That's really interesting. You may be right, but my first real experiences with fandom were with a resolutely gen group of people. I'm very into gen, except where there's canon ship (John and Aeryn, Max and Logan)--and even there, my interest is not primarily shippy, I think. (Major exception: Pushing Daisies is all about Piemaker and Dead Girl! I love Olive and Emerson, but I can't imagine the show without the romance!)
I've noticed, though, that I seem to be in the minority. I go through piles and piles of archived stories and recs to find gen SG-1 and SGA (I occasionally read stuff from other fandoms, but not too often). It seems to my unsystematic eye that slash really dominates Stargate fandom (both shows). I have very little interest in relationships that don't come overtly out of the shows--and I can make slash jokes too, but I don't really see it. (Here's the possibly weirdest thing: if you pushed me to name one character on the two shows who I thought most likely to be gay or bi, I'd say John Sheppard. He "never sees this coming" and doesn't seek out relationships with women, and he seems flirty with anybody. Yet John/Rodney is not a pairing I can really see, and John/anybody else just strikes me as wildly improbable.)
I've wondered myself why that is. I think some part of it is that we love the characters and want them to be happy, and of course since we love more than one of them, wouldn't it be great if they were happy with each other? That works for me, because occasionally I do read slash, and when I do, it's generally my two favorites on a show: Daniel and Jack for SG-1, Rodney and Carson for SGA. Yet I really like Sam, Janet, and Teyla, but I don't want to read any het (I've tried some, and I just haven't found any I've enjoyed) or femslash (tried very little, really didn't like it).
I liked Carson and Cadman (but couldn't see that lasting!), and I like Rodney and Katie together. I'm even tempted to write a Katie story. But those pairings aren't very important to me (although when I thought in one ep they were going to kill Katie, I was making dire threats against the writers!).
Most shows have romantic or sexual relationships; most published fiction does too. I'm inclined to think that it's something innate, but the particular forms it takes are not: why is Stargate fandom so slashy when on tv, in literature, and in real life there are just more straights than gays? I think SF does tend to attract people already out of the mainstream in multiple ways, and one of those ways is sexually, but I think a lot of straights write and enjoy slash.
I'm mostly thinking out loud here (and at some length, apparently). I'm curious to see what other responses you get.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-12-21 01:29 am (UTC)I've noticed, though, that I seem to be in the minority. I go through piles and piles of archived stories and recs to find gen SG-1 and SGA (I occasionally read stuff from other fandoms, but not too often). It seems to my unsystematic eye that slash really dominates Stargate fandom (both shows). I have very little interest in relationships that don't come overtly out of the shows--and I can make slash jokes too, but I don't really see it. (Here's the possibly weirdest thing: if you pushed me to name one character on the two shows who I thought most likely to be gay or bi, I'd say John Sheppard. He "never sees this coming" and doesn't seek out relationships with women, and he seems flirty with anybody. Yet John/Rodney is not a pairing I can really see, and John/anybody else just strikes me as wildly improbable.)
I've wondered myself why that is. I think some part of it is that we love the characters and want them to be happy, and of course since we love more than one of them, wouldn't it be great if they were happy with each other? That works for me, because occasionally I do read slash, and when I do, it's generally my two favorites on a show: Daniel and Jack for SG-1, Rodney and Carson for SGA. Yet I really like Sam, Janet, and Teyla, but I don't want to read any het (I've tried some, and I just haven't found any I've enjoyed) or femslash (tried very little, really didn't like it).
I liked Carson and Cadman (but couldn't see that lasting!), and I like Rodney and Katie together. I'm even tempted to write a Katie story. But those pairings aren't very important to me (although when I thought in one ep they were going to kill Katie, I was making dire threats against the writers!).
Most shows have romantic or sexual relationships; most published fiction does too. I'm inclined to think that it's something innate, but the particular forms it takes are not: why is Stargate fandom so slashy when on tv, in literature, and in real life there are just more straights than gays? I think SF does tend to attract people already out of the mainstream in multiple ways, and one of those ways is sexually, but I think a lot of straights write and enjoy slash.
I'm mostly thinking out loud here (and at some length, apparently). I'm curious to see what other responses you get.