Options
Soap "fans"
![[Deleted User]](https://w3.vanillicon.com/v2/37ffd3133c80d72ace7455e09a65621a.svg)
[Deleted User]
Posts: 554 Forum Member
✭✭
I've been considering this for a while, from seeing how obsessive people are about "Chryed", Danielle, etc. I really don't get the way people on this forum are "fans" of certain soap character or couples.
I watch Eastenders, Corrie, Hollyoaks, but I don't take a special interest in certain characters the way some people seem to. Yes, certain storylines are better than others, and certain actors are better than others, but when I turn Eastenders on it's to watch Eastenders, not to see what, say, Syed is up to tonight.
I mean, it's not like being a fan of a band, singer, actor, etc, where you could follow them through their career, see them perform live, etc. All that exists for these characters is what we see on screen, so even as a relatively passive observer I know just as much about these characters as the obsessive fans do.
So what's the point? I'm not trying to be critical, I just really don't understand!
I watch Eastenders, Corrie, Hollyoaks, but I don't take a special interest in certain characters the way some people seem to. Yes, certain storylines are better than others, and certain actors are better than others, but when I turn Eastenders on it's to watch Eastenders, not to see what, say, Syed is up to tonight.
I mean, it's not like being a fan of a band, singer, actor, etc, where you could follow them through their career, see them perform live, etc. All that exists for these characters is what we see on screen, so even as a relatively passive observer I know just as much about these characters as the obsessive fans do.
So what's the point? I'm not trying to be critical, I just really don't understand!
0
Comments
Thanks for that constructive and well-thought out arguement! :rolleyes:
Did you mean "get over it"?
You wouldn't like it if I came on to your Chryed thread and started telling you to "get other it!" And I would never do so, I completely respect your right to chat about whatever you like, I just don't really get why people are so into it!
I was hoping someone with a rudimentary grasp of English might be kind enough to try and explain it to me!
So my answer to your question is, the reason why the likes of Chryed and Rack and Danielle have alot of fans is because most of us can relate in someway to that character. We watch the program and see that character progress on screen. So naturally once we've recognized that character as being someone we like. We follow them. Just like people look for spoilers about there favourite program. We look for spoilers about our favourite character. Its exactly like being a fan of a band. You can follow a singers life, well we can follow a characters life. We know they are not real, we don't delude ourselves to think otherwise. We just like talking about them and watching them on tv.
There is a line that shouldn't be crossed as a fan. Some people are completely off the radar
Nothing wrong with a healthy discussion about something we all enjoy...but my word some people.
Or if a storyline is something you have experienced yourself (coming out, mental illness, etc. Not murdering people and burying them under trees!)
Also, personally speaking, real life (or maybe just my life!:eek:) is pretty boring, so soaps are good escapism, so I maybe enjoy them more than some.
Hello,
I am one of the many Chryed fans out there and have been part of the thread since part five. I have also been part of the "lurking" community of DS for about five years now and I can honestly say that the members of the Chryed thread are amongst the most eloquent and thought provoking I've ever had the pleasure to "converse" with. The members range in age, social backgrouds, belief system, gender and are capable of having in depth discussions and well as the down right silly ones.
One thing that perhaps you fail to acknowledge is that a common goal/purpose/cause/interest always creates community and this community will evolve as the interest continues. No longer do we discuss the episodes, writing, acting, etc, but we also take care about each other. You might be surprised to know we've already shared in births, bereavement, serious and lenghty hospital treatment, university placement, bithdays, unemployment, etc, of some of our members. Thus we are no longer a single issue community, we have evolved and will continue to do so as the story continues. We also increase in numbers day by day even if that too susprises you, but that is the nature of a public forum.
It's the same with the Rack community, or if you visit other parts of DS I'm sure you would have noticed this pattern. Therefore it follows to reason that the common issue that holds these threads together will breathe community life and not just the plain discussion of said issue, even if to the "outsider" it doesn't make any sense, to those involved in such a community it soon becomes a meeting and socialising place. The merits of the latter are opened to discussion. This thread however is not the place for it.
Hope that all makes sense.
What deems as an obsession? Honestly, to me an obsession is when one goes over the top, in every aspect of their life. A light hearted thread here and there* are not the same.
*Some Danielle fans were obsessive, thus over the top threads claiming her resurrection, a dumb memorial is an obsession.
Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to write that, and I wasn't trying to single out the Chryed fans, I was just using it as an example, I know there are plenty more dedicated to other characters. While I don't think I'll be becoming a "Chyedian" any time soon, I can understand the points you're making.
I hate it when people just go on to a thread just to post abuse and then disappear, be it this topic, the Chryed thread, or any other one. It's not useful to anyone.
Thanks, and I hear you on the facebook thing, I'm very guilty of that, so maybe that's my own personal "Chryed."
Hi again!
You are right, you didn't single out Chryed. However as one of those fans you were enquiring about I felt I needed to qualify the fact that I'm a Chrydian before I could answer your question. I hope you don't get responses that would add nothing to your query, but as I said before in an open forum like DS you will have all sorts! And you know what? As maddening as it may feel at times, at least we have the opportunity to discuss and disagree if needs be. Others in different parts of the world risk their lives to be able to do what we take for granted here...now that really is a topic for another thread!
Yeah this kind of obsession i meant.
i am a fan of EE because they have amazing actors(plus most are lovely too!), can be really amazing when they get the storylines right which means good drama and can do good comedy with certain characters
i get obsessed with couples. im not obsessed with the show or certain characters. i'm a hopeless romantic and when two characters love each other i just want them to get together and be happy. if i know they could be a good couple and provide the things above then that adds to wanting them to get together!! Plus it helps when the actors are good and have good chemistry.
because i get obsessed and people say its only a one - sided thing or that it didnt mean anything to one side of the couple i get frustrated at trying to explain my views on why i think they love each other. its very hard when the storyline has been a bit crappy in terms of development and writing. however when something amazing happens i know im right in what i think cos it would be just stupid to have that something amazing happen and for me not to be right!
so yeah i get obsessed with couples but not with the actual show or the actors/characters
i'm also a fan of the actors because i think they can be amazing at anything and certain ones make me laugh/cry. i follow what they do outside of the soaps and when they leave because i believe being a proper fan of someone isnt just staying with them when theyre in a soap.
I think really the answer is - why does anyone become interested in a particular book, film or play - the story speaks to them on many levels and they find a great affinity with it, and it speaks to them in a personal way. Obsessive is a subjective term, and in fact we have just had a very humourous discussion about our 'obsession' - I think most people would agree obsession begins when people think characters are actually real and not fictional! Before that, who cares how much enjoyment people get out of something or how much they care about the outcome. Taste is as wide as the ocean, so there are always going to be stories that baffle or turn off some, and totally engage others.
Surreal explained very well about the Chryed thread though, because it has been going a long time, there is a sense of shared community there and members have been conversing for a long time, so it has a daily momentum now due to the friendships and links between people that have developed. It's mainly down to the fact that we have a huge range of ages, genders, nationalities and sexualities and this makes it very interesting. Also we range from in depth discussions to very silly one's depending on mood. So if someone dips in at a particular time it can look completely different to another day.
The main reason it's been going on a long time, of course, is because EE has made the story such a slow burner!
it does help if the actors are good and have good chemistry though. its not just all about if theyre soulmates
Of course it's all a matter of opinion which characters or actors are better, but it's not all that different to following a band or an actor. And with respect, I don't think a casual viewer does know just as much as an "obsessive" fan, particularly in the case of the Christian and Syed storyline. There are so many complex layers to the sl, and so many subtleties in the writing, that sometimes it's only after watching the scenes several times, or reading other fans' interpretations of it, that you see things you maybe didn't realise at first. This probably applies to plenty of other sls too, but I just don't notice cos I'm not as interested in them.
I think the threads dedicated to certain couples are similar to Book Clubs, in that fans discuss the characters' motivations, actions and reactions, as well as speculating about the direction in which the sl might go in the future (and before anyone jumps in, yes we sometimes talk about how hot the actors/characters are too, nothing wrong with a bit of frivolity now and again:p).
Not sure if that makes any sense or answers your question, but that's my take on it, for what it's worth:)
Well yeah of course
I really couldn't see myself getting as interested in soap characters now, even though I do enjoy watching EE and Corrie and think some of the charcaters are great, I wouldn't spend too much time on here writing about a fictional person/people. I just like to dip in and out now and then.
Oh and the combining of the two names thing is highly annoying.
I think I'd feel I was just wasting time if I spent an hour each day watching a soap that I felt very little for when I could be doing something else. I personally jump from soap to soap whenever I come across a storyline that interests me, and probably won't bother watching any consistently if there's nothing I'm drawn to get involved in. I know soaps are for the evening and people don't really want to have to think very much while they're watching them, but it'd be a shame if when a really well-written story came along in a soap it was overlooked because of this - that's why you have these huge followings.
I watch EE, Corrie, HO & H&A- love EE the best
I am quite nutty about EE and I love it because IMO thr storylines/acting are superior to the others
as regards, soaps not being like a band you can follow, you can follow the soap the same way and discuss any developments on forums like this in the way u would about a band etc
i wish i could wean myself off soaps lol- i fear i'm too far gone though ha ha
Surreal, what a good summary/explanation, especially the bib which goes a long way to explain a lot more than it is seen on the thread's surface. Well done:)