Fans are really getting out of hand

[VGThuy]

He's also very wise in not having social media accounts

Tinami's not alone, though. On Chinese forum Fanyus are now condemning Medvedeva and Weir for being drama queens and stealing the show from Hanyu

I actually got a sense from Nathan's situation that it was the Chinese Fanyus that for some reason have been the most aggressive these days.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Was it sent from 1986?

I just love a fax.

In fact I always request major figure skating news be faxed to me!

 

[UGG]

Remember back in the day when purple Tosca Pom Poms and Old Goat’s MLK post were viewed as crazy? Can’t we get back to those days when the internet was simple?

 

[IceAlisa]

I took a closer look at the note and it appears to be handwritten on cute stationary, not faxed

 

[Emerald66]

Poor Med. I wish people would just let her be. I do love how positive she always is though.

 

[missing]

I think Hanyu is fortunate in that he himself seems to have a very friendly personality and is (despite all the pressures he is under) very willing to socialise and have fun with fellow skaters. He is also sportsmanlike and thank goodness he has never indulged in fostering bitter rivalries with anyone. I think that assists in making it the case that the way some of his fans act doesn't alienate other skaters from him.

Because it can be like that with these big fandoms. For example, in ice dance, anyone that crosses paths too much (either on ice or off ice) with Virtue/Moir needs to watch out for inevitable backlash.

I would guess that Hanyu is able to live fairly anonymously in Toronto - so that's something for him. For him, I think that after he retires, taking up some study in a foreign country like the US, Canada or the UK etc for a period might be a very good idea so he can get some breathing space to live normally for a while.

I'm not a great fan of Hanyu's skating or his skating persona, but I absolutely agree that he is a sportsman, and that's no small thing in the tiny and highly competitive world of figure skating.

 

[Willin]

He's also very wise in not having social media accounts

Tinami's not alone, though. On Chinese forum Fanyus are now condemning Medvedeva and Weir for being drama queens and stealing the show from Hanyu

Freakin' militant Fanyus need to go away. They're awful and make the 1000s of non-fanyu Hanyu fans look awful. That being said, what evidence do we have that this was a fanyu and not some other crazy psycho fan? God knows every skater has at least one...


I think this issue, if tied to a particular skater's fans, does bring up a wider discussion in fandom in general. In the RuPaul's Drag Race fandom it's become such an issue that it's brought up on the show itself: How much responsibility should people take for the actions of their fans? That is, should people with a fandom condemn fans that harass other people on social media.
IMO it's tricky - I'd love to see Hanyu call out his militant fanyus or V/M and Yuna Kim call out the conspiracy toting fans or Eunsoo Lim defend Mariah. But, they also rely on those fans for money and donations to their favorite charities (like stuffed animals), and how much impact could they really have on their fans. Crazy fans will justify anything even if their behavior is condemned by the person they're a fan of.

 

[IceAlisa]

Freakin' militant Fanyus need to go away. They're awful and make the 1000s of non-fanyu Hanyu fans look awful. That being said, what evidence do we have that this was a fanyu and not some other crazy psycho fan? God knows every skater has at least one...


I think this issue, if tied to a particular skater's fans, does bring up a wider discussion in fandom in general. In the RuPaul's Drag Race fandom it's become such an issue that it's brought up on the show itself: How much responsibility should people take for the actions of their fans? That is, should people with a fandom condemn fans that harass other people on social media.
IMO it's tricky - I'd love to see Hanyu call out his militant fanyus or V/M and Yuna Kim call out the conspiracy toting fans or Eunsoo Lim defend Mariah. But, they also rely on those fans for money and donations to their favorite charities (like stuffed animals), and how much impact could they really have on their fans. Crazy fans will justify anything even if their behavior is condemned by the person they're a fan of.

We don’t know but the writer mentioned TCC and how they want Med out of there. That’s a sentiment often expressed by a more rabid variant of fanyu. Given that fanyus have a history of attacking Med on social media, one can put this together.

In no way do I think Hanyu is or can be held responsible

 

[Willin]

@IceAlisa The point of the discussion is not saying it's the person's fault - as I said, militant fans do things without regard to the feelings of the person they worship - but rather discussing whether or not it should be addressed by the person the fans like. Meaning regardless of fault or lack thereof should the person try to stop the bullying done in their name, if only because they may be one of the few who can stop or curb it.

As I said, I'm split on the issue, but I do think it's an interesting point to bring up in a situation like this. Older generations may not have had these talks in school, but most younger millenials and those in the next generation (and, perhaps older generations in the workplace) have watched the same videos and had the same lectures about being part of the cycle of bullying if you don't step in to stop it in some way. I think that's where the debate is coming from.

 

[Lanie]

What the hell is wrong with people? Good Lord, they're athletes, skaters, PEOPLE. Social media influences this kind of behavior and makes it more of a thing, but...

Poor Med and any other skater being treated like this by supposed skating fans. Y'all aren't fans, y'all are nuts.

 

[starrynight]

@IceAlisa but rather discussing whether or not it should be addressed by the person the fans like. Meaning regardless of fault or lack thereof should the person try to stop the bullying done in their name, if only because they may be one of the few who can stop or curb it.

I expect a lot of the major skaters who have these big fandoms actually have mechanisms in place to avoid seeing a lot of it. I imagine they do see it when people @ them on social media, but they may not be monitoring what twitter users etc say to others. They may well have the worst offenders blocked.

For example, I don't really follow Nathan Chen closely so I had no idea that these things were happening to him. Hanyu has no social networks, so he may well be totally oblivious to what is occurring.

And who knows how much is actually being done 'in the skaters' names'. For example, from my observations, the worst of the V/M uber trolls are clearly brand new fans from the 2018 Olympics. And so you'd question how much they really know and connect with V/M and the sport of skating given that they probably watched them compete only once.

 

[skateboy]

How much responsibility should people take for the actions of their fans? That is, should people with a fandom condemn fans that harass other people on social media.

I think these very public figures should absolutely take some responsibility and call out their "fans" for the disgusting behavior. Their fanbases are so large that they will not possibly be shunned for standing up and doing the right thing.

 

[allezfred]

Pass. But I will go look on Med’s insta to read those Russian comments.

ETA: @allezfred could you please provide a link to the post in question? I looked but didn’t see one with the thousand comments

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[IceAlisa]

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Thanks. I watched the video, her comment was cute and really helped people relax. Zagitova looked worried but then laughed at Med’s joke. The comments in Russian are a mixed bag (I’ve only lasted through a dozen or so) some are messages of support and some are mean, written by bored losers

 

[barbarafan]

So I did a search in Japanese for the terms "Medvedeva" and "earthquake" and the only thing that came up was this link to the Japanese version of the Russian government back website Sputnik:

メドベージェワが日本で出演中に地震

千葉県千葉市の幕張イベントホールで開催中のアイスショー「ファンタジーオンアイス」でロシアのエフゲニヤ・メドベージェワ、アリーナ・ザギトワ両選手が出演中に、震度５弱の地震が起きた。ロシアスポーツメディア「ソヴェーツキー・スポルト」が報じた。

jp.sputniknews.com

The article said there were a number of people (presumably Japanese, but who knows?) who were offended by her making a joke about the earthquake. So I took a look at her Instagram post. Out of the 1,563 comments (most of which were in Russian), there was a total of one negative comment in Japanese (actually pretty much like the hate mail Medvedeva received in English). One.

Report card for Tinami: Must try harder.

She usually tries very hard to be horrible and inhuman to Med but most probably would be the same to anyone with enough balls to stand up to her Goddess Eteri. I am far from perfect on any given day but I finally realized that the negativity and poison she spews against a young lady is just not worth the normally good info she gives out and I put her on ignore.It looks like I made the right decision. Just saying....

 

[barbarafan]

I think these very public figures should absolutely take some responsibility and call out their "fans" for the disgusting behavior. Their fanbases are so large that they will not possibly be shunned for standing up and doing the right thing.

Med went silent on her media because of the nastiness from some followers.....then she went back but she told her followers that she liked and respected all her competitors and if any derogatory comments about them and herself were posted she would immediately block them. (beside those who put her down there used to be many posters who would trash Zagitova on her media)

 

[Coco]

I think these very public figures should absolutely take some responsibility and call out their "fans" for the disgusting behavior. Their fanbases are so large that they will not possibly be shunned for standing up and doing the right thing.

Aren't public figures told to never comment publicly on these types of things? Being acknowledged, even in a negative way, can bolster this kind of crazy fan's feeling that they have a connection to the celebrity object of their obsession.

I'm not sure what the right thing is for people like Hanyu and Yuna Kim to do.

 

[kwanfan1818]

For the people/person who want(s) Medvedeva out of TCC because she's allegedly stealing Hanyu's sunshine, Hanyu is in Toronto (out of Japan) to stay out of the spotlight and focus. I'm guessing if he's aware, he must be chuckling to himself that there are other skaters to deflect the focus away from him.

 

[skateboy]

Aren't public figures told to never comment publicly on these types of things? Being acknowledged, even in a negative way, can bolster this kind of crazy fan's feeling that they have a connection to the celebrity object of their obsession.

I'm not sure what the right thing is for people like Hanyu and Yuna Kim to do.

I think that, in general, it makes sense for public figures to not comment to fans but, in a case of something severe (such as obsessive Fanyu hate toward Med, Yunabot hate toward Adelina, etc.), then it would make a world of positive difference to have a word from the celebrity.

I've seen it happen with well-known figures. All it takes is a couple minutes out of their schedule to write a sentence or two, saying "please don't do this."

To be honest, I'm not a Yuna fan for this reason. I always respected her as a competitor, but she never once said a word against the Adelina hate from her fans (including despicable death threats which continue to this day). It makes it seem that she condones the behavior. (Her leadership with ATS, along with their unfounded accusations against Mariah Bell, does not help.)

 

[canbelto]

I think that, in general, it makes sense for public figures to not comment to fans but, in a case of something severe (such as obsessive Fanyu hate toward Med, Yunabot hate toward Adelina, etc.), then it would make a world of positive difference to have a word from the celebrity.

I've seen it happen with well-known figures. All it takes is a couple minutes out of their schedule to write a sentence or two, saying "please don't do this."

To be honest, I'm not a Yuna fan for this reason. I always respected her as a competitor, but she never once said a word against the Adelina hate from her fans (including despicable death threats which continue to this day). It makes it seem that she condones the behavior. (Her leadership with ATS, along with their unfounded accusations against Mariah Bell, does not help.)

I can understand why Yuna never spoke out against the Sotnikova death threats (and before that, the Mao death threats). The Yuna-bots are so crazed that any statement from the "Queen" could be taken as validation. These are people who travel thousands of miles just for a glimpse of her in practice at a competition.

Also I think it's just her way. She's a very private person who also is a huge celebrity. She rarely grants in-depth interviews. When she does it's not about skating but about UNICEF and other charities and causes she supports.

 

[VGThuy]

I do think there is a line when there is a great mass action happening under YOUR NAME that is causing a lot of distress and harm to other skaters, it'd be wise or considerate to say something publicly, even just to neuter it. I think there's a way to handle it without alienating your fans. Rebecca Sugar did a great job one time when there was a huge issue with the Steven Universe fandom that caused someone to attempt suicide based on vocal members of the fandom's reaction to the "regressive" fan art she did. Sugar made a video with two cast members of the show and basically had a very positive message for her fans but also asked that they be flexible and empathetic to others, and that did a lot to calm the community down. It doesn't do anything to make the harm disappear nor will it make some people forget what transpired under your name, but at least you made a showing that you tried to do something.

Honestly, and this is not fair, but I gave Yu Na Kim the benefit of the doubt during the Sotnikova situation because she's probably scared of her fans too but the Lim/Bell situation made me reconsider that. It's not fair to Kim because I don't think she had anything to do with the Lim/Bell situation whatsoever, but I couldn't help but think of the Kim/Sotnikova fan situation and how she could have done something to at least attempt to stop the madness when the Lim/Bell situation happened and I was thinking of how the agency, Lim, and others could have stopped the horrific harassment and abuse Bell was receiving. The lack of accountability from the agency nor any action taking place by her agency or Lim to restore Bell's reputation among the fans who gave Bell the most hate just left a bad taste in my mouth of Kim, her mother, and whoever else is running that agency. To be fair, a lot of the Bell hate wasn't coming from skating fans, but random people who saw the agency's initial report in Korean media and took it as gospel truth, and then went ahead and assumed Bell was racist and projected an image of mean American attacking fragile, princess Lim who would die if pricked by a spinning needle. Nothing you could say could convince them of anything even when you explained how practices and skating programs worked. Still, doing something is better than just letting another skater receive death threats while reaping the benefits of your new found fame through victimization. It's sad, but that's how I view Lim now because she didn't say anything.

 

[clairecloutier]

Is Yuna on the board of AT Sports, or does she belong to its management team? I feel like I had always heard it was her mother's company. And we know her relationship with her mother, while close, hasn't always been conflict-free.

 

[skateboy]

Entire post

 

[skateboy]

Is Yuna on the board of AT Sports, or does she belong to its management team? I feel like I had always heard it was her mother's company. And we know her relationship with her mother, while close, hasn't always been conflict-free.

According to Wikipedia:
"All That Sports (AT Sports), a sports agency based on Seoul, South Korea set up by 2010 Winter Olympic champion Kim Yuna and her mother Park Mi-hee."

 

[canbelto]

Well apropos of nothing really I vividly remember when a skater did try to shut down the crazed fans. It was that time when Katia was pregnant with Ilia Kulik's baby and a bunch of G&G fans went totally off the chain, said they were Sergei's true "spiritual wives," said that Katia could never be reunited with Sergei in heaven, and she might have ruined Daria's chances as well, and so on and so forth.

During this time a bunch of fans posted that they had approached Katia in the rink she practiced at and given her figurines/scrapbooks/souvenirs of her and Sergei as angels or in their favorite programs, and Katia had rebuffed these gifts each time. A bunch of talk about how rude she was. But far from stopping this Sergei/Katia-never-to-be-reunited-in-heaven train, it just worsened it. I remember a figure skating website had to be shut down completely because of the daily fights about whether Katia was pagan.

Of course it eventually subsided but it was truly creepy. So ... skaters are in a sort of lose-lose situation when it comes to fans who don't know boundaries. You take firm action against them, and their adoration turns to rage and can be frighteningly spiteful. You don't take action, and it seems as if you're condoning them.

 

[clairecloutier]

According to Wikipedia:
"All That Sports (AT Sports), a sports agency based on Seoul, South Korea set up by 2010 Winter Olympic champion Kim Yuna and her mother Park Mi-hee."

Okay, but what I think is relevant is whether she has current responsibility for or within the company, as a staff member or board member.

 

[Perky Shae Lynn]

Is Yuna on the board of AT Sports, or does she belong to its management team? I feel like I had always heard it was her mother's company. And we know her relationship with her mother, while close, hasn't always been conflict-free.

I am not sure whether Yuna is directly involved in the company's management, or serves as a figurehead. But as a 28 yo woman I would expect her to have some say in what happens. However, I do not know anything about Korean customs. Perhaps she has zero power, and zero say in what happens. It's sad either way. To see Mariah Bell (and Sotnikova before her) suffer from horrific abuse was unsettling. To see Yuna silent was also very upsetting. It signaled either her silent approval of such behavior, or the inability to express true feelings due to being controlled by her mother.

 

[greenapple]

Okay, but what I think is relevant is whether she has current responsibility for or within the company, as a staff member or board member.

She doesn't. ATS was set up by her mother and a man from Yuna's previous management company and is jointly owned by them.

 

[rfisher]

Korean sports and entertainment agencies are seriously creepy. I saw a documentary on K-pop and those kids are essentially slaves and their management will do anything to make money, including manipulating fans.

 

[canbelto]

Not defending Yuna ... but ... AT Sports is part of Yuna's show All That Skate and Lim is part of All That Skate. I am not sure how exactly AT Sports works but if it's anything like a sports agency, then the agents might very well have an obligation to put out positive news about its own skaters and negative news about non-AT Sports skaters.

I saw the ugly side of agency when I had the misfortune to be acquainted with a classical music agent who had some mid-level clients in the business. He talked openly about slandering perceived rivals of that client as part of his job.