Fans are really getting out of hand

[Karen-W]

Because the world doesn’t revolve around your sensitivities @Karen-W .

Everyone wants the world to revolve around their sensitivities so need to prove the the left can be as big an asshole as the right.

Or, you know, you keep politics out of this particular forum and discussion? It shouldn't be that damn hard in a topic like this one. There is a whole subforum on FSU where you can work through your Trump hatred - and I have avoided it for the better part of the last year because, apparently, I'm too sensitive - or sensible enough to recognize that anything that even remotely challenged leftwing groupthink was unwelcome. Call me sensitive, if you must, in order to convince yourselves that you are not wrong to behave this way but... 1) two wrongs don't make a right - and God only knows how many of you have cried over the use of the "snowflake" term, so if it bothers you so much and if feelings really do matter then practice what you preach in ALL ways, and 2) for supporters of a president who says he wants to unify, you are doing a damn fine job of continuing to divide and insult.

The point is, there are far simpler, broader terms that should be used that would truly make the difference you claim needs to be made to heal our country. But, nope, you defaulted to "you're being over sensitive!" Got it. I'll keep that in mind.

 

[BlueRidge]

Or, you know, you keep politics out of this particular forum and discussion? It shouldn't be that damn hard in a topic like this one. There is a whole subforum on FSU where you can work through your Trump hatred - and I have avoided it for the better part of the last year because, apparently, I'm too sensitive - or sensible enough to recognize that anything that even remotely challenged leftwing groupthink was unwelcome. Call me sensitive, if you must, in order to convince yourselves that you are not wrong to behave this way but... 1) two wrongs don't make a right - and God only knows how many of you have cried over the use of the "snowflake" term, so if it bothers you so much and if feelings really do matter then practice what you preach in ALL ways, and 2) for supporters of a president who says he wants to unify, you are doing a damn fine job of continuing to divide and insult.

The point is, there are far simpler, broader terms that should be used that would truly make the difference you claim needs to be made to heal our country. But, nope, you defaulted to "you're being over sensitive!" Got it. I'll keep that in mind.

Dear, Trump incited a mob that stormed the Capitol leaving five dead after months of lying about the results of the elections.

The country will heal when every decent person renounces Trump for good.

You keep reacting to people mentioning Trump, if you didn't it would go by and not derail the threads.

 

[shine]

My experience is certainly not vast but what I have encountered with Japanese fans of YH has been very positive. Although they certainly hung on and recorded his every move - even in practices, they were respectful to other competitors and held up country flags/ cheered for other skaters. Sadly, it does not take too many extremists to give any group of passionate supporters a bad name. I am wondering if other fans call out these very negative and hurtful comments as not being representative of the skater or the majority of his supporters?

The crazy ones are not all Japanese. In fact, I suspect most of them are not.

 

[Fairuza]

Hanyu said he had watched Land of All on YouTube 100 times, contributing to the views count of the video. Unless he doesn’t have the habit of comments, otherwise would be hard not to come across any hate comments in the comment section From Fanyus. That is another annoying thing about Fanyus, they all obsessed with Nathan to the extent of watching fan videos from ice shows, and left negative comments everywhere

This Fanyu here never ever watches anything from Nathan from shows. Never rewatches his competitive programs full stop. Neither do hundreds of us. Stop generalizing about people you never met or knew to meet your objectives.
or otherwise I could easily point my finger at a few crazy Nathan fans who claim, among other things, that Yuzu dopes, always underrotates, and in general is responsible for the Worlds 2020 being cancelled and turn them into how a typical Nathan Chen fan thinks.

 

[tony]

How about they are both great and if you only bother to watch one then stay in your lane with your enjoyment of that one? It's never going to happen, but it should.

And let's be real - the loudest social media trolls are typically hiding behind some stupid irrelevant user name.

 

[MacMadame]

Or, you know, you keep politics out of this particular forum and discussion? It shouldn't be that damn hard in a topic like this one. There is a whole subforum on FSU where you can work through your Trump hatred -

There was absolutely NOTHING said about Trump in the posts you are responding to. The fact that you think it does shows that on some level you understand what Trump is.

You remind me of the people screaming at Joe Biden for being mean to "the GOP" when he condemned white supremacists. Say everything about them and nothing about Biden.

 

[VGThuy]

Let me explain why I said what I said. For weeks, I’ve seen videos on social media that altered, edited and not showing the full time (like 5 mins at the most), and editorialized videos of state volunteers in Georgia and Pennsylvania (because they provided 24/7 video coverage due to threats and because they wanted to show transparency) counting ballots and votes. In those videos, those editorializing heavily shaped what the worker was doing, what was in boxes, and what was happening to ballots (to shift the election towards Biden) when the video didn’t actually show any of what they were accusing the worker-volunteers of doing because they have no idea what was actually going on in the room. Someone carrying an unopened box innocently all of a sudden became worker throwing away ballots! It was an imaginary story that only used a video to help shape it when anyone could have made the same video and said something totally differently and it would have fit the actions of the video as well.

So I thought it was VERY similar to tons of skating videos I saw where the users used the same methods (not showing the full element, cutting things, editorializing what we’re seeing when it may not actually be clear like when it comes to jump landings or angles of edges during launch). But because the editorializing is so confident and it’s accompanied by video, users who are already inclined to buy into it will share that video like it’s gospel.

 

[Prancer]

Let me explain why I said what I said.

I appreciate the explanation and think this would be a fitting end to this line of discussion.

Let's move on

 

[Willin]

I think Yuzu probably has no idea he has so many crazy fans. He always seems to be in his own little skating obsessed world and oblivious to everything else. Even if he did have social media, it would probably be managed for him.

I've compared Yuzu's fans for J-pop and K-pop idol fans before given that his fandom acts and resembles that of a pop star a lot more than that of a skater. When a fandom is big enough it's inevitable some segment of it will get out of hand, and that happened a while ago for Yuzu. What's interesting to me is that unlike other popular skaters' fans, who are usually skating fans first, Yuzu's fans seem to not be skating fans, but rather Yuzu fans. Probably because of the pop star factor. I suspect many will stop watching when he retires. What's even more intriguing is that Yuzu's fans are similar to Yuna Kim's fans even though he shies away from the spotlight while Yuna (or at least her PR team) embraced it. In that sense it makes more sense that Yuna's fans were similar to idol fans in that she was an idol in a lot of ways; Yuzu isn't trying to be one.

 

[overedge]

I think Yuzu probably has no idea he has so many crazy fans.

I don't see how he could not know, even if he's not on social media. I'm sure they are following him in real life too, as in turning up wherever he is, and trying to contact him however they can.

 

[greenapple]

Just because Hanyu is not active on social media does not mean he is not on it. I would think he probably is. And for sure his manager is. Maybe his family is as well. I think he is probably very aware of what is going on with the crazed Fanyus.

When the Yunabots were out in full force years ago Yuna's management company and her mother monitored what was going on.

 

[binbinwinwin]

I've compared Yuzu's fans for J-pop and K-pop idol fans before given that his fandom acts and resembles that of a pop star a lot more than that of a skater. When a fandom is big enough it's inevitable some segment of it will get out of hand, and that happened a while ago for Yuzu. What's interesting to me is that unlike other popular skaters' fans, who are usually skating fans first, Yuzu's fans seem to not be skating fans, but rather Yuzu fans. Probably because of the pop star factor. I suspect many will stop watching when he retires. What's even more intriguing is that Yuzu's fans are similar to Yuna Kim's fans even though he shies away from the spotlight while Yuna (or at least her PR team) embraced it. In that sense it makes more sense that Yuna's fans were similar to idol fans in that she was an idol in a lot of ways; Yuzu isn't trying to be one.

It's a difference in culture, in Asia, fandom has a totally different meaning and as Kpop got more popular worldwide I remember Korean fans were confused by international fans listing their multiple "bias groups." For them being a fan has a higher level of dedication and organization and not just "I happen to like this group/singer." That's why you see such high quality pictures, fancams and banners and everything. The thing about having such a dedicated fandom is that you lose your own privacy and you also get people who hate you as much as your fans love you so a lot of people in the spotlight spend more time trying to protect them and their family's privacy than keeping up with exactly what fans are doing elsewhere. And if you speak up about this bad behaviour, you risk retaliation so a lot of people will try to limit their own movements, hoping that it will make the fans forget and eventually calm down.

 

[rosewood]

Asia is not consist of one culture. Please pay attention that Asia is a vast area, and each country has their own specific culture/history/politics etc.

 

[Fairuza]

Just because Hanyu is not active on social media does not mean he is not on it. I would think he probably is. And for sure his manager is. Maybe his family is as well. I think he is probably very aware of what is going on with the crazed Fanyus.

When the Yunabots were out in full force years ago Yuna's management company and her mother monitored what was going on.

Your “probably” changes reality, I see. First try proving he is on it. Along with his family, who are also very private. Unlike Yuna’s mother.

 

[misskarne]

Given that Hanyu has previously required police escort at competitions so that the bus wasn't mobbed, and IIRC he can no longer take the bus to TCC because a few of his fans stalked him and found out which stop he took the bus from and waited for him there, I'm pretty sure Hanyu knows he has batshit psycho fans.

I actually think sometimes when he falls over himself to compliment Nathan, it's not just because he believes it, but as a counter to his more batshit fans.

 

[Willin]

I don't see how he could not know, even if he's not on social media. I'm sure they are following him in real life too, as in turning up wherever he is, and trying to contact him however they can.

Just because Hanyu is not active on social media does not mean he is not on it. I would think he probably is. And for sure his manager is. Maybe his family is as well. I think he is probably very aware of what is going on with the crazed Fanyus.

When the Yunabots were out in full force years ago Yuna's management company and her mother monitored what was going on.

I'm sure he's aware for the crazy fans/media that stalk him and his family, and I'm sure he's aware how much time many devote to him, but I don't think he's aware that they actively harass other skaters on social media. Or at least I don't think he's aware of the extent to which it happens.

 

[once_upon]

I sat by/met one Fanyu at an event (cant remember where). Other than wearing some sort of Pooh Bear oneies she seemed pretty normal. Had a couple of stuffies for other skaters.

She was fun to sit near.

I imagine he is aware of all the crazies, but I don't think him telling them to stop the nonsense would help. I think it would increase the behavior.

 

[Colleen]

We were in a section of primarily Hanyu fans at Skate Canada a few years ago. it was entertaining to watch them hang on his every move. But it was kind of odd to have the section to ourselves during dance and pairs. Most seemed like lovely people, but a few were pretty intense and screamed every time he moved. Must be a strange experience for him, although I guess he’s used to it after all these years. I wonder if he gets tired of the Poohs - we lost count of how many bags of them were shovelled off the ice. He seems amazingly grounded and humble despite his rockstar status. I’m a fan of great skating and enjoy when anyone skates well, so I don’t get the hate for other skaters.

 

[Rebecca Moose]

I am sure Hanyu is deeply concerned as to what a bunch of old white women thinks of his fanbase.

Nathan will kick his ass at Worlds and Olympics so all of this is pointless anyways!

 

[once_upon]

I'm pretty sure that neither Hanyu or Nathan give $0.01 what each fan base thinks about their rivalry. They are competing at the highest level and are most likely focused on what they are doing, not on any fan reactions/or adoration.

 

[Scott512]

Just because Hanyu is not active on social media does not mean he is not on it. I would think he probably is. And for sure his manager is. Maybe his family is as well. I think he is probably very aware of what is going on with the crazed Fanyus.

When the Yunabots were out in full force years ago Yuna's management company and her mother monitored what was going on.

And what did they ever do about the Yunabots? Did you know or her mom ever asked them to not be so hostile and to be respectful sports fans? I don't know that's why I'm asking. That whole deal crossed the line.

People come to this forum to talk about sports in particular figure skating not politics. We are bombarded with politics whenever we go on social media or the internet or read a newspaper. People come here to escape politics or their personal life are difficulties there having. That's the uniqueness of FSU.

As for figure skating fans I would say America has the best fans. Canada a close second.

 

[shine]

I'm pretty sure that neither Hanyu or Nathan give $0.01 what each fan base thinks about their rivalry. They are competing at the highest level and are most likely focused on what they are doing, not on any fan reactions/or adoration.

I think it’s a bit naive to downplay the effects of internet mob in the age of social media.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

what a bunch of old white women thinks of his fanbase.

We prefer "seasoned Caucasian ladies".

-BB

 

[Alexa]

This Fanyu here never ever watches anything from Nathan from shows. Never rewatches his competitive programs full stop. Neither do hundreds of us. Stop generalizing about people you never met or knew to meet your objectives.

My apologies for posting a hastily written response without checking. I was not meant to say all fanyus, the “all” in the problematic sentence should be “are”, which I fixed later on, and I put “some” and “radical“ to better refer to the radical fans who are the problems. There are good number of Yuzuru fans who genuinely love and support other skaters. Minutes after a Alice posted that IGS, there are lots of FS fans start the effort to clear the Nathan hate tweets by initiating “WeLoveYouNathanChen” tweets, and there were quite several moving and fun tweets from fanyus to show their love and support for Nathan, and there were tweets from fanyus calling out those hate tweets. Alice later on posted in her IGS again about her appreciation for the love and support.

There are good and bad fans in most of fandoms. The problem with fanyu fandom is that there are increasing number of radical ones while it seems to be more good, supportive fanyus becoming more silenced due to whatever reason, which is understandable. Radical fans tend to be more aggressive and “loud”, making comments, accusations everywhere, NBC Sports, Olympic Channel, US Figure Skating, ISU, rockerskating on Twitter, IG, YouTube. Scott Hamilton said more than once that no one could imagine the amount of hate he received after making a comment about Nathan’s performance at 19 US nationals.

 

[Alexa]

I'm pretty sure that neither Hanyu or Nathan give $0.01 what each fan base thinks about their rivalry. They are competing at the highest level and are most likely focused on what they are doing, not on any fan reactions/or adoration.

It is not just Nathan, Yuzuru, Shoma who are impacted by this. This just reminded me of this encounter last summer between Kurt fans and some radical fanyus. The exchange lasted several days

https://twitter.com/Kurtfiles/status/1276295088017047552?s=20

https://twitter.com/_emma_emo/status/1276289582976335872?s=20

Post #23 from Teenes was talking about her frustration with the aggressive behaviors of some fanyus

https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/threads/having-a-kurt-browning-binge.85441/page-2

 

[canbelto]

I think celebs are told not to acknowledge their craziest fans in any way because any attention can feed their mindset of validation. I mean I remember when people thought Tessa and Scott were trolling the sekret baby blog and whether that was such a good idea. (I don't think they were trolling the sekret baby blog but that blogger certainly did think that Tessa and Scott were somehow trying to communicate.)

 

[VGThuy]

I'm pretty sure that neither Hanyu or Nathan give $0.01 what each fan base thinks about their rivalry. They are competing at the highest level and are most likely focused on what they are doing, not on any fan reactions/or adoration.

I wouldn’t be so sure. He had to respond to crazy Fanyus harassing his IG for putting two goats because they thought he was calling himself one when he posted a pic with him and Michelle Kwan at Yale. And it’s gotten to the point where this is the second time his older sister has acknowledged the harassment and online bullying they’re doing to him. That’s the only reason why we’re talking about this now. I actually surprisingly came across a Fanyu online recently on a totally different online medium and she told me Nathan was narcissistic. I told her to explain, which she couldn’t.

 

[Simone411]

Regarding the title of this thread, "Fans Are Really Getting Out Of Hand":

I was sort of a late bloomer when it came to the internet. I have been a fan of figure skating since the early 70's. Of course there was no internet (no PC's) back then. In 1990 until 2005, I worked on PC's using the software that the corporation I worked for had in Accounting, but I wasn't allowed to get on the internet and look around. There was no time for that.

It was around November of 2001 when I purchased what was called WebTV Plus. A lot of the folks around here know what I'm talking about. The WebTV terminal was connected to my TV. My monitor was the TV screen - The Story of WebTV, the Smart TV of the 90s (vice.com).

I learned how to do a lot on Web TV, and was even able to have my on website using what was called Pagebuilder which came with WebTV Plus, and I still have that website thanks to a friend here that helped me find it using the Wayback machine. I managed to copy the codes and templates, and found a new webhosting service to use.

When I first got WebTV plus, I started doing google searches about Figure Skating. That's when I found out about message boards, Yahoo! Groups and etc. I loved figure skating and had been recording anything that came on TV about it since 1992 when I got my first VCR.

So I began visiting the message boards after I got WebTV in 2001. What I discovered was how fans were when it came to their favorite figure skaters. So the title of this thread is nothing new. People (fans) got out of hand so to speak back then, too! It wasn't just figure skating, either. Fans of gymnasts were also the same way. They all had their favorite gymnasts, too.

Then I discovered trolls and psueds! People would make up new users to get on someone's message board and have at it about their favorite skaters. I even pseuded, too, but for different reasons because I loved all the skaters and I still do. But some people were really bad about pseuding or trolling, and they did it to diss other fans about the skaters they didn't like. I have to admit that one of my favorite pseuds I made up was Looney Tunes Fairy. Yes, people psueded as "Fairies" back then which was around 2003 and 2005 before I became a member here in 2007.

I never pseuded here at FSU because I had and have a lot of respect for this message board and the mods here. I grew out of it, too. What I posted most of the time was funny humorous stuff, but I never dissed any of the skaters back then. It's been years since I've pseuded because now if I have anything to say, I just use my one and only account here. If I have something to post about, I just post as me (Simone411).

So when it comes to the title of this thread, it's nothing new because it's been going on for years and years.

 

[Lemonade20]

I remember Katarina Witt had a stalker that was bat shit crazy. Celebrities will always have that risk, and social media doesn't help. It's easy to figure out where your favorite skater trains. People keep forgetting they are real people.

 

[Yazmeen]

Then I discovered trolls and psueds! People would make up new users to get on someone's message board and have at it about their favorite skaters. I even pseuded, too, but for different reasons because I loved all the skaters and I still do. But some people were really bad about pseuding or trolling, and they did it to diss other fans about the skaters they didn't like. I have to admit that one of my favorite pseuds I made up was Looney Tunes Fairy. Yes, people psueded as "Fairies" back then which was around 2003 and 2005 before I became a member here in 2007.

I never pseuded here at FSU because I had and have a lot of respect for this message board and the mods here. I grew out of it, too. What I posted most of the time was funny humorous stuff, but I never dissed any of the skaters back then. It's been years since I've pseuded because now if I have anything to say, I just use my one and only account here. If I have something to post about, I just post as me (Simone411).

So when it comes to the title of this thread, it's nothing new because it's been going on for years and years.

Oh, Lord, the fairies, and the ultimate obsession of one fan trying to figure out who a pseud fan of a top skater at the time was because they felt this pseud had insulted them...

It was bad enough when you had fans obsessive about skaters. It became worse with fans obsessing about the identity of other fans. Talk about taking fandom too far.