We watch... so you don't have to.
On the Entitlement of Fandom
So I've got this theory that part of the reason that TV fandom acts so entitled ("I demand that these two characters get together romantically, while that other character gets written off the show. Also, that character should go to college, majoring in Communication. And this other character should get a pony") is the mainstreaming of fan fiction.
In the Good Old Days, people used to just shut up and take whatever the writer shoved at them. And I think that's a good thing, since in my experience, we should leave the crafting of compelling plots and characters to the professionals. But these days, everyone wants their personal favorite character to get elected prom queen every episode. And not only that, they have online petitions and probably clever rhyming slogans.
Now, I was going to elaborate on this theory by using examples, but it turns out that the example I was going to use involves a spoiler for a popular television show, and some people get mad when I cheerfully spread spoilers about the internet. So instead of ruining the surprise for everyone, I've decided to resort to a timeworn comedic premise such as you might see in the pages of MAD Magazine:
What the Comic Strip Peanuts Would Be Like If Fandom Was Always Like This
1957: Charlie Brown successfully kicks the football for the first time.
1962: A newspaper editorial calls Charles Schulz "history's greatest monster" for not letting Schroeder and Lucy get together.
1964: A newspaper editorial calls Charles Schulz "history's greatest monster" for letting Schroeder and Lucy get together.
1966: Fans get impatient with the Red-Haired Girl plotline, declare that she's not worthy of Charlie Brown, and get 10,000 signatures on a petition for Charlie Brown to get a new girlfriend, one who knows magic. And rides a flying unicorn.
1971: Insert standard "Peppermint Patty and Marcie" joke.
1983: Fans with long memories insit that Shermy has gotten "short shrift" from Schulz, since he hasn't actually appeared in the strip since 1952.
1985: An unexpectedly large group of German fans with large white mustaches insists that the Red Baron kill Snoopy.
February 10, 2000: Charles Schulz dies -- TWO DAYS EARLIER than he did in real life.
