on the classics of AR and "I love you"/"No, you don't."

;)

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

On the subject of shipping, Dan Harmon, showrunner of Community, had an interesting quote about shippers in the Vulture blog today:

It's called "shipping," when you're rabidly endorsing the connection between two characters. It's hilarious, because we didn't have a word for it when we were their age — it was "Sam and Diane." And then we learned to start calling it "will they, won't they," but now it's an industry. Now it's a drug that's got a label. It's like, "Hey, who are you shipping?" And those people are incredibly important. Their ability to immerse themselves into the narrative to that extent — they're like the opposite of a canary in a mineshaft. They're the first to get hooked. They show you the high points of your show in terms of chemistry and things like that. They're alerting you to the fact that you've got something going, and they don't care if anyone else sees it. They're not bandwagoners — they're tastemakers, in a sense. I think the first indication I had that Community was affecting anyone in a positive way was the shipper, because they're the first to start unabashedly talking about their love — or hate! — of an episode.

Interesting food for thought, shippers as tastemakers. The problem is when there's two shipping factions so adamant about the superiority of their ship that they defy logic in defense of it. I've heard people describe the apocalypse-causing space frak in Season 8 a "gift" to Bangel shippers, and there's plenty of crazy to go around. I think Whedonesque is smart in their ban of shipping on their board, but because it's the same people on all the boards, the usual suspects are always there, lacing their non-shippy posts with shippy subtexts that you notice only because you know where their loyalties lie. But I don't think shipping in general should be frowned upon. It's a valid reaction to the show, and should in general be accepted as such.

[ruthless1.livejournal.com]

I like your post.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I wanted to defend shipping even though I agree with Whedonesque's policy because it's always the same people bringing up the same arguments.

[phyrelight.livejournal.com]

I like this policy. Shipping is properly placed on fansites and blog sites with communities like here on LJ. Whedonesque is more of a news site for the Mutant Enemy and other artist-related shows. Allowing shippers to go at each other just clogs up sites anyways, which is why I only visit certain sites for a couple minutes each day. Life is too short to deal with all the petty bickering and trolls.