I read a thing yonks ago on tunglr.hell that hypothesized that a likely contributing factor to the extreme reactionary tendencies of antis was bc the different wars millennials/older generations vs younger generations grew up with: older fans grew up with the Cold War, where if you didn't humanize your enemy, the world would die in a fire nuclear armageddon; but that later generations, who grew up post-9/11, were exposed to deep insecurity and the rise of the police state, which emphasizes strict authoritarianism and polarized thinking. Obvs a generalization, and not the sole reason for antis, but it likely plays a factor into the overall surge of aggressive conservativism in younger swathes of fandom (ie antis are Christian Fundies in a gay hat).
Anyway, I've got better ways of burning out neurons than policing my kinks or worrying about protecting The Children, lol.
Re: Overall fandom membership~
a firenuclear armageddon; but that later generations, who grew up post-9/11, were exposed to deep insecurity and the rise of the police state, which emphasizes strict authoritarianism and polarized thinking. Obvs a generalization, and not the sole reason for antis, but it likely plays a factor into the overall surge of aggressive conservativism in younger swathes of fandom (ie antis are Christian Fundies in a gay hat).Anyway, I've got better ways of burning out neurons than policing my kinks or worrying about protecting The Children, lol.