Prison of Mind (Essay Sample)

Name:
Institution:
Course:
Date:
Prison of Mind
There is a lot for fandom than just being a fan of an object. Fandom is when people build a relationship with a specific object that they love; when they know every detail about that object, and have the answers for every question about it. No one can call themselves fans to an object without knowing all the advantages and disadvantages about it. For example, when a tennis fan enjoys a player, he would know the history of the player, most facts about him, and the reason why he chose to be a fan of this player. That relationship between the person and the player is strong, but should it be as strong as affecting the person to be blind and biased on this particular object? Fans should keep up loving what they love, and continue their celebrations. When this love turns into an obsession and cross the line between being a fan and being insane, then fandom should be discouraged and should be corrected.
First of all, being a fan is something to be proud of. Having a relationship between a fan and an object might have variety of levels. Some might say that they are fans of a particular club in soccer because they like the way they play. Other might say that this particular team has a great history and remarkable achievements that can be bragged about. In fact, the true fans would choose their team on everything that matters to them and the category of the object. They would develop the feeling of love to that object. Therefore, claiming to be a fan of an object does affect them without knowing it until they encounter another fan and start talking about their fandom. If there was a coincidence that two persons were fans of the same object, they would get along quickly than usual. Or it can be an influence on others when they meet someone who is a fan of an object. For example, if a girl starts caring for a guy who is a fan of sport, she will be forced to face the sport that he likes. Eventually, she will accept it, or maybe start liking it. Others would become fans out of curiosity. The article Opera Thugs And Passionate Fandom by Claudio E. Benzecry talks about a man who was introduced to classical music by his teacher. Then he found his passion in opera when he went to study medicine. He calls himself “a professional opera fan” (42) (Claudio).
However, maybe this love for an object will change the personality of its fans. They would change every detail in their life to provide satisfaction to their lives. Take an example of Juggalos – a rap duo from Michigan. The group is best known for its horror themed lyrics. The members of this group are fan of the music that bears very violent messages and touches on subjects not limited to domestic abuse, rape among other diabolical acts. For example, Paul Detrick stated in his article Government vs. the Juggalos“Juggalos cover their faces with black and white paint.” The group also has a call “whoop-whoop” – an expression of love and affection they say, but on the contrary sounds more like a war cry. (52). Based on the extremes of their actions, one may well qualify them as fandoms of a violent culture that they created. For instance, they would deal ruthlessly with one if they, as the deem it, disrespects the Insane Clown Posse. The article also claimed that Jaggulos are more likely to commit a crime than normal citizens (Detrick, 53) in respect to their fanatism towards the culture. Thisdemonstrates clearly that fandom can have a bad effect on people. It can make them blind and block their minds. They would see an otherwise multi-faceted world in one and biased facet and have unclear thoughts. Fandom in extreme levels affects peoples’ judgment when a competing object or idea is brought into subject. However, fandom is not supposed to affect people in a way that it could harm others. It is people who decide how they are going to use their love and obsession to show on their actions to others who do not passionately share a similar view.
Love and obsession towards an object do not however demonstrate an equal level of degree of fandom to a particular object. Varying degrees of fandom are demonstrated with obsession being blindto facts. Love is on a high degree of fandom but still within the rational levels where one can intentionally control their actions. Therefore, the decision on how to use ones love and obsession to show their actions is reliant on a particular individual.
We have heard stories of fans whose obsessions towards objects have taken them a little too far from the usual: football fans throwing themselves from high buildings because “their” teams have lost, movie enthusiasts tattooing entire tableaus from the sequence on their bodies among others. There are also benign actions that are self-gratifying but in equal right are also obsessions from fandom ranging from concert attendance, hunting for autographs and so on. Such people are proud to be associated with what they love and finding other people who are equally engaged with similar interests. In fact, they are also willing to find people who have begun to develop an interest in their activities.
What is more confusing is that of equal measure of love and obsession, are hobbies which are defined differently and perhaps drawing more acceptance from many people. But as we come to understand, fandom is in the service of someone else’s creativity rather than one’s own; and the time we spend in these passions could well be spent on something else apart from arguin...