Amber Heard And The Disturbing Rise Of “Anti-Fandom”

If a fan devotes their time and money to celebrating a thing or person that they love, then an “anti-fan” does the opposite ... choosing to dedicate their attention to focusing on what they hate. It seems the celebrity legal saga between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has awakened an anti-fan movement of people who really hate the actress. The fact that some people devote this much emotional energy to something so insignificant is sad and disturbing ... but not surprising. One perspective that may shine some light on why so many people seem so involved in something so trivial comes from an anti-fan interviewed for the story:

“We hang so much of our own identity on these things that we love ... so if those things are threatened, you either have to admit that you’re sort of a bad person for liking those things or you have to convince yourself that everyone else is wrong.”

In that sense, I suppose the anti-fan movement is similar to so many other flawed mindsets. What it reveals is the danger that stems from the inability to admit you might actually be wrong about something. Changing your mind takes bravery ... something too many anti-fans (and people) seem to lack.