There’s been a lot of discussion lately regarding who fandom ‘belongs’ to, all centered around age. Tumblr is a website that has a sizable minor population and some people use that to argue that fandom should be safe for children. Of course, definitions of safe for children vary greatly depending on who’s using the term, but the principle is generally the same, let’s keep fandom clean because there’s kids seeing this stuff. And therein lies the problem. That’s an impossible goal because life in general isn’t PG-13.
Think about all the moments where 18+ content shows up in real life. Maybe you see a billboard for a sex shop or you pass a strip club or you walk past the condoms while you’re at the pharmacy. Maybe a commercial comes on TV advertising medicine for sexual problems or you come across a sex scene while casually surfing channels (assuming you still have cable for some reason) or you google a word with a double meaning you didn’t know about. Maybe you accidentally overhear a conversation at a restaurant about an explicit topic. Maybe a recent news story involves an affair. Maybe you’re waiting in line at the grocery store and see a magazine offering sex tips. Maybe you’re at the book store and open a book at random just to see if it’s any good.
Kids are not completely shielded from 18+ content. That’s just how the world is. And I’m not saying it should change. Kids need a basic understanding of sex, because otherwise rates of teen pregnancy and STDs skyrocket. Society provides opportunities for parents to explain adult topics to their kids, and that’s a good thing. An awkward thing sometimes, but a good thing in the long run. And online spaces are no different. They’re just as explicit as real life, if not more so. Kids are going to see 18+ content no matter what you do to stop them. The important thing is education, providing kids with the knowledge they need to process the stuff they see online. And censorship prevents education from happening.
So my point is, fandom isn’t PG-13 because life isn’t either and that’s not a bad thing. Yes, kids are going to see 18+ content, but they do that in their daily lives anyway. In fact, a major part of how we teach kids to be safe adults is by showing them the adult world and asking if they have any questions. And all kinds of different stuff exists out there. Abusive relationships, age gaps, incest, kinks, anything you can think of. It’s important that kids have the opportunity to think about taboo topics and to really understand the difference between something like a fun kinky relationship and abuse. And to do that, content involving both needs to exist in the first place and be available online to people who seek it out. Another important distinction? Fantasy versus reality. There’s a big difference between a fictional relationship and a real one. Kids need to know that fiction exists in part to explore their darker ideas in a safe environment. A person who grew up being told that their interest in BDSM makes them an abuser is someone who is more likely to lack a safe outlet for their fantasies. Teach kids to use fiction instead of hurting themselves or other people.
Fandom can include all ages. It should include all ages. But that doesn’t mean 18+ content has to go, which is good because it’s also pretty much impossible to get rid of. Tag appropriately and help kids understand the difference between fiction and reality if you see them confusing the two. It’s important for them to learn. And most importantly, don’t forget to have fun.
Truuuueeee. A fandom with a relaxed atmosphere towards sex and some ‘bad’ fiction is better for kids than a fandom full of ‘sex is evil’ where people who wrote ‘bad’ fiction get publically bullied.
QueerAnarchism 