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Post by theotherjosh on Apr 13, 2017 12:48:47 GMT
What do you think about the word “Whovian” to describe fans of Doctor Who?
When I was growing up (in America in the 1980s), it had seemed analogous to “Trekkie” in a lot of ways, as a slightly derogatory term that was used mostly by people outside the fandom. However, since the revived series is a much bigger phenomenon than Classic Who ever was, it seems more of us are adopting the term.
I certainly don’t disavow it, I’m not the guy who stands up and proclaims, “I’m not a Whovian, I’m a (different word that means the same thing)!” but I tend to say “fan of Doctor Who” rather than “Whovian” when describing myself.
What about the rest of you?
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Post by fingersmash on Apr 13, 2017 13:10:32 GMT
I think Whovian brings to mind that terrible part of the fandom. The ones obsessed with Ten only because of Tenant and hate every companion because they're not Rose or smooching the Doctor every other minute. The kinds of people I would avoid in public because they're wearing their heart on their sleeve, literally. As in constantly wearing what seem to be the ugliest shirts on the market because it's DW.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 13:22:11 GMT
Back in the 1980s, when we were all a lot younger, there were fanzines dedicated to slating every level of every aspect of Doctor Who, from cast to crew and beyond. I picked up a couple of these, was startled by the unabated, fuelled group-hate that filled the pages, and slung 'em in the bin. These were Whovians to me, who use the term to give themselves a platform for their, erm, eccentric beliefs. Happily, those fanzines don't seem to exist anymore, but now we have the internet! Not everyone who labels themselves as Whovian is like that (and not everyone who doesn't label themselves a Whovian isn't like that!), of course, but its a blanket reference used by the loud voices who respond to Facebook statuses and the like with relentlessly negative responses to anything concerned with the new series of Doctor Who.
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Post by jasonward on Apr 13, 2017 13:26:42 GMT
I really dislike the term, seems an odd thing to call anyone to me.
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Post by mark687 on Apr 13, 2017 13:37:15 GMT
I don't mind it but I'm always surprised by the strength of the reaction of people that don't like it.
Thinking about it I'd rather be termed a Whovian than a "Super Fan"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 14:18:18 GMT
It's a term that I remember in the 90s being used irregularly by UK-fans but much more often by American fans in DWM and fanzines. Lawrence Miles wrote an piece in one of the About Time books about his hatred of the term and did blame the rise of American fandom in the 80s for it though honestly it seemed more Ameri-phobic than a reasonable dislike of the term.
I don't particularly like the term, don't use it. Doesn't bother me when people do. I do think the new seies fans, when it's never been more mainstream to like the show, use it more liberally than in days past as it doesn't have the same connotations for them as the dark days before the geek inherited the Earth.
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Post by acousticwolf on Apr 13, 2017 14:50:47 GMT
I prefer "nerd" myself  . Never much cared for whovian, trekkie or trekker but have no issue with DW-obsessed, geek or nerd. Cheers Tony |
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Post by theotherjosh on Apr 13, 2017 15:23:02 GMT
It's a term that I remember in the 90s being used irregularly by UK-fans but much more often by American fans in DWM and fanzines. Lawrence Miles wrote an piece in one of the About Time books about his hatred of the term and did blame the rise of American fandom in the 80s for it though honestly it seemed more Ameri-phobic than a reasonable dislike of the term. I don't particularly like the term, don't use it. Doesn't bother me when people do. I do think the new seies fans, when it's never been more mainstream to like the show, use it more liberally than in days past as it doesn't have the same connotations for them as the dark days before the geek inherited the Earth. I think our views are very similar in this. I don't use it, but I'm not going to work myself into a state of high dudgeon about it if someone uses the term to refer to me. I know what they mean and there’s likely no harm intended. Our respective vocabularies just happen to differ on this point. You did make me think of something else with your response. My daughter is ten years old and very much into geeky interests. She had no idea that “nerd” or “geek” used to be insults when I was her age. There's certainly a history of disenfranchised groups reclaiming phrases that had previously been used as pejoratives but I'm not sure that's what's going on here. I think most (but certainly not all) modern self-proclaimed Whovians are unaware of the provenance of the word. |
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Post by acousticwolf on Apr 13, 2017 15:39:47 GMT
My daughter is ten years old and very much into geeky interests. She had no idea that “nerd” of “geek” used to be insults when I was her age. There's certainly a history of disenfranchised groups reclaiming phrases that had previously been used as pejoratives but I'm not sure that's what's going on here. I think most (but certainly not all) modern self-proclaimed Whovians are unaware of the provenance of the word. I agree with you there. Nerd and geek were definitely derogatory terms when I was younger, hence people of my generation "reclaiming" them . It seems to be "hip" to call yourself a Whovian these days (a term that didn't exist back then). Cheers Tony |
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Post by sherlock on Apr 13, 2017 16:00:41 GMT
To be honest the only times I've seen Whovian used is either by fans or the media. I've never seen a non-fan actually use it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 16:05:41 GMT
My daughter is ten years old and very much into geeky interests. She had no idea that “nerd” of “geek” used to be insults when I was her age. There's certainly a history of disenfranchised groups reclaiming phrases that had previously been used as pejoratives but I'm not sure that's what's going on here. I think most (but certainly not all) modern self-proclaimed Whovians are unaware of the provenance of the word. I agree with you there. Nerd and geek were definitely derogatory terms when I was younger, hence people of my generation "reclaiming" them . It seems to be "hip" to call yourself a Whovian these days (a term that didn't exist back then). Cheers Tony Strangely, it seems to me that 'nerd' and 'geek' are terms of, well not endearment exactly, but certainly a kind of acceptance and appreciation that certainly didn't exist when I was younger. You can buy shirts that proclaim you proud to be a geek/nerd now ...  |
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Post by charlesuirdhein on Apr 13, 2017 16:26:40 GMT
I was lucky enough to find out at an early age that geek meant the person who bites the heads off chickens in fairground freak shows. So, geek meant so much more then Whovian? Meh. Don't care. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 18:55:32 GMT
The word means nothing to me and I don't consider myself one...
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Post by icecreamdf on Apr 13, 2017 19:15:54 GMT
I really don't care. If people want to describe us as Whovians, then thats fine. I usually just say Doctor Who fan though
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Post by relativetime on Apr 13, 2017 23:58:23 GMT
Back in the 1980s, when we were all a lot younger, there were fanzines dedicated to slating every level of every aspect of Doctor Who, from cast to crew and beyond. I picked up a couple of these, was startled by the unabated, fuelled group-hate that filled the pages, and slung 'em in the bin. These were Whovians to me, who use the term to give themselves a platform for their, erm, eccentric beliefs. Happily, those fanzines don't seem to exist anymore, but now we have the internet! Not everyone who labels themselves as Whovian is like that (and not everyone who doesn't label themselves a Whovian isn't like that!), of course, but its a blanket reference used by the loud voices who respond to Facebook statuses and the like with relentlessly negative responses to anything concerned with the new series of Doctor Who. Sums up how I feel about a LOT of Doctor Who fans exactly. I sometimes feel like there's fans who can't talk about how much they enjoyed a particular era of Doctor Who without talking about how much they hated another era of Doctor Who. I've found something I love about every single Doctor's tenure. Many things, actually. When I hear all this hate toward Moffat or JNT or whoever it may be, it usually seems like more of a personal attack not just at the people making the episodes, but also at the people who enjoy those episodes too. That's never okay. I don't personally enjoy as much of RTD's era of the show as other people do, but I would hope that I've never said anything meant to attack someone else for enjoying his era or that implies they have horrible tastes in television for liking RTD. |
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There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
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Post by shutupbanks on Apr 14, 2017 0:12:29 GMT
It's a synonym for "fan," like "Trekkie/trekker" or "X-phile" but specific to the product that a person is a fan of. Like "nerd" it can be used in a derogatory sense, so I always try to pay attention to context. I have no issue with it, but prefer "Whooligan" because I love puns.
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Post by doomlord on Apr 14, 2017 0:18:37 GMT
Didn't mind the term when I first heard it come over to the UK from over America in the early 80s. But for reasons as Paz mentioned above, I soon began to dislike the label, the arrival of internet increased this in some cases to Whotard level. Ever since then I much more prefer the simpler Doctor Who Fan, its 'what is say on the tin' at the same time much more sophisticated and less moronic. I have no issues with those that do label themselves as and not the type to frown in a funny way at them if they do, but its not for me.
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Post by MayoTango131 on Apr 14, 2017 3:34:39 GMT
I think Whovian brings to mind that terrible part of the fandom. The ones obsessed with Ten only because of Tenant and hate every companion because they're not Rose or smooching the Doctor every other minute. The kinds of people I would avoid in public because they're wearing their heart on their sleeve, literally. That is a permanent and irreparable damage that RTD caused to the series and fandom forever, listening to their complaints is a cancer so overly ridiculous or pathetically meaningless they are. A hundred years may pass but they will continue to scream in the dark "Bring back Rose and Ten!" |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2017 4:14:16 GMT
I think Whovian brings to mind that terrible part of the fandom. The ones obsessed with Ten only because of Tenant and hate every companion because they're not Rose or smooching the Doctor every other minute. The kinds of people I would avoid in public because they're wearing their heart on their sleeve, literally. That is a permanent and irreparable damage that RTD caused to the series and fandom forever, listening to their complaints is a cancer so overly ridiculous or pathetically meaningless they are. A hundred years may pass but they will continue to scream in the dark "Bring back Rose and Ten!" Oh, I wouldn't lay it purely at Russell T. Davies's feet. After all, it was Julie Gardner who produced the series, David Tennant and Billie Piper who acted the roles. Hell, we could even rope in Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss as contributors to that phenomenon. I think there have always been groups like that irrespective of the era or even the franchise (#BringBackMulder). The Eleven/Ponds or Eleven/Clara crowd can get pretty intense from what I've seen as well. These things happen and are fewer reflections on the series they support rather than they are on the individuals themselves. It only bothers me when it starts to worm its way into the work like the baffling bit of creator commentary in Deep Breath. Even the most strongly held traditions must redefine themselves to remain relevant in the changing environment and this is Doctor Who, a show where change is an inevitable part of its existence. Like all things, what is adored or despised will too pass. Remember the outcry against a grittier depiction of Gallifrey in The Deadly Assassin, the faux Daleks in The War Machines or that people wanted Tom Baker back for Sylvester McCoy's debut? Nah. They're just footnotes. Praise lasts, scorn not so much. |
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Post by elkawho on Apr 14, 2017 4:14:37 GMT
I think Whovian brings to mind that terrible part of the fandom. The ones obsessed with Ten only because of Tenant and hate every companion because they're not Rose or smooching the Doctor every other minute. The kinds of people I would avoid in public because they're wearing their heart on their sleeve, literally. That is a permanent and irreparable damage that RTD caused to the series and fandom forever, listening to their complaints is a cancer so overly ridiculous or pathetically meaningless they are. A hundred years may pass but they will continue to scream in the dark "Bring back Rose and Ten!" Ok, maybe I shouldn't be annoyed by this, but I am. Irreparable damage? Well, then, that's me. I get that a lot of long-time fans don't like Ten's era. But I fell in love with both Doctor Who and David Tennant during that time. I went and searched out Tennant forums, and am still friends with some of the people from them. I also searched out as much of David Tennant's work as I could and it was all pretty great stuff. The majority of the women (yes I admit, it's mostly women) I have met through the DT forums have a love of Doctor Who as a whole, some even listen to some Big Finish. None of them hate other Doctors or Companions, in fact most of them were happy to see other companions come on board. I never really did love the Rose and Ten relationship, and disliked it even more after I started watching Classic Who and listening to Big Finish, but I still love Ten's era because of all magic that's come to me since. Sure there are a few silly folks that pine for the old days of "Rose and Ten". But I also see many Classic Series fans who can't broaden their minds enough to accept the new Doctors, or anything made after 1979 even. They pine for the old days of .....fill in the blank. You are always going to have a love for the thing that made you fall in love with Doctor Who, whether it was The First Doctor discovering the Daleks or Eleven and Amy trying to save Vincent Van Gough. And there will always be the people that latch on and can't let go. As for the term Whovian, I don't use it, but I don't shy away from it either. I try not to get offended easily so I care more about the context than the word. Just like I've been called a Trekkie and a Trekker in my day and didn't really care. |
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. Never much cared for whovian, trekkie or trekker but have no issue with DW-obsessed, geek or nerd. 
