I hereby nominate the following phrase as the most astonishingly useless piece of advice that one person can give to another.
If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Now, I don't mean that no one should hold this opinion. It speaks of tolerance, forebearance, and all kinds of nice things that I generally approve of. The problem is, you'd be hard pressed to find any two people who are in perfect accord about what constitutes "niceness." I know people who think any disagreement is not nice, and that when you hear something you don't agree with, you should either keep your mouth shut or pretend to go along to keep the peace. On the other side, there are people who think being honest is the same as being nice. I'm sure you can imagine the havoc that can create.
And now all the readers out there are scratching their collective heads, wondering, "...Okay, but what's that got to do with fanfic?" It's got lots to do with fanfic.
Taste is an extraordinarily subjective thing. We've all been through this situation: you read a story, and you hate it. Everything about it grates on you -- characterization, writing style, (perceived) plot holes, everything down to the way the story is formatted. Then you find out that everyone you know absolutely loves this story. Of course, the reverse is also true -- you think a story is wonderful, and a lot of other people think it's terrible.
And you want to know something? All of these positions are correct. Your reaction to a story is just that -- your reaction. It doesn't need to be validated, and you shouldn't have to look over your shoulder to make sure you're going along with the prevailing opinions. However, it's a fact of fannish life that positive opinions are automatically considered to be "right," while negative opinions are either misinformed or mean-spirited. Logically, that's an absurd position. It supposes that everyone who likes a story has a perfect understanding of it, and everyone who dislikes it has her head up her butt.
The worst story in the world has something worthwhile in it, and some people will focus on that. The best story is going to have flaws, and some people will focus on those. And if a reader thinks a story is completely worthless... well, I know this is considered an inflammatory opinion, but if someone has such a negative reaction to a piece, no one else should feel like it's their place to step in and say, "You don't have any right to publically say you dislike this. If you can't say something nice...."
Now, with all that being said, I need to admit that I'm usually fairly reluctant to post a negative comment about a story on, say, a mailing list. The Adoratrice might be a beacon of forthrightness, integrity, intelligence and moral courage, but she ain't suicidal and she has a healthy respect for her own skin. Most mailing lists are primarily supportive in nature. That's their function, that's the way they're set up, and there's not a lot of sense in trying to remold them in an individual poster's image. But this is my page. These are my opinions. Here, I'm not part of a larger fannish community, and I don't represent anyone's views but my own.
I think it's... well, stifling if the only opinions that are expressed are positive opinions. Like I said above, everyone will occasionally dislike a story. But when readers are repeatedly told, "No! This story is wonderful, it's your perceptions that are screwed up!", they start to doubt their own taste and their own opinions. That's why I felt, and still feel, that sites like the Slash Hall of Shame are both useful and needed, even to people who disagree with the views expressed there. We need opposing viewpoints in order to refine our own. It's not enough to just sit back complacently and think, "Ahh, Susie Slashfan is the best (or worst) writer in the world!" Until you're exposed to a different point of view, you can't fully articulate your reasons for liking or disliking something.
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I hereby nominate the following phrase as the most astonishingly useless piece of advice that one person can give to another.
If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
Now, I don't mean that no one should hold this opinion. It speaks of tolerance, forebearance, and all kinds of nice things that I generally approve of. The problem is, you'd be hard pressed to find any two people who are in perfect accord about what constitutes "niceness." I know people who think any disagreement is not nice, and that when you hear something you don't agree with, you should either keep your mouth shut or pretend to go along to keep the peace. On the other side, there are people who think being honest is the same as being nice. I'm sure you can imagine the havoc that can create.
And now all the readers out there are scratching their collective heads, wondering, "...Okay, but what's that got to do with fanfic?" It's got lots to do with fanfic.
Taste is an extraordinarily subjective thing. We've all been through this situation: you read a story, and you hate it. Everything about it grates on you -- characterization, writing style, (perceived) plot holes, everything down to the way the story is formatted. Then you find out that everyone you know absolutely loves this story. Of course, the reverse is also true -- you think a story is wonderful, and a lot of other people think it's terrible.
And you want to know something? All of these positions are correct. Your reaction to a story is just that -- your reaction. It doesn't need to be validated, and you shouldn't have to look over your shoulder to make sure you're going along with the prevailing opinions. However, it's a fact of fannish life that positive opinions are automatically considered to be "right," while negative opinions are either misinformed or mean-spirited. Logically, that's an absurd position. It supposes that everyone who likes a story has a perfect understanding of it, and everyone who dislikes it has her head up her butt.
The worst story in the world has something worthwhile in it, and some people will focus on that. The best story is going to have flaws, and some people will focus on those. And if a reader thinks a story is completely worthless... well, I know this is considered an inflammatory opinion, but if someone has such a negative reaction to a piece, no one else should feel like it's their place to step in and say, "You don't have any right to publically say you dislike this. If you can't say something nice...."
Now, with all that being said, I need to admit that I'm usually fairly reluctant to post a negative comment about a story on, say, a mailing list. The Adoratrice might be a beacon of forthrightness, integrity, intelligence and moral courage, but she ain't suicidal and she has a healthy respect for her own skin. Most mailing lists are primarily supportive in nature. That's their function, that's the way they're set up, and there's not a lot of sense in trying to remold them in an individual poster's image. But this is my page. These are my opinions. Here, I'm not part of a larger fannish community, and I don't represent anyone's views but my own.
I think it's... well, stifling if the only opinions that are expressed are positive opinions. Like I said above, everyone will occasionally dislike a story. But when readers are repeatedly told, "No! This story is wonderful, it's your perceptions that are screwed up!", they start to doubt their own taste and their own opinions. That's why I felt, and still feel, that sites like the Slash Hall of Shame are both useful and needed, even to people who disagree with the views expressed there. We need opposing viewpoints in order to refine our own. It's not enough to just sit back complacently and think, "Ahh, Susie Slashfan is the best (or worst) writer in the world!" Until you're exposed to a different point of view, you can't fully articulate your reasons for liking or disliking something.