Shipping: More than Just a Casual Pastime?

[Easter Lily]

In my almost one year at GW, I have gone from being a non-shipper to being a cautiously interested S/W shipper.
There are all kinds of relationships that can be had on Stargate: friendship, filial, collegial and potentially romantic. But I suppose the one that interests most people and is the subject of much discussion seems to be "romantic". Lately, it has come to my notice that "shipping" is not the fun, speculative pastime I thought it was. Strangely enough (to me anyway), it is often taken quite seriously... to the extent that there is an eerie blurring of RL and onscreen stuff. Worse still, this preferential treatment for a particular ship can become such a preoccupation that it leads to attacks on actors and other varieties of "ship".

I find it bizarre that anyone would take so seriously what may or may not happen between subjects of a television show... Do we lead such "lives of quiet desperation" that we need to cling on to a fantasy and allow it direct our thinking? Or has the internet inadvertently become a tool for people to express passing fancies with undue vehemence in ways which we wouldn't have previously.

So when does an interest become a fantasy projected... and a projected fantasy become an obsession...?

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts...


And be nice, everyone...

[Willow'sCat]

Lately, it has come to my notice that "shipping" is not the fun, speculative pastime I thought it was. Strangely enough (to me anyway), it is often taken quite seriously... to the extent that there is an eerie blurring of RL and onscreen stuff. Worse still, this preferential treatment for a particular ship can become such a preoccupation that it leads to attacks on actors and other varieties of "ship".

I hadn't heard of the term "shipping" until I joined GW. I knew about fanfic but I was not that into any particular show or movie to be fussed with reading any, until SGA.

I have no idea how seriously people take their shipping pairs. The shipp (for shipp see slash) pairings I have an interest in are all mostly for fun and amusement. A lot of fun and amusement. I guess being M/M I know in all seriousness it will never happen on the show so it is less important if the pairing is taken seriously by others.

But you know they can't have Dr Weir with both Dr McKay and Col Sheppard or Teyla with Col Sheppard and Ronon that would be a whole other show! I guess those 'shipping' fans need to be extra vocal just 'in-case' someone is actually taken notice of the popularity of a pairing, I don't think TPTB are taking any notice but you never know.

I would hate to think people are living vicariously through a TV show and it's characters. I mean that would never happen would it?

I think we can all get a little obsessed with things at times in life. I refuse to spend hundreds of dollars going to a Convention just because a SGA actor will be there but many here will and do spend that much every year or so, what if any is the difference?

As I always say if it ain't hurting anyone what does it matter? I haven't witness a lot of hurtful or negative stuff here on GW in regards to "shipping". Is there a lot of bashing going on?

And be nice, everyone...

Always nice. I even removed my sig.

[Blue Banrigh]

My theory is that on some level the obsessive shipper sees that one half of the ship is the ideal romantic partner and the other person in that ship they identify with as some aspect of them self or who they wish to be.

So I guess for another ship to be advocated it can be seen as a personal slight, they subconsciously interpret that other people are saying they aren't going to get their ideal partner in life.

Does that make any kind of sense?

[ubiquitous]

I guess it does. Make sense, that is.

Until I came here, I never realised how obsessive people could be about their ships. I never really got into the HP fandom with their obsissive sects and whatever and in my other fandom, the areas I haunted were quite flexible in shipping all sorts of things, and canonic ships, while discussed, sort of took a back seat at times to the more outrageous ships. I see shipping/pairing as a lighthearted thing, but I know now that some don't. I don't know why it is, just that it is so.

[Blue Banrigh]

Everything has got its extremes but they are in the minority, ya just tend notice them more cause they are often more vocal.

[ubiquitous]

Exactly. Sorta like the Harmonians of the HP-verse. The outspoken ones make a lot of noise and generally bring the rest of them to appear as extreme as those few.

[Easter Lily]

I guess it does. Make sense, that is.

Until I came here, I never realised how obsessive people could be about their ships. I never really got into the HP fandom with their obsissive sects and whatever and in my other fandom, the areas I haunted were quite flexible in shipping all sorts of things, and canonic ships, while discussed, sort of took a back seat at times to the more outrageous ships. I see shipping/pairing as a lighthearted thing, but I know now that some don't. I don't know why it is, just that it is so.

Before I came here, I didn't know there were shipping preferences and factions... it was all very surreal...
I enjoy reading and participating in some of the more in-depth discussions... some of them quite interesting in terms of the male/female dynamic but to be vehemently vocal about one's preferred pairing to the point of bringing it up wherever possible is rather new to me.

But Blue is right, it is a vocal minority that seem to grasp tightly to their ship.

[gwenhwyfar]

I guess for me, it's just a matter of chemistry. If a couple has chemistry then I support them. I'm not obsessed, just having fun. Being the total romantic I am, I like to see couples in love. It's entertaining. And I like to write about them because it's great practice for my original stories.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I may not agree with all of them but I won't bash someone just because they don't agree with me.

[Teal'c junky]

Every fandom I've been involved in seems to have its contingent of die-hard shippers who are so over-identified that they get up in arms over any perceived slight to their chosen 'ship. Not many seem to have quite such a large number of frightfully militant, over-invested and unbalanced 'shippers as HP, but they exist everywhere. I enjoy 'ship to a certain extent in fanfic, depending on the 'verse, but I'm not obsessed with it by any stretch and in SG-1 I actually prefer friendSHIP to romance even in the fic. The team dynamic and military structure just doesn't lend itself particularly well to romance in my opinion.

[Easter Lily]

But you know they can't have Dr Weir with both Dr McKay and Col Sheppard or Teyla with Col Sheppard and Ronon that would be a whole other show! I guess those 'shipping' fans need to be extra vocal just 'in-case' someone is actually taken notice of the popularity of a pairing, I don't think TPTB are taking any notice but you never know.

The thing is, I don't know that they do either. They give the impression that they do, in the case of S/J but after years of fudging around with that one, few fans now seem to have confidence in TPTB to write romance properly for Stargate. I don't know why some might believe that that TPTB will ever give a straight answer to all their urgings. I always thought that this was a forum, a place to express one's opinions about some aspect of the show but there are times I feel that it is more like a series of veiled petitions/demands to TPTB who may or may not care what we think about various relationships.

I would hate to think people are living vicariously through a TV show and it's characters. I mean that would never happen would it?

It has been known to happen in varying degrees. Some more harmless (like the dress up dentist trekkie) and others are more dangerous like those who stalk their favourite actors.

I think we can all get a little obsessed with things at times in life. I refuse to spend hundreds of dollars going to a Convention just because a SGA actor will be there but many here will and do spend that much every year or so, what if any is the difference?

As I always say if it ain't hurting anyone what does it matter? I haven't witness a lot of hurtful or negative stuff here on GW in regards to "shipping". Is there a lot of bashing going on?

Convention going is as much about community as is about paying tribute to your favourite actors. I'm going to my first one this year but it's as much about meeting other fans as it is the actors themselves.

Always nice. I even removed my sig.

You didn't have to...

[KatG]

I tend to ship in most shows I watch. I just can't help myself. I'm a die-hard romantic and like to see people in love and happy. However, I don't consider myself a die-hard shipper by any means. While I have my favorite pairings, I tend to read any well written m/f ship pairs within a series, simply because I find it interesting to find out what others are seeing and if they can make the "ship" believable to me. While I'm always happy to see my particular "ship" pairing pan out in the show, I'm not usually to worked up if it doesn't.

Let's take S/J ship for instance since it's the most prominent one here. I like S/J ship. I like it alot. And if TPTB ever decide to definitely show us that they're together I'll be a very happy camper.

That being said, I enjoy reading Sam/Teal'c, Sam/Martouf and Sam/OMC and even the occasional Sam/Daniel (although this one has to be really well done to make it believable, as I tend to see Sam/Daniel as more of a brother/sister kind of thing for the most part-although I did see a lot of potential for them in S1). I do have a problem reading Sam/Pete, simply because I just didn't think the chemistry was there. It seemed too forced to me, like it was simply to give Sam a boyfriend that wasn't Jack. If that's the case, I'd much rather have seen her hook up with Agent Barrett because to me they had a lot of chemistry.

As for Jack, I like reading Jack/Janet and Jack/OFC. Doesn't bother me at all to read these and I actually enjoy them.

However there are those who will only settle for what they think is the OTP for there show, and absolutely refuse to consider anything else. Then out of those there are the vocal minority, who appear to be the vocal majority, and that seems to be the type you've been running into lately. But trust me, it's not just in this fandom, it's in any fandom where there is even the slightest possibility of ship.

The key is to just continue enjoying the ship that you like. If reading posts from the "extreme" factions bother you, just ignore them and keep having fun. Me personally, I tend to get a kick out of reading it, whether I agree or not, just because it makes me take a step back and make sure that I stay balanced.

[Linzi]

My theory is that on some level the obsessive shipper sees that one half of the ship is the ideal romantic partner and the other person in that ship they identify with as some aspect of themself.

So I guess for another ship to be advocated it can be seen as a personal slight, they subconsciously interpret that other people are saying they aren't going to get their ideal partner in life.

Does that make any kind of sense?

You know I've never thought about it before, but what you say does indeed make sense. Actually I think what you say is quite profound!
I've never been able to understand why a minority of die-hard shippers get so self defensive and upset if others don't agree with their ship, or, even worse,(or so it would seem), actually ship for one of the characters from their beloved ship pair with, gasp, another character! Each to their own, I say!
I don't ship for anyone, and quite honestly, unless people take it lightheartedly, I think ship causes more trouble than it's worth!
A few posters seem to take great personal offense if others disagree with their ship obsession, and it would make sense that it is so personal because they feel so emotionally involved themselves, as they see themselves in one character and something they desire in the other part of the ship pairing.Thus by disagreeing with their ship you are insulting and hurting them personally.
I believe anybody who wants to write snide or scathing remarks, or for that matter mock the ships of other posters, because it doesn't fit in with their ship ideas MUST be too involved in their ship, (and they obviously need lessons in being tolerant to others and respecting other people's opinions!)
As a non-shipper I have been on ship threads, out of interest, and am still stunned by some of the scathing and quite honestly juvenile remarks a very few, and I stress a very few, posters make. After all SGA and SG1 are television programmes, meant to entertain us all, not have us abusing eachother or us being miserable!
In my opinion it is healthy to fantasize somewhat, whether it be from day dreaming about a show, reading FF,or indeed discussing said show here. I think it only becomes dangerous when the interest makes somebody very angry and disrespectful to others and causes upset to anybody.
Both shows are great, though I'm an ardent SGA fan, but ship for me is irrelevent, it's not why I watch, and honestly many things some shippers 'see' do not happen when I watch the show!
So in answer to the question posed, is ship just a casual pastime? For the majority of people I would suspect the answer is yes. It's a bit of fun,a bit or romance and something to look out for in each episode.It's also something to discuss with others and something to think about to escape the pressure of RL!
For a few, however, it seems to me, at least, that it is an unhealthy obsession that makes them very angry and unhappy at times,perhaps even taking over their real lives sometimes. To my mind that's a terrible shame and certainly not the intention of those who create, produce and act in either SG show, I'm sure.

[Jace021903]

So in answer to the question posed, is ship just a casual pastime? For the majority of people I would suspect the answer is yes. It's a bit of fun,a bit or romance and something to look out for in each episode.It's also something to discuss with others and something to think about to escape the pressure of RL!
For a few, however, it seems to me, at least, that it is an unhealthy obsession that makes them very angry and unhappy at times,perhaps even taking over their real lives sometimes. To my mind that's a terrible shame and certainly not the intention of those who create, produce and act in either SG show, I'm sure.

I agree.

I pop in the various ship threads every once in a while (not often because I'm on dial up and they tend to have a lot of pictures ) Most of the time, it's people having fun and being creative with fan art and stories and what if's. I think that's great and infectious even.

There are a few fans though (and I stress few) that seem really militant. (I hasten to add that there are also fans like that for individual characters, not just ships) Anything or anyone that doesn't support their chosen pair is personally against them. I have seen some really vicious things written about TPTB, the actors and fans of different pairings.

I don't expect fandom to be all sweetness and light all of the time; we are, after all, human. But maybe it is time to take a step back if unhappiness and dissatifaction with a fictional show cause us to take out our frustration on actual, living, breathing people.

Jace

[ToasterOnFire]

Interesting topic, EL!
I do think that there is a fine line between liking a ship and becoming too attached to it. There are plenty of shippers that spend a lot of time talking about their ship, writing fanfic, and making vids and icons, yet they know how to step back. They know that the ship is fake and doesn't impact their RL at the end of the day. They enjoy being with their fellow shippers yet they can respect the views of other shippers or people who don't like their ship.

So what happens when a shipper becomes obsessed with their ship? They start lashing out at anything and anyone that gets in the way of their beloved OTP like Linzi discussed above. A shipper is probably too emotionally attached to their ship if they:

-bash characters just because they get in the way of their ship. That would be like me hating Simon simply because he dated Elizabeth or calling any woman Rodney dates a skank or slut (clarification: I don't).

-bash the actors of those characters. Obviouly much worse than above, but fortunately I've only seen this a handful of times. I've also seen mean comments and demands hurled at TPTB both for Stargate and other ships (the whole HP petition comes to mind) for not writing their ship or not writing it as they want it.

-bash other ships. It's one thing to dislike a ship and rationally discuss the reasons why. But comments along the lines of "How in the hell can anyone ship x/x?" are rude to those shippers. Likewise, it's a bad sign if a shipper spend most of their time attacking another ship rather than enjoying their own.

-bash other shippers. Like it's worse to bash an actor instead of the character, it's much worse to bash the shippers themselves rather than the ship. Disrespectful remarks, rude generalizations, and mocking what other shippers are doing are all signs that the shipper doesn't respect other preferences.

-bash anti-shippers. It's important to realize that not everyone will enjoy or even like a particular ship. However, those that are too attached to their ship will often lash out at anti-shippers by attacking them personally, making rude generalizations, and/or making fun their arguments.


So in the end, it all comes down to respect. Most shippers can respect the views of others, but a few, fanatical shippers tend to spoil it for everyone and that's too bad.

[skye1974]

Jace and Toaster, will you both marry me?