The State of the Supergirl Fandom

seems someone emailed Melissa's team for an apology. Here is the statement from her team

This really shouldn't have been done. This isn't even an official statement from Melissa and her team. This person (whoever they are) just made the situation much worse.

My thoughts exactly starlord. I don't know who this person is that wrote the email, but they really shouldn't have.

Don't think her agent would spell McGrath wrong
Idiotic move by this person to do this

seems someone emailed Melissa's team for an apology. Here is the statement from her team

Everybody in the world has feelings. Even dictators and serial killers. There is nothing inherently special about feelings. People, whether fans or cast, need to stop acting like the world starts and ends with their feelings. Feelings shouldn't be used to oppress others. They are maybe an explanation, not an excuse for bad behavior.

Feelings are great, everybody has them, but that doesn't mean that you should wallow in them.

If you are upset over something is really that big, then maybe you really should stop watching the show or the actors for a while. And maybe actors really should close down their social media or go private or friends only, yes, even if it is sad that it deprives the fans who are not hateful to the actors.

Jeremy apologized multiple times. If you can't take that apology, then maybe you really should stop watching the show. How many of the "fans" who have sent abuse have apologized? Just because "you were upset" doesn't mean that that behavior is not worth apologizing for.

I have more faith that Jeremy won't do it again, than I have faith that those type of "fans" won't do it again. It's gotten "cool" to be hateful to actors on the show.

And yes, Jeremy has gotten hate from people for political reasons before. But the difference, I'm sure those people don't pretend to be "fans".

And the excuse shouldn't be, well, he got hate from homophobes before, so it's okay we also send him hate. It's bad behavior in either situation and there isn't really excuse for either one. Hateful homophobes shouldn't really be the standard you want to measure yourself against.

@Thalolli

Well said. I'm aware that it's not everyone, but Kara/Lena shippers have been sending threatening messages to cast members for months, before this fiasco ever happened. And because of that, that particular group of fans (even if not all of them are guilty of abuse) likely have a bad reputation in the cast's eyes. Why do you think interviewers continually ask about Supercorp? Because they are aware of how out of hand segments of that fan group have gotten, and it adds drama to the interview.

I'm also aware that not everyone is doing this, but construing this incident as a slight against the whole LGBTQ+ community is out of hand. Yes, it may have been aimed at the aforementioned segment of the Supercorp shippers who have said horrible things and made threats, prior to this incident. But many members of the LGBTQ+ community have come forward saying that this in no way offended them. Some of them (not me) have stated they feel people are being overly sensitive about the situation, and that the seemingly overreaction hinders what they have fought for over the years.

Now, I'm not LGBTQ, so I don't think I get a say in that particular situation. But I do get to have an opinion. And mine is that it was not offensive to me, and it was never intended to be offensive to the LGBTQ community. It's also my opinion that the reaction was blown WAY out of proportion to the actual incident.

Many people have said something akin to "if you're not gay, you don't get to have an opinion on this, and you can't see why this was hurtful". Well, I pose you this question: If it's not possible for a straight person to understand where your coming from and why you are offended, then how in the world was Jeremy Jordan supposed to know how it would hurt you? or Melissa?

Saying straight people don't know what hurts you, then getting super upset when a straight person hurts you unintentionally just doesn't make sense to me. If straight people "don't know", then how was he or Melissa supposed to?

Back to the topic of SuperCorp shippers. I'm truly sorry if you were hurt over this. And I'm NOT saying you asked for it. But I will say I think the extreme segment of the SuperCorp fanbase ruined your group's reputation long before comic con, due to the aforementioned threats against Chris and Rahul, at the very least. And when a group sends that type of pure hate, and even threats of harm, to the cast, I can't blame them for wanting to set the record straight. And I honestly think Melissa said it was "brave" of him because she knew the blowback would be insane. Kinda like saying he was just being really ballsy about it.

And as for how it was handled...when you're improvising a song as you go, you sometimes just say what comes to mind, without having a chance to really think it through. I'm not saying what happened was right, I'm just saying you can't take the time to filter what you wanna say when you are improving a song.

@Kelly,

How do we go about that rally? Should we use that image in our tweets and posts?

On twitter, Instagram and tumblr use it as your profile pic.....if you are tweeting something that you think is important and is a high five to the cast, or a cast member, you can put attach it to your tweet. You use it however you want.....

"Don't generalize"
"Y'all all love Mon-El"

SSAV

You are not cheesy. What you wrote was straightforward, easy to understand, and reflects a true values influenced life. (Thanks to your parents.) we do not need to be a member of a particular sect or general belief to respect other opinions. Secularists can hold moral,codes as much as religious individuals. What you stated is important.

Thank you,

Argo

The two articles are just two sides of the same coin....both are the extremes within their genre of click bait editorializing....

I'm really ready to just move on and enjoy the 3rd season.

Thanks for the welcome @evrafter.

Maybe we can just stop showing tweets like that, it give them an interest that they do not have.

Because that fandom is spouting FACT, when comparing a FICTIONAL character to an abusive, misogynistic boyfriend.....they are calling it fact. There are those of us who think that is ridiculous. I have worked with abused women, I know what that abuse sounds like, feels like, tastes like......I had a gun pulled on me by the husband when picking up a woman who was being abused, and I was stupid and did not follow protocol ..... I KNOW THE FACTS........and it is a complete disrespect of what these women who are married or dating who ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH IT... to call this relationship toxic and abusive. It is filled with ignorance and total lack of understanding and it is filled with people that are at this moment in a frenzied, angry, mob mentality against a young man who is simply doing his job, and you can say it is a small group within that fandom and I call BS on that...it is the central thinking and focus of this fandom, and it is the FANDOM that is toxic and abusive to the point of probably screwing up what could be a fun time with this group of actors at SDCC....not because these frenzied people will be there to boo, but because of the fact that the show runners and PTB have to make changes this close to SDCC, just in case to keep their actors safe. TO KEEP THEIR ACTORS SAFE....do you get that?

So you can keep on, bloviating on this scene and that scene trying to make a case that is just not there....but it is a waste of time. Because there is not a case to make. You can try and sit upon a righteous and mighty cause and think you are making things better on this TV series, but you are not....and this fandom is not....you are perpetuating the VERY THING YOU RISE AGAINST.

I would like more than anything to not equate you with this fandom, but as long as you agree with them, as long as you try and validate what they do, you are with that fandom, and I have absolutely no respect for people that take these things, something that is supposed to be fun, and totally turn it into something that it never was. It is disrespectful to these actors that believe in what they are doing, the writers that believe in what they are writing, and fans that believe in what they are applauding.

It blows my mind that you can even be a part of a website like this....if you feel so strongly that this series is applauding abuse and slavery, how in the hell can you be a part of a fansite that totally hypes the very series that promotes the things that you hate.

I've had it with trying to be polite, and understanding, and give you guys your day..........but that time has ended.

That is everything on the table from me....no need for me to repeat it anymore in the discussion.

I will say this, no where do I say, or have said that other opinions are not allowed. That is not my call, nor do I believe that any should be deleted. This is a combination of what I have seen and heard in my experience with all of this. And as I stated on the other thread....all of the ships annoy me....and most have been muted by me on Twitter....but this faction has a mob mentality now, and it is becoming an issue for the cast at places like SDCC. So, that combined with the unbelievable disregard for true victims of abuse is where my post comes from. I'm not angry, I am amazed at this entire situation...that has gone after the host of the SDCC panel, just yesterday went after Kevin Smith one of the directors (who to be honest, i still think is confused at why they went after him). Sterling Gates was mobbed on Twitter along with others...this kind of stuff has to stop. It is not getting the issue that this faction says is a problem anywhere. It is getting them blocked by the actors, and is keeping any kind of dialogue from happening between this group and the powers that be. What it is doing, is ruining a series for the fans that have loved it from its beginnings and still loves it today....because they will not be able to have the time with the actors that they have had in the past.

I saw on twitter today, some of the coolest fans interacting with Floriana and Chyler, and they loved it. That was so good to see, and takes me back to what we had with these actors and writers before...my hope would be that when Chris is filming or Melissa, the two of them together etc...that the fans will be able to do that as well. I hope that the little girls that want to have their special time with Melissa won't have to listen to the rantings of a crazed group of people. My hope is that SDCC goes off without a hitch, and that the fans that are there just for the fun and enjoyment of it get what they dreamed of....and I hope it is a time that the actors can spend time with the fans that love them. My hope is that the anonymity of social media is what has increased the negative....and once face to face with these fine actors and show runners, that negative will be quieted. That is my hope...

If the other 2 fandoms are doing what I just described above, please, show me examples...do they fight incessantly with the other fandoms? Good grief yes, now that I HAVE SEEN FAR TO MANY TIMES. That is not what I'm talking about.....those fandoms can go off and fight all they want, I can mute them and move on. But the harassment of the actors, directors, writers and their families....needs to stop now.

Quick question for Kelly: who are the 'true victims of abuse'? Are you insinuating that those select few who have spoken against the karamel relationship aren't true abuse survivors? Or am I misunderstanding you?

I have the utmost faith that SDCC will go off without a hitch. The likelihood of any radical shippers being there is slim to none. We've all seen how terrible some of the SC shippers are but have some of you not experienced the things the rest of the fandom have said and done? Have you not seen the things said about Melissa's sisters just because the woman was interacting with SC shippers? What about all the negativity directed at Katie? Thank goodness the woman has no social media. How about the obsessive nature of the karamel fandom surrounding Chris and his relationship with Melissa? Poor David had to disable his comments on his last instagram post because fans are constantly harassing him about Chris; he's even commented on it. We've even had karamel shippers asking the SDCC panel moderator to ask about Chris/Melissa's relationship..I find that completely invasive, do you guys not? Some of Chris's fans have even gone after Melissa herself.

I do try to mute and block nasty fans online. But I cannot just turn a blind eye to some of the stuff being said out there. The amount of hate at the LGBT community is astounding, and it's all because of a non-canon ship! But because this isn't aimed at the people behind the show it seems to be swept to the side as if it means nothing. The hate coming from the KM fandom may not always be directed at the cast and crew but it is directed at real life people. There is so much hate/bigotry coming out of that fandom but we somehow overlook it and focus our attention to the other half.

Would any of the cast be proud of their respective fandoms? Hell no! Why would they? We have fans going after them and their families, fans being blatantly homophobic/racist and even fans throwing out death threats to other fans.

We saw that post with some of the stuff fans have said/tweeted and here's another source showcasing the rest of the toxicity of this fandom.

Both sides, all sides, everyone one would seem to be behaving in a way that passionately defends their side. That seems like human nature. But if I had to sum it up this is what I see:

There is a side that feels the character of Mon-El is bad. Bad for Kara, bad influence, and they have gathered evidence to support their argument. I can't argue that. Makes sense. You can question the motives behind thoses determinations. Is it to remove him as an obstacle so Kara can have another love interest? Possibly. There are all sorts of motives. None is wrong.

On the other hand there is a group that likes Mon-El and believes that because his character is romantically tied to Kara they have a righteous power to protect him against all others. No one can touch him. James, Lena, Cat or whomever.

Now, both sides have made errors in my opinion. And let me be clear, not all are doing it, it's just some bad apples on the sides.

Here's where I get concerned, it's affecting the actors, showrunners, and crew. And not affecting them in terms of positive change. More like the whole fandom is being painted as bad apples and the fans' access to the actors and crew is being diminished.

Standing up for what you believe in is an important step in being American I believe, however there are ways of doing it right and doing it wrong.

Supergirl in the end is a product, developed by a business and designed to sell advertisements. That's it. It isn't going to cure cancer, it isn't going to change politics, and it isn't going to "fix" the country (if you feel that it needs fixing).

The truth is, Supergirl is left leaning because a market study showed that it wouldn't hurt the overall numbers. Furthermore arguments about "queer-bating" and what not are again all calculated and measured. There isn't a single decision made on any TV show that isn't taking into account the bottom line and that is $$$.

TV shows only affect social change because the advertising companies are willing to buy the ad spots. When Supergirl came to the CW it's ad costs went up by a huge percentage.

All the letter writing, campaigning and booing at conventions is going to do is push access to the celebrities further away. Even a PR nightmare like the 100 had with the Clexa thing ended up going nowhere because the numbers remained.

I think at this point I am digressing. What I really want more than all of this is to have the polite and well reasoned discourse again that this site is known for. I want us all to remember that we are fans of a show and we don't need to agree on everything but we can still be fans together.

I'm going to very cautiously dip my toe into this thread. I'm not on twitter only FB and have had to drop out of every group but this one and the shows official group because I just couldn't take the horrible things I was reading. I don't consider myself a shipper of any sort, because of this I won't use shipper names. I don't personally see abuse in Kara/Mon-El's relationship. They both acted childish at times but she gave as good as she got in thier arguments. She almost used Daxamite in a derogatory way several times. If you see abuse in thier arguments I won't try to convince you otherwise. I have never found success in trying to change someone's opinion over the internet, that's hard enough to do in person.

We need to change the perception of Supergirl fans from being the worst. If we don't do that we're going to see more negative effects on the show we all profess to love. Directors are going to decline the opportunity to work on the show after what happened to Kevin Smith. Writers are going to look for jobs on different shows to avoid being harassed. Actors are going to think twice about taking parts after what happened to Rahul Kohli. Katie could have decided she didn't want to be a regular after what happened with her brother and we should consider ourselves lucky she didn't.

I want to propose some rules of fandom that I hope all factions can agree on.
1) It's never ever ok to engage in or call for violence of any sort.
2) It's never ok to engage or involve a family member of anyone who works on the show.
3) Personal lives are off limits.
4) Recognize that actors have absolutely no say in the characters they play or the storyline. Harassment will not help your opinion be heard, it will do just the opposite and cause the actors to stop interacting with all fans.
5) Like the actors directors have no say in the storyline.
6) Writers have very little to do with the overall storyline and aren't allowed to change the season arcs.
7) Twitter and other social media sites are not the place to express your opinions to the producers. If you disagree with a character or storyline. Write an actual thoughtful letter to them or the network.

If you are a member of a particular group and see another member of that group violating the above rules you have a responsibility to stand up and let them know what they are doing is wrong. Let then know that thier opinion isn't inherently wrong, and if you do that you agree. But that you disagree with they manor they are expressing it and that you don't appreciate them giving your group a bad reputation as well as making your entire group seem "crazy".

Thank you Brierrose for "dipping your toe" into the thread, it's not an easy one to get into. I actually really like your rules. I think they make sense and are formed from practicality and common sense. I hope that folks consider them and maybe adopt them in their respective groups!

Well, it was inevitable that the CW suits would have to get involved with the craziness that is the fandom, especially over Kara and Mon-El

TV Line reports network President Mark Pedowitz chimed in at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.

After network chief Mark Pedowitz alluded to MIA Mon-El’s possible return at some point in Season 3, the TCA member who had asked him the question at hand opined, “Nobody wants that.” To which the network boss promptly replied with a smile, “I think some people would disagree with you on that.”

Ugh, Pedowitz annoys me, there's been MANY articles detailing how Mon-el is bringing down the show, plus the majority of the fandom hates the character but he's choosing to ignore this for some reason.

Oh and on the note of the Kevin Smith twitter incident from yesterday, the man went out of his way and responded to a hateful tweet. He was not tagged in the original tweet by the op, so how he found the tweet...who knows. The response he got from angry twitter fans yesterday is all on him. I'm not sure what he expected to happen by responding to hate tweets; he literally put himself in that ridiculous situation.

That being said, I'm not advocating for those initial disgusting tweets, but I am saying that he should have never given them the attention they clearly seek.

kevin smith has 3.22 million followers on twitter. so if you post pic of him I am sure he would be alerted by someone. And since he is huge fans of both AK and Joss he was like thats all I needed to do was like Mon-EL?
his reply

reply from the original poster

and Kevin's reply to that

so it wasnt exactly like he decided to pick a fight with someone, the hate came his way.

The following was written by a good friend of mine, all credit goes to her.


I lost two Twitter friends yesterday. They both fell victim to a cancer spreading throughout social media, the cancer of the toxic fandom. It’s a vicious affliction that grows worse every day. I’ve seen it drive not only people like my friends, who enjoyed nothing more talking about their favorite shows but also writers, producers and even stars themselves from social media because of nasty and vitriolic posters. My friends found being around such actions were keeping them from having fun and being a part of a show’s online community and in one case drove one from social media altogether.

Make no mistake, I love television. I love talking about television and there is no greater place to do that these days than via social media, primarily Twitter. I have made friends all over the world on this instant medium. I longingly remember the days and was proud to be a part of a fandom of a certain show that banded together on Twitter, took on the Nielsen’s’, and earned our beloved show just one more season, and sat watching my timeline one night, tears in my eyes, as one of the stars of that show helped a young fan raise thousands of dollars for charity in a matter of hours.

While there are many great fandoms out there doing all sorts of wonderful things, sadly, I fear those type of fandom days are endangered by the toxicity prevalent in fandoms of many shows today. Just what makes a toxic fandom? Many things. For one, more and more people are posting without thinking of the consequences of their words. Now more than ever we should pause and look at what we’ve written before hitting send.

Today, there is rarely just a single group of fans any more, talking about their favorite show, debating what they liked and didn’t like with civil discourse. Now days a show’s fans are likely to be divided into warring factions fighting for dominance – this group hates one character, that group hates another, this character or actor’s not getting enough or too much screen time, and the poor writers, actors and producers get caught in the middle of the battles marked with vicious attacks, name calling, and scathing negativity.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being passionate about a show you love, however there is a difference between being passionate and crossing a line into toxicity. More and more are posting without thinking of the consequences of their words, when now more than ever we should pause and look at what we’ve written before hitting send.

It’s fine to tell a writer/producer or show runner you don’t like or care for a storyline or a certain character, what’s toxic is constantly bombarding them with hate filled tweets like, “kill this character” or “I hate this character” EVERY time they’re on line or anytime that character is mentioned in an article about the show. That goes way beyond overkill. Often posts like these cross the line from voicing displeasure to become whining, teeth-gnashing rants that sadly, at times, devolve into nasty bullying, name-calling or personal attacks.

Unfortunately, one of the fallacies of social media is its immediacy, and when a star or executive doesn’t respond to one of thousands of tweets or messages they likely receive daily in a timely fashion or with the answer the fan wants to hear, they’re often greeted with anger or vitriol. That fan may choose to respond like a petulant child because they believe they are entitled to a response. Just because someone is on Twitter does not mean you are entitled to a response or to attack or insult them just because they don’t respond to you. Remember, they don’t have to be there at all, they’re there because they choose to be, often taking the time after a long hard day on set or doing promotion for their show, or taking time away from their families to talk to fans. When they do choose to respond, they deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect.

The writers, producers, directors, and actors on any show on television work extremely long, difficult hours to bring episodes to our television or computer screens. And no matter how long, or how hard they work to bring us the best possible episodes of our favorite shows they will not please everyone with every episode. Many fans often forget that people associated with these shows take time out of their very busy lives, away from their families to come onto social media to talk to them, because like anyone, they enjoy hearing if they’ve done a good job or not.

Toxic fan actions aren’t just limited to those directly involved with a show, I’ve seen it directed at the entertainment media that covers those shows. I’ve had colleagues threatened, and insulted; message board comments filled with hate filled rants and more because they wrote something that dared to be opposite of what that fan may think. This is toxic.

Suddenly, it’s wrong to have an opinion different from a group who believe they are right beyond all discussion. Simply put, they’re right, you’re wrong all the time, because you don’t agree with them or believe as they do. And if you do disagree with them, and god forbid you post it anywhere, that’s when the most toxic of a group will band together with personal attacks and name calling.

Having been on the receiving end of attacks like this on more than one occasion, I completely understand why so many stars, writers and producers are disappearing from social media. Given the scale of the attacks I endured I can’t imagine what they must see every day.

I realize that by writing this I am opening myself up to more attacks. The reality is, that by writing this I hope to shine a light on the cancer of the toxic fandom, groups that I have watched tear apart great fandoms for many shows in recent years.

I know there are many great fans and great fandoms out there. It’s time to cut this cancer from social media and take back fandoms ripped to pieces by a toxic fandom. It’s time to #TakeBackOurFandom.

Rshcick: your friend brings up many valid concerns about today's fandoms. Can you ask if they have any advice on what to do to combat the toxicity coming out of fandoms? I know Brierrose put out some rules a few posts back but I was wondering if you friend had some other ideas.

The following was written by a good friend of mine, all credit goes to her.


I lost two Twitter friends yesterday. They both fell victim to a cancer spreading throughout social media, the cancer of the toxic fandom. It’s a vicious affliction that grows worse every day. I’ve seen it drive not only people like my friends, who enjoyed nothing more talking about their favorite shows but also writers, producers and even stars themselves from social media because of nasty and vitriolic posters. My friends found being around such actions were keeping them from having fun and being a part of a show’s online community and in one case drove one from social media altogether.

Make no mistake, I love television. I love talking about television and there is no greater place to do that these days than via social media, primarily Twitter. I have made friends all over the world on this instant medium. I longingly remember the days and was proud to be a part of a fandom of a certain show that banded together on Twitter, took on the Nielsen’s’, and earned our beloved show just one more season, and sat watching my timeline one night, tears in my eyes, as one of the stars of that show helped a young fan raise thousands of dollars for charity in a matter of hours.

While there are many great fandoms out there doing all sorts of wonderful things, sadly, I fear those type of fandom days are endangered by the toxicity prevalent in fandoms of many shows today. Just what makes a toxic fandom? Many things. For one, more and more people are posting without thinking of the consequences of their words. Now more than ever we should pause and look at what we’ve written before hitting send.

Today, there is rarely just a single group of fans any more, talking about their favorite show, debating what they liked and didn’t like with civil discourse. Now days a show’s fans are likely to be divided into warring factions fighting for dominance – this group hates one character, that group hates another, this character or actor’s not getting enough or too much screen time, and the poor writers, actors and producers get caught in the middle of the battles marked with vicious attacks, name calling, and scathing negativity.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being passionate about a show you love, however there is a difference between being passionate and crossing a line into toxicity. More and more are posting without thinking of the consequences of their words, when now more than ever we should pause and look at what we’ve written before hitting send.

It’s fine to tell a writer/producer or show runner you don’t like or care for a storyline or a certain character, what’s toxic is constantly bombarding them with hate filled tweets like, “kill this character” or “I hate this character” EVERY time they’re on line or anytime that character is mentioned in an article about the show. That goes way beyond overkill. Often posts like these cross the line from voicing displeasure to become whining, teeth-gnashing rants that sadly, at times, devolve into nasty bullying, name-calling or personal attacks.

Unfortunately, one of the fallacies of social media is its immediacy, and when a star or executive doesn’t respond to one of thousands of tweets or messages they likely receive daily in a timely fashion or with the answer the fan wants to hear, they’re often greeted with anger or vitriol. That fan may choose to respond like a petulant child because they believe they are entitled to a response. Just because someone is on Twitter does not mean you are entitled to a response or to attack or insult them just because they don’t respond to you. Remember, they don’t have to be there at all, they’re there because they choose to be, often taking the time after a long hard day on set or doing promotion for their show, or taking time away from their families to talk to fans. When they do choose to respond, they deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect.

The writers, producers, directors, and actors on any show on television work extremely long, difficult hours to bring episodes to our television or computer screens. And no matter how long, or how hard they work to bring us the best possible episodes of our favorite shows they will not please everyone with every episode. Many fans often forget that people associated with these shows take time out of their very busy lives, away from their families to come onto social media to talk to them, because like anyone, they enjoy hearing if they’ve done a good job or not.

Toxic fan actions aren’t just limited to those directly involved with a show, I’ve seen it directed at the entertainment media that covers those shows. I’ve had colleagues threatened, and insulted; message board comments filled with hate filled rants and more because they wrote something that dared to be opposite of what that fan may think. This is toxic.

Suddenly, it’s wrong to have an opinion different from a group who believe they are right beyond all discussion. Simply put, they’re right, you’re wrong all the time, because you don’t agree with them or believe as they do. And if you do disagree with them, and god forbid you post it anywhere, that’s when the most toxic of a group will band together with personal attacks and name calling.

Having been on the receiving end of attacks like this on more than one occasion, I completely understand why so many stars, writers and producers are disappearing from social media. Given the scale of the attacks I endured I can’t imagine what they must see every day.

I realize that by writing this I am opening myself up to more attacks. The reality is, that by writing this I hope to shine a light on the cancer of the toxic fandom, groups that I have watched tear apart great fandoms for many shows in recent years.

I know there are many great fans and great fandoms out there. It’s time to cut this cancer from social media and take back fandoms ripped to pieces by a toxic fandom. It’s time to #TakeBackOurFandom.

Love it kudos to your friend. The million dollar question is what to do when someone on social media is doing something we all agree is not ok, such as personally harassing an actor as in what happened to Rahul Kohli. I suggested that there is a responsibility to stand up and tell the person that the way they are expressing their opinion is not ok. Note I said the way they are expressing their opinion is not ok not that thier opinion is wrong or they don't have a right to express it. For most people if you say it that way it's not seen as a personal attack on thier opinion or thier right to be heard and they will stop. For those who don't stop or turn thier attack on the people calling them out on their behavior I suggest no further engagement. @DraftingDrafter suggested that we also show our support for the person being harassed and I wholeheartedly agree. Even if you agree with the opinion of the harasser you can still say something nice and simply by calling out the bad behavior your showing support.

Like most things in life there's not one single simple solution. Why don't we use this thread to brainstorm ideas on ways to respond when we see another fan behaving badly on social media.