I am definitely a fan of quite a few things, from certain video games (and yes, there are video game companies that I will be predisposed toward games they make because I am a fan), authors, tv/movies, anime, genres (werewolves, I'm looking at you!) and topics (witchcraft, witches, magic, Pagan, Occult....the list goes on!)
Of course I have been aware of the term 'fan' for years, but Fanboi was a new one to me about the time I started reading fanfiction. The way I encountered it, a fanboi was someone (yes typically male) who was particularly devoted to a fandom (Harry Potter was the one I learned it from). And I had heard the term used for females as well. Fangirl was something I came into through anime, often in reference to the stereotypical teenage girl who fawned over their favorite band (or tv star).
Neither Fanboi or Fangirl have particularly good connotations. Both imply that the person who is a fan is very over the top, obsessed (sometimes to dangerous levels), and somewhat unhinged in their devotion. It conjures up images of stalker fans and people who are so devoted to a particular thing that they refuse to accept the possibility that it might have flaws.
I had never really thought about the word fan in the same light, so imagine my surprise when I looked up the etymology of it (I am a HUGE etymology fan too *grin). Fan is a shortened version of fanatic, which apparently came into English usage in the 1500's, meaning 'marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion', and was made popular in reference to baseball fans. It's roots are in a Latin word meaning, 'insanely but divinely inspired', and was originally a reference to a temple or sacred place.
I think it is really interesting that the deep roots point to divinity. To me, it sort of speaks to the idea that the workings of the Gods aren't always something that makes sense to the human mind. But really all versions of the word fan imply a sort of crazy obsession.
I don't really consider myself insanely devoted to things. At least I like to think that I make sense in my interests. But there are definitely things that I will seek out, that my eye will always be drawn to, or that I will be predisposed to like, just by the nature of their being.
It is like pulling teeth for me to pass by something witch related. I have a site that lists free kindle books, that I look at every day. I was originally grabbing everything magic related that came up on the list, but quickly realizing that quite a lot of those books weren't really worth my time to read. Either they were very basic, intended to be a 'first look' kind of book, and stuff that I have read a dozen times or more already, or they were very opinionated, and not opinions that I agree with. I have slowly started to be more discerning with my tastes, though I still at least look at the summery of everything in my fandom's that crosses my path.
One thing I find really interesting about being a fan is that it definitely colors how I view the world. I will catch references (Easter eggs!) and that adds whole layers to things. The part of me that loves puzzles finds this immensely satisfying. But even when the reference isn't intentional, I definitely find myself comparing things I encounter in my daily life to my favorite fandoms.
In Pagan realms, this often means that I will look at the world through the lens of magic: I consider things and how they might be useful to me in my path. I especially love fictional magic based stories and worlds. I think it is really interesting to see how magic is believe to work in different ways. Even when the ways of magic from a fictional source are absolutely not possible in this world, I think that exposure to those ideas can challenge our thoughts on how magic works and what might be possible.
I love the fact that, in today's world, being a fan of things that aren't sports is becoming not only tolerated but actually quite popular. Tv fandom's are huge. And again, not just the traditionally popular ones, but the breadth and range of things that people are delving into is breathtaking. I love that we are now encouraging people to really embrace what calls to them, and that if they want to take a thing they love and build their wardrobe around it, decorate their house with it or act like it...they can do this!
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