Thinky Thoughts on Age and Fandom
I had only intended to use this journal once, to post the previous entry. Honestly, I'd forgotten I had this account. But I came back across it, and thought it might be worth posting one more time.

When I last posted, I was fourteen, almost fifteen. As I write this entry, I've just celebrated my sixteenth birthday. It's a very strange experience for me now, realizing that I'm finally of a somewhat "legitimate" age to be actively involved in fandom. Of course, most sixteen year olds in fandom are new to the game, and I now have almost five years behind me. I'm still maintaining my total separation between my fannish life and my personal life, but I'm beginning to realize that I wouldn't have to do that if I were to create a new account today.

I believe teenagers and preteenagers are far, far more capable than we give them credit for. ("We" as society and "we" as fandom.) I still see young fans, here used to mean younger than sixteen, stereotyped and generally disparaged, and it's disheartening. I think young fans have valuable contributions to make in all areas of fandom. And while I understand that the unchanged legal climate in regards to minors and sexually explicit material will continue to prevent young fans from being able to be completely or exclusively open about their ages, I think there are other problems that contribute more significantly.

There are two important things I think adult fans could do to make fandom as a whole more welcoming to young fans.

First, stop using age as an insult and an indicator of maturity or ability. Age grouping doesn't take into account individual differences and assumes that everyone born near a certain time will behave in the same or at least a similar manner. I simply don't think that's true. A person's age, like their race or gender, is innate. I can't change my date of birth. I don't want to, and that shouldn't limit my opportunities or allow others to dismiss my ideas. Speaking only from personal experience, seeing the term "twelve-year-old fanbrat" used as an insult can majorly influence a young fan (twelve or not) to hide the fact that they're young, or not to speak up in a discussion at all.

Second, if you encounter a fan of any age who is new, and who is "doing it wrong," from spelling and grammar to netiquette? Help them out. Instead of passing them over or writing them off, link them to a relevant article. Suggest they find a beta or two. Tell them - in a non-flamey manner - what the issue is, and why. Yes, some will ignore you or take it personally. But I would still be making the same mistakes I did when I was twelve if it weren't for the people who left comments on my fanfic and messaged me when I was being stupid. If it weren't for the friends I've made. So be friendly! Don't think of them as a clueless teenager; just think of them as another new fan who needs to learn the ropes. They may well surprise you.

One thing I think is true of both fandom and society in general is that our youth are what we expect them to be. Only modern society places the age of adulthood at eighteen - and sometimes higher. And if you expect childishness and incompetence from a teenager, a teenage fan, that's probably what you'll get. But it's not because they're not capable of more, it's that they don't know that they are. So don't put them down; help them learn the ropes.

One of my main motivations for writing this post is the parallels I've seen recently between events in my real life and my history as a fan. Last fall I started attending college at fifteen, after many tests, interviews, and evaluations. And as I sat in class my first day, surrounded by students much older than I am, I was reminded of fandom. And I realized fandom helped prepare me for that environment better than anything else in my past.

So that's the other thing I wanted to say: Fandom is good for young fans. I've learned more practical grammar from studying good and bad fanfic, from reviews, and from fanfic guides than from anything I took in school. I've learned vocabulary and critical reading skills. Through fic research, I've learned about science, history, and medicine. All on my own time, because I wanted to, because it would help me do what I love: Read and write fic.

The academic things I've learned seem almost irrelevant in light of the ways I've become a better person by being a fan. At twelve years old, I was well on my way to being a right little jerk. Certain that my experiences were universally valid, that my intentions were blameless, and that my parents and their beliefs were infallible. And in fandom? That doesn't fly long. One of the most important things I learned is that I am very often wrong. I learned that people I had been unconsciously taught to distrust and objectify were very often wonderful beyond the telling of it. I had my political, religious, and social assumptions strongly challenged on a weekly basis. It was new.

And that's important, I think. My life had been shaped by basically just one perspective, one type of life experience. And fans are nothing if not different from one another. We have our issues, huge issues sometimes. And those huge problems aren't somehow "worth it" just because they might help someone ignorant learn. But while we work to fix our issues, we're making people aware that they exist and that they are problems.

The adult will always be what's "normal". You - soon to be "we" - will always have the power. And so it's going to be our responsibility to treat kids like what they are - people, not extensions of their parents, not people-in-training, and not small adults. And fandom, to me, is as good a place as any to start.