Fansplaining

In the second half of "Race and Fandom Revisited," fans of color continue to speak about their experiences—and Elizabeth and Flourish talk with another white fan (and fan scholar) about how whiteness operates in fandom spaces. Featuring interviews with Amanda-Rae Prescott and Dr. JSA Lowe, and clips from Stitch, Anisa Khalifa, Effy, Sam, and Phoebe Sinclair. Topics covered include deprogramming internalized racism, how the dynamics of Facebook shape fandom conversations there, and why characters of color always seem to end up as the secondary ship.

Four years after the original "Race and Fandom" double episode, Flourish and Elizabeth return to the topic with a mix of old contributors and new voices. In the first installment, they interview Sunny Liu and Paracelsus Caspari, and they hear clips from Dr. Rukmini Pande, The Navy Language, Holly Quinn, PJ Punla, Roz, and Clio. Topics covered include the way Western fans engage with Asian media, fans' prioritization of white characters over characters of color, and the experiences of Black fans who speak out about racism.

In Episode 134, "Ask Fansplaining Anything: Part 8," Elizabeth and Flourish once again open up the mailbag and answer listener questions. Topics covered include sports RPF, the ethics of sporking, adaptations of fan-favorite properties, how to make new friends in fandom, and even more of everyone's favorite topic: slash discourse.

In Episode 133, Elizabeth and Flourish talk directly about a topic that creeps into a lot of Fansplaining discussions: slash fic and the people who write it. They walk through the history of "slash fandom" and the ways that early narratives about it endure to this day, and they dig into the fraught gender politics around slash, wrapping up with a discussion of whether the term means anything at all in 2020. They also read a slew of listener letters about the topic of the last episode, purity culture.

In Episode 132, Elizabeth and Flourish receive a letter asking them to revisit the topic of purity culture, which they last discussed in 2018. They talk about the way the term "anti" has changed in the past 15 years, connections between fiction and real life, and the specific way the fannish migration to Twitter has amplified these dynamics. They also hear from EarlGreyTea68 in a belated anniversary episode segment, and they answer a listener letter about migratory fandom.

Flourish and Elizabeth celebrate their fifth anniversary with an annual tradition: inviting back guests from the past year to talk about changes in fandom, from the global to the personal. Topics discussed include race and racism in fandom, harassment and accountability, increases in "migratory fandom" behavior, and the act of rereading providing comfort over the past few months.

In Episode 130, Elizabeth and Flourish interview Pam Noles, the self-described "executive geek" in charge of one of the restricted entrances to Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con. They discuss Pam's history with cons, how being on-staff changes the con-going experience, and the past, present, and future of SDCC. Plus: Pam tells some behind-the-scenes stories about saying "no" to A-listers, studio executives, and the kind of people who say things like, "Don't you know who I am?!?"

In episode 129, Elizabeth and Flourish talk about J. K. Rowling's unremitting transphobia—and how beyond no longer engaging with her work, they don't want to have anything to do with the Harry Potter fandom anymore, either. Topics covered include the rise of TERFism in British feminist media, Tonks's beloved status amongst trans and nonbinary folks, and viewing the books' regressive gender politics through the lens of JKR's recent commentary. And they puzzle over one big question: How do you put the Harry Potter fandom behind you without disowning your past fannish self?

In Episode 128, "The K-pop Narratives," Keidra Chaney returns to the podcast to discuss mainstream framings of K-pop fans and their online actions in support of Black Lives Matter. Topics covered include the flawed foundations of these narratives, the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of boosting hateful hashtags, and the continued anti-Blackness within K-pop fan spaces—and its connections to anti-Blackness within the industry itself.

A short statement about why there's no new episode today.