Can't you leave your ego at the door just once?--All I have done in these posts is outline what I feel to be a plan which would potentially turn Robotech (and any fandom's, I suppose) fans away from simply posting on message boards and chatting in chat rooms and foster their love for Robotech's various facets, turning it into enjoyable, new creations which they could, hopefully, be proud of creating for time immemoriam. That's all.

Unfortunately, what I have mustered is an arguement with points of interest and points of concession, and what it is receiving here is precisely the problem with forums altogether: Fanboys trying to defend being fanboys. It's not that I am looking down upon anyone who wants to post, on occasion, and discuss their favourite things in life; but if people can do more, I am encouraging them to do so. The excuses of "just let fans be fans" is classic fanboy-speak because there's not even a need for defense; I am not challenging that people should not be fans, nor have I ever said so in the scope of this thread.

Unfortunately, fanboys are overprotective of their way of life, and when they detect even the slightest advancement upon the laziness of talking endlessly like old women, they get angry, like Nenad and Charmquark have done. Not a single rebuttal has even been mustered in all of these responses; all are comprised, in condensed form, of various ways of saying "shut up i wanna b a fanboi"--certainly not intellectual in any way. If that's the way you want to be, then fine, but the way that many people speak around here, I would expect a well-reasoned arguement to be raised and I would be willing to hear it and debate points back and forth.

But again, if I am being singled-out as being "evil" in some way because I am advocating that people do more than "hang out," then I might as well be Tommy Yune because people who are solely consumers and have a distaste for creativity seem to like him and his creations a whole lot. I prefer not to be in that group. You, on the other hand, might very well enjoy the premise of endless woman-talk. Have fun with that.

Sincerely yours,
Adam Schiller

Something you first need to understand is that creativity is a "RARE" phenomenon...

I have encountered it so little, and seeked for it so much. Robotech or not ..

Againt this is the wrong place for such a call. We are "working" our asses... RDF-HQ is the right place for example...


just let fans be fans


Nobody here said that. All we are saying is that being a fan of somethign doesnt diminish ones creative capability...

On the contrary - It boosts it heavily...


.................................................................

Robotech's problem doesnt lie in "non active fandom" , it lies more in OLD fandom. In non existing NEW YOUNG blood...

That is where the changes should come.... Brind new creative people to it. Unfortunately that is not in our power...

Ah. Okay. I agree completely, and I'm sorry that we ran-into this misunderstanding. I realise that often I introduce many ideas at once, bonded into a cohesive arguement filled with my own understandings, so I'll stay on one topic at a time.

We already resolved that "creativity is a rare thing" (and I need to better accept this). This is good.

The intent of my post was to say that, unfortunately, the "feel" of Robotech fandom online (and in person, from what I have experienced) is one of complete and utter complacency. By making this post, all I wanted to do was say: "Hey! If we as Robotech fans hang-around for too long with all this stupidity surrounding us, we're gonna get poisoned by laziness, even a little bit, and that would be bad!"

We need a new home, I'm saying, where Robotech IS NOT the main topic. Most sci-fi forums denounce Robotech as a "cartoon" and animé forums denounce Robotech as "old" or "not animé." It doesn't matter if these are correct assumptions or not; that's just the way it is.

Talking about just Robotech has problems due to the overall negativity filling the franchise. I think that a lot of fans need to escape for a while, get to thinking in different ways, then return with greater insights and perhaps greater creativities. I'm not sure exactly how to foster this; it has to be done on an individual level. I hope that this thread's message is, above all else, encouraging people to not think so much about Robotech because, after all, thinking about someone else's series is inherently uncreative. Some fans don't see this; others see it and don't do anything about it; I hope that some here do, and hope with all my heart that they are willing to put their love for Robotech to good use.

Sincerely yours,
Adam Schiller

You are right in that you have to reach out to the fans on an individual level. Establish good rapport and don't smother them with "straight facts". There is a technique to actually trying to convince and soften people up without people thinking you want to argue with them. (which I think nearly happened here)

How do you plan on convincing the "old" fandom (say... from RDF-HQ or RT.com) to actually take this line of thinking? We've got some extremely talented writers like Stan, Gamlin and BRL who've produced fanfics galore - Did it actually accomplish anything (like HG adopting their work as canon, etc)? No. Use that as a starting point if you want to convince the older fans to branch out to different pastures.

I like the way nenad explained the current "fan project phase" - wherein Robotech has taught him so much in terms of being an artist, etc. - I believe the same goes for me - Two years ago, I would never have imagined that I would find the inspiration to actually pick up a pencil my bridge to sci-fi and Anime in general. With all the skills I've accumulated all the years, the time will come when I find that inspiration to make something of my own. I just feel that at this time, I still have so much to learn, in terms of art, writing, etc.