I feel like I’m going to get cancelled for this, and truth is, I’m not ready. But I’m absolutely willing to listen to anyone’s thoughts on this and understand where everyone is coming from. I didn’t want to get involved in Starkid drama anymore, but here we go I guess.
So, with that being said. Starkid fandom. We desperately need to talk. A lot of you are young teenagers, and without sounding patronising, you have got to learn the difference between cult popularity and celebrity. This Robert situation has shown exactly what is wrong with this fandom, and it is mainly down to the pedestals that these cast members have been placed on.
This has been going on for a while now, but you need to remember that these people (apart from Darren Criss) are not famous outside of the Starkid bubble. They are not rich, they are not PR trained, they do not have as large of a support network as you may think they do. They are as human as the people who watch them and it is extremely naive and damaging to think of them as anything more than this.
I know it’s a joke that members like Lauren or Corey or Joey are gods or something, but on a deeper level it really does feel like some of these people have been elevated to an almost religious level, and this has to stop. Stop worshipping these members. Stop worshipping human beings. They are not your friends, your mentors, your idols or your role models. I know it’s cynical but you have to stop seeing people as better than they are because everyone is just going to get hurt in the long run. Robert was once elevated to this level and the fandom tore him apart the second he slipped and fell from his pedestal (and this isn’t talking about recent events, this is more about the rather inexplicable anti-Robert campaign that started on Twitter about a year ago). You guys had seen him through such rose-tinted glasses that as soon as he made a mistake you were angry. You hated him for ruining your idea that he and the other members were perfect; that they were the icons you had made them out to be. And it hasn’t stopped since.
So when recent events happened, you were so quick to jump to conclusions before knowing the full story, before knowing that his statement was at the request of those involved, before knowing that Starkid was being advised by HR during their week of silence, before knowing any of the context. You, on Twitter, were so happy. You didn’t care that this was a serious situation, you were delighted that your campaign had finally worked. “I always knew he was a bad person”, “I told you so”, “Robert Manion is over party lol”. What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you not understand the effect you’re having on the fandom you apparently love so much, on the members you apparently worship? Starkid can see everything you’re saying, their lives are on social media the way they are for us. They can see the pedestals they’ve been placed on, they can see how fast you’re willing to turn on them, the constant pressure to be perfect. They’re not perfect. They’re not flawless. They’re not gods, or royalty, or cult leaders or celebrities. They’re as idiotic and broke as we are. And for god’s sake they’re not fictional characters.
For all the times they’re treated like more than people, they’re equally treated as less. One of the things I hated about Starkid Twitter when I was on it was all the “unpopular” opinions. This actor is overrated, this person can’t sing, I don’t like this person or that person. Ffs they are real people just trying to do some fucking theatre. Shut up.
You have to start being more lenient, because you nearly ruined all of their fucking careers within a matter of hours because you couldn’t wait five seconds before celebrating Robert’s downfall. This is serious. This fandom is terrifying, and it is well on its way to crashing and burning.
I’m sorry for getting so heated, and I understand how complex this situation is, and the conflicted emotions felt by everyone. Again, this is really referring to Starkid as a whole and something I’ve wanted to get off my chest for about a year now, ever since I left Twitter because of Starkid drama and distanced myself from the fandom. My mental health has improved ever since, and I think it’s telling of the state the fandom is in when my day to day life was literally being hurt by this fandom. It’s telling that the Twitter fandom traumatised me so much that I genuinely get triggered by even the mention of Twitter nowadays.
A lot of you are young. A lot of you are part of marginalised and oppressed groups and I understand. Believe me. I’m a transmasc 17 year old who’s misgendered every waking hour of my life. I live in the UK for pete’s sake! I’m angry. We’re all angry. But you have to stop directing your anger at people who are easy to tear down, because when does it end? When you fuck up as well and get cancelled and you have no support system to help you? Because we’re heading in that direction, and it’s scary.
