That being said, while I was crazily searching for these "Flash" related entertainments, I stumbled on to some heavily toxic warzones. These warzones were based on the two leading women on the show and their fictional romantic involvement with the lead actor. Sigh! May I take a moment before I go on? Sigh!
This has been done countless times over the years with fans segregating themselves into teams as they ship two characters romantically. The first time I heard about it was during the "Twilight"trilogy - a teen movie saga based on books I neither understood or with which I never had any tolerance. Team this and team that. Urgh! The whole thing became a movement from which no living being could escape except you were a hermit in the mountains somewhere without running water or electricity. Even if you NEVER watched a single clip or read a single paragraph in the book, you were all too aware of the premise of the movies and their "ship" wars.
So here I was, watching, listening, reading and absorbing the ridiculous battles between what is now prominently known as the "Westallen" shippers and the "Snowbarry" shippers. "West" as in the character "Iris West" played by the beautiful Candice Patton and "Snow" as in the character "Caitlyn Snow" played by the adorable Danielle Panabaker. Then you have, of course, the talented and noteworthy actor - Grant Gustin - who fills the role of "Barry Allen" aka "The Flash". Call me old fashioned (I am not a teenager) but I do yearn for the good old days when we could just watch a show and enjoy it for what it is ... A SHOW!!! An entertaining, good-time-having, relaxation inducing, but also very fictional SHOW!
What is the definition of a show? Let's see!
Definition for Show: "A public performance that is intended to entertain people". Miriam-Webster.com
What is fiction? Definition of fiction: "Written stories about people and events that are NOT REAL". Miriam-Webster.com
Having said all this I am not oblivious to the fact that there is some measure of racial tension due to the fact that the character "Iris West" who was written as a caucasian woman in the comic book series, is now written as a black woman for the TV adaptation. This is not the first time shipping wars turned beyond ugly due to racial tension. Cases in point - the TV shows "Jane by Design" with Lulu and Jane, "Twisted" with Jo and Lacey, "Greys Anatomy" with Stephanie and April. Anyone with common sense could see that the teams were divided by race. This added a new dynamic to the shipping wars because it meant that you were only on a certain team or ship because you could relate to the the character of your preferred race. It really makes me sad when I see division among women of all ages and backgrounds because of race. Diversity is something to be celebrated. Unless you get your fix off of name calling and being sadistically mean, shame on you! All of you. I truly feel ashamed and sorry for all involved.
I get it! The show is exciting and addicting and entrancing, so much so that you cannot help but be engrossed. If I can get engrossed without hating some fictional character to the point where I want her off the show (people please, she's an actress doing what the directors told her to do and if you feel that strongly, it means she's doing an amazing job) or hate her followers to the point where I have to demean them in anyway possible then I am sure you can too.
Some advice for the guilty and the culprits who have stubbled on to my blog. Relax, Breathe and Enjoy. This is something to ENJOY. Celebrate the diversity before you and exercise some self-control. Stop getting so emotional. It's silly to allow something, that is meant to entertain and relax you, to do the complete opposite. Take thee or four steps back and rationally look at the situation from a distance so that you can see the whole picture. Don't give power to one awful commenter by refusing to take note of all the other beautiful comments about your chosen ship. Lastly, forget about the war and let us bring some measure of rational peace to something that has gone completely overboard. Remember it is just a SHOW. E n j o y!
