(no subject)

[rodneyscat]

Well that's weird. It's ok for people to squee and bounce and dance around when a celebrity guy does something we really like, wears a particularly nice t-shirt, is going to be in a movie we think we may enjoy, cuddles other men suggestively or chooses to do other things that we highly approve of. But when someone points out something they don't like they get all sorts of 'he's a grown man, he can do whatever he pleases, get over it' comments.

You know, starting a community to try and convince Elijah he shouldn't smoke went a bit too far for me also, although wanking those people like they were being some major threat to Elijah was even going further around the bend. But just saying the news that Billy smokes came as a highly unpleasant shock, shouldn't be such a big deal I think. And why should someone go all subtle on that? If you can say 'OMG! Eyeliner *orgasms*', why can't you say something to the extend of 'Yuck! Cigarettes *puke*' (or even *worries*)

As far as I'm concerned I'm allowed to love Elijah's taste in music and be disgusted with the fact that he smokes.

Comments

[oliviaramirez]

There's a community for convincing Elijah not to smoke? The mind boggles.

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

Ahahah! You hadn't noticed that one? Oh, and I loved that community that got founded after that, the one that tries to protect Elijah from everything else; from ear damage to natural disasters. That was a good joke :)

[oliviaramirez]

No, that must have passed me by. Are these communities still up and running? And if so, could you provide me with a link? I am curious now.

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

elijahsmokeout and elijah_rescue (the first is meant seriously, the second is meant as a joke.)

[lilagrubb.livejournal.com]

I knew about elijahsmokeout, and entirely agree with you on that, but I didn't know about elijah_rescue. Did Sean Astin start that one? :)

[ourdramaqueen.livejournal.com]

Did Sean Astin start that one?

ROTFL!!!!

[oliviaramirez]

elijah_rescue is hilarious. Pity noone has posted there for a while. Thanks for the links :)

[samena.livejournal.com]

I love that whole 'conversation' thing they have on their user info page. *sniggers*

-Elijah...
-What??
-Are yousmoking again?
-Ummn...yeah...So?
-The fans are not happy about this. Your friends are unhappy about it too.
-But I like to smoke. I'm a grownup. It's my choice.
-So you choose to give yourself smoker's cough, bad breath, chronic bronchitis, etc, etc?
-Uh...erm...ah...No?
-You know what this means, don't you?
-I'm afraid to ask.
-Your fans are revolting.
-No they aren't. They're nice.
-No silly. They are in revolt against your smoking.
-Oh, oh...
-Yes. They have started THE GREAT ELIJAH SMOKEOUT.
-What does that mean?
-Heh, heh...you'll see.

a) Elijah wouldn't say those things. He'd probably say: 'fuck off!' and b)I shudder to think what they mean when they say: 'you'll see'. *shakes head*

[andraste-oz.livejournal.com]

It was a big shock that Billy smokes? I thought that had been common knowledge for months.

And I agree with everything you say. I think Dom's the sexiest man on the planet. I also think it's gross that he smokes. I think Elijah is the most beautiful human being on the planet, and I also think it's gross that he smokes. I think it's perfectly possible for those feelings and opinions to co-exist within one person and be acceptable - just as it's acceptable for people to make comments on their fashion choices, for example.

[magickalmolly.livejournal.com]

It was a big shock that Billy smokes?

It was to me. I had actually posted (http://www.livejournal.com/users/magickalmolly/388410.html) about it in my LJ a couple of weeks back. And although it was personally upsetting to me, it's not as if I'm going to stop being a fan of his work just because he engages in a habit I find distasteful. I totally agree with you about those feeling being able to co-exist.

[yanks02.livejournal.com]

Hear hear. Very well said. *raises a glass to you*

And yeah the 'joke rescue community' cracks me up.

[undone27.livejournal.com]

I don't have a problem with criticism. I have a problem with extremism, and with infantilizing Elijah, especially. If all it was was "Ick. Smoking. Bleh. Bad for him!" that would be one thing. It's when it goes into "Ickle Lijah Pleeeze take care of yourself the big bad world is so scary and dangerous!!!1!!1" that I want to barf.

[ourdramaqueen.livejournal.com]

Billy smokes too?

I agree - I do adore these guys, but I would prefer if they stopped smoking. Hell, I love my boyfriend but would REALLY prefer if he stopped smoking. Don't see why you can't express feelings like this, as long as you don't go overboard with it. (Like founding that community, which I hadn't heard of so far... Gee!)

[msallegro.livejournal.com]

Not, I suppose, that I should be commenting, but yes.

I don't get the pedestal thing. I don't see any need to put them there, and I also don't see any need to lob extra bombs at them because they're supposedly on one.

Some people have a need to be catty and nasty to anyone, and think public figures are fair game for that, and I don't see the point of that. But I also don't see the point of deifying them. They're just people. They have more pressures than some of us, certainly, and a few more privileges as well, but, especially where these guys are concerned, they're not gods, nor are they trying to be seen that way. I don't see any reason to treat them with any more or less courtesy and respect you'd treat any other stranger you know a little something about. If I think it's unfortunate that a cute guy smokes or has a Bush/Cheney sticker on his car, I'm going to say so, regardless of who that cute guy is. Likewise, if I think a pair of guys walking down the street make a cute couple, I'll talk about that, too. If I were saying something mean or nasty, it'd be a different story.

[airgiodslv.livejournal.com]

Hear hear.

*seconds you*

*frowns in general at smokers*

*loves elijah them anyway*

[vensre.livejournal.com]

Billy, too? Man! I hate it when singers with beautiful voices smoke. Like Rufus Wainwright.

Makes me sad that it drastically reduces their kissability. Ach, not like I was ever going to be using that, but.

-_-'

[plaidpjs.livejournal.com]

You know, I don't get this whole thing at all.

**shakes head**

Yes he's cute, I like his movies, his taste in music etc. but he's entitled to live his life the way he wants. That includes his mistakes and achievements. I seriously doubt he needs my assistance or advice.

The last I heard this was called "living your life". No one else has to agree with you, but our decisions are our own as are the ramifications of those decisions. If the need to nurture is that strong, get some houseplants or something. Redirect that talent to someplace more useful.

And that rescue site is hysterical, thanks for pointing that out!

[myska-x.livejournal.com]

billy smokes? *giggles over all the fiction she's read where Billy is highly pissed that Dom has picked up smoking*

the fact that I just wanted to say 'I hate it when Canon fucks fanfiction writer over' is slightly scary, even to me... *sigh*

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Now a community to stop the toenail biting, that would understand.

[primula-baggins.livejournal.com]

Hahaha. Yeah, a nail-biting rescue community! I saw some posts elsewhere about Elijah smoking and it was so totally juvenile to me. I think he'll quit when he wants to and not before. That's just how people are. And if anyone thinks he can quit smoking and/or nail biting when he's working on a movie, well I doubt it. It takes a huge focus to give something like that up and having the stress of doing a movie is not the ideal time to quit. My guess is that it will actually be harder for him to stop biting his nails than to quit smoking. He's not going to die from nail biting, so the choice should be clear. But I'm not saying it would be easy to quit smoking.

OK, I'm rambling now....butyou get the drift.

[alysscarlet.livejournal.com]

Well said, d_e.

I too was disappointed to learn that Billy smokes, and I will never like it. But it doesn't stop me from liking him.

[almostnever.livejournal.com]

You know, starting a community to try and convince Elijah he shouldn't smoke went a bit too far for me also, although wanking those people like they were being some major threat to Elijah was even going further around the bend.

I just wanna explain a little backstory there-- Hobbsy, the person who started that bizarre anti-Elijah-smoking community, was bounced from DL_Anon (the tinhat-mockery community on JF) last year for having a psycho freakout and spamming the comm with her frothing rage.

After Elijah was hospitalized for appendicitis, Hobbsy participated in a long thread with another fan in which they fantasized about going to his hospital room to 'support' him-- though as the conversation went on, it began to seem more and more like they were seriously going to try to find out where he was staying. When other people on the community spoke up to say they found the thread creepy and stalkerish, the other person shrugged and said she'd been joking, but Hobbsy threw a shitfit and shrieked that she thought anyone who didn't want to go cuddle poor ickle Elijah in his sickbed was just inhuman and oh what horrible people, etc.

In other words, the person who started Elijahsmokeout, as well as elijahsletters-- both of which are communities aimed at trying to reach Elijah in some way, and both of which infantilize him mercilessly-- that person had already rung some peoples' alarm bells as unbalanced and stalkery. Some may have overreacted to the smokeout community, but it wasn't just that comm they were reacting to-- it was also experience with this person before that made her comm seem disturbing.

[loreley-se.livejournal.com]

Blimey. And I thought it was just another funny teenage thing.

Someone needs to get an own live, urgently.

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

Hey!!!!!!!!!!!!

*pounces*

I'm still working my way up to update #2... God I'm hopeless! I just don't like that way of communicating I guess. You should get a job where you're at home more so I can send you an email and you can send one back etc. etc. and it can be more a spontaneous, chatlike conversation.

Ok, I guess that's a bit too much to ask eh? [/fucking demanding husband approach]

So, when are you leaving for your next trip? *slaps self*

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

You do know I love you don't you? Can't wait till June 30th! I'll get you your bus/train schedule on time, don't worry...

[loreley-se.livejournal.com]

Phew! I was just getting worried that you would divorce me because I´m never at home!!!

Now I feel safe to tell you that I´m off tomorrow for my one-week course...

And I love you too!!! *huggles*

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

I really love Elijah in that icon of yours. Have I told you that already? I love how he looks comfy and compact and wee with his sweet smile, stockinged foot, impossibly flexible pretzeled legs, the clove (yes... the clove), his hands, slumped shoulders sadfkj jklkjf lkjlja

[rodneyscat.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the trouble of explaining this to me. This kind of background info sure puts the whole wank in a different light.

Wanking is still not my thing. I think it causes more pain than it ever solves problems and I still think it resembles a kangaroo court.

[pensive]

As far as I'm concerned I'm allowed to love Elijah's taste in music and be disgusted with the fact that he smokes.

Can I second that? lol

[monkey5s.livejournal.com]

I was disappointed, sure, but it simply reinforces my secret belief that EVERYONE in the entertainment field smokes. Even if one might think they had compelling reason to abstain, like, say, a parent who died of lung cancer.

Still find him devastatingly gorgeous. As I do Elijah, who doesn't even keep his smoking fairly discreet, like Billy apparently does.

[not-alone.livejournal.com]

I just feel very sad when I see anyone smoke, but especially people I love and that, of course, includes Elijah. I have seen too much of the horrific results - it just makes my blood run cold to think about it.

[rebeccama.livejournal.com]

I've never thought that being a fan of someone meant that you like and agree with every single thing about them. Elijah is an adult and can make his own decisions. I have the right to say that I disagree with or don't like something he did/does and he has the right to live his life as he pleases regardless of what I think.

[lilithlotr.livejournal.com]

I'll agree with you on that one, but I also think there's a WAY to say it while sounding like a rational adult who realizes the person has a right to do/say/wear whatever it is.

I have always disliked that portion of fandom that doesn't allow you to say anything negative about ANYTHING relating to it.

But after about the gazillionth little girly shout of "ewww, he smokes", I get pretty sick of it. Especially when it hasn't been news for QUITE some time now.

OTOH, "does he realize that cigarettes will ruin that gorgeous translucent skin?" as a comment wouldn't make me run screaming in the other direction.

Re: New in Town but I agree

[missy5375.livejournal.com]

Hi dutch eowyn, I am new to your journal.I just have to say I agree that wanking can be very cruel like high school bullying but when almostnever gave the background story on this particular fan, I just want to say to almostnever,
Thank you, I almost befriended this person (because a 6 months ago I used to visit her journal for Elijah pics)I had no idea that this was going on.I had a conversation with someone on LJ and we both agreed that the LOTR fandom can really get out of hand. I don't want to wank or point and laugh but I would put a gun to my head before I would ever, ever obsess over Elijah's whereabouts and personal life. I love him as an actor and he truly is devastatingly goregeous but would never want to invade his privacy.
Thanks almostnever for the heads up.