Fannish Content OMG

[commodorified]

1) I recall a couple of years back there were some efforts to find a good replacement for "pimping" a fandom, that never really went anywhere because nothing really good turned up.

Now that All The Feels is a thing, may I suggest referring to the process of enticing someone into your fandom be referred to as Putting Out Feelers?

Being enticed could be referred to as Copping A Feel: "Eh, I wasn't really into Avengers and then Cat did that great picspam and I think I accidentally Copped a Feel".

2) I submit for the convenience of the Internetz two acronyms:

CSCT: Can Spell Can't Type. Useful for that little Reason For Edit box.

RTYI/RTMI: Relevant To Your/My Interests. A common and useful phrase which takes a while to type, especially on a smartphone keypad.

Comments

[dorothean]

Since I think people were agreeing that 'pimping' needed to be replaced because it evoked uncomfortable power dynamics having to do with sex, maybe 'copping a feel' is not quite the right substitute? I've always thought that phrase refers to nonconsensual touching, although maybe I'm mistaken...

[commodorified]

Hmm, yeah, there's a thing.

Copping a feel CAN but doesn't necessarily mean something nonconsensual.

What I like about it in this usage is that it's for the receptive person in the exchange to use, not the initiator, which kind of flags up the consent. Does that make sense?

[commodorified]

Also, thinking back I think it wasn't the power dynamics as such, but the reference to the kind of vicious exploitation that is pimping.

There is a sense of power dynamic that fandom plays with wrt to enticing people into new fandoms, sort of a consensual kinky non-con vibe where you see people saying they got dragged into that briar patch kicking and screaming, etc etc.

Which I think in and of itself is not unhealthy.

[dorothean]

Well, we could make the same point by simply extending the pimping metaphor and referring explicitly to a new fan as a john. If I'm looking at picspam, etc., I'd rather not think of myself that way or as being a groper -- consensual or not. But then, my kinks don't usually include consensual non-con, so other people's mileage may vary...

[commodorified]

You make good points. IDK, hmm, and all that.

Thanks for that; I know it's not always the easiest thing to offer that kind of criticism and while I dunno if I agree with you I do know you make important points that need to be seriously thought about.

[recessional]

Noting that while I like "putting out feelers" (although really, I think "promoting" works fine), I am made uneasy by "copping a feel", almost as much so as with "pimping". I think in both cases it may be because it's sexualizing something that I don't really want to be, and integrating touch in there as well. (I'll spare you the long boring reasons that may contribute to my discomfort with sexualizing non-sexual [for me] things, as I don't think they really add much to the conversation.)

Those acronyms are super useful, tho. Especially RTYI/RTMI.