In today’s post
Cult Adjacent | Bob’s Burgers and its lowkey cult references.
The Big Post | Is stanning your favorite celebrity culty?
Cult Adjacent
I do not know how much we have talked about my obsession with Bob’s Burgers but I love it. I also love the random culty references. I was half-listening to S12E6 and Linda said she hoped Teddy “didn’t join a cult.” Bob replied that he was shocked that Teddy had not joined one already. I have been thinking about why they are all so sure that Teddy would be a prime candidate for cult indoctrination and I am not so sure I agree with this assessment. I recalled another mention of cults, and thanks to Fandom.com, I found Cousin Vanessa.
In an episode where the Belcher’s are desperate for a babysitter they discuss whether or not Vanessa might be a good choice, despite or in spite of her having joined a cult. I will be keeping an eye out for other culty references as I do my regular re-watch.
Let me know if you catch anything.
Stanning and the Cult Industrial Complex
In “When Barbz Attack | Nicki Minaj and the Cult of Standom” Kimberly Foster talked about being harassed by Barbz online following a tweet criticizing Nicki Minaj. Leslie Jones and Zendaya were the targets for primarily white male stans who did not want to see Black women cast as leads in Spiderman and Ghostbuster, respectively. I have seen many tweets claiming that celebrity stans (who harass the critics of their favorite celebrities) are cult members. While I disagree that every fringe group of people should be recognized as cult members, seeing this sentiment repeated across platforms highlights the need for more nuanced conversation.1
I am especially interested in the group dynamic amongst “stans” and their motivations. In 2000, Eminem and Dido released the song and video “Stan.” Stan is an Eminem obsessed stalker + fan. After his fan mail goes unanswered, an enraged Stan locks his girlfriend in his trunk and drives off a cliff. I recall watching the video and being absolutely horrified during its initial release. Currently, the term stan is used by many people to self-identify as fans of people and things.2
Stan:
(Noun) A person who is an ardent fan of someone/something.
(Verb) To be an ardent fan of someone/something.
Despite its casual usage today, Eminem created the song (and character) to urge his followers not to obsess over him. In this interview, Eminem explains that he was inspired to write Stan after receiving a series of disturbing fan letters. Twenty-two years later his message has been diluted by repeated digital self-identification and stan culture. In 2015, Maddy Foley, Siena Gagliano and Emma Carey wrote,
That said, the heart of Stan culture comes from a place of positivity — both in praising “stanned” artists, and creating a community where fans can find and bond with like-minded individuals.
Foster supports this shared understanding of the term’s current use as largely positive and even differentiates between “normal” stan behavior and what she is experiencing (violent threats against herself and family). Melanie McFarland explains the difference between healthy fan criticism of a media franchise versus toxic group trolling by groups like The Fandom Menace.
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