User blog comment:Thomasfan502/Season 8 Discussion Blog/@comment-34999717-20190715023319/@comment-38108119-20190715180716

Welcome to Fandom 101. Of course, people don't realize this really has nothing to do with shipping or any kind of opinion. It's fandom itself.

Fandom (not the site, but the concept) is taking a bunch of strangers and forcing them into some semblance of a community, just because they all like the same thing (which may be the only thing they have in common). Chances are none of us would ever talk to each other at all if we didn't like ''Winx Club. ''What's missing from fandoms is real relationships.

When you discuss geeky stuff with your friends, does it blow up into a fight? Usually not. You care about those people outside of your shared interests, so your friendship is more important than your differing opinions. (Winx 8 actually has a scene where the Winx talk about this.)

But in a fandom, we don't have those deeper bonds. We're just a bunch of random people who watch the same show, read the same books, listen to the same band, or whatever. Our connections depend on our individual opinions within the fandom. For example, you like someone more if they have the same favorite character as you, right? That's what I'm talking about.

Heck, having the same opinion is why a fandom exists. We all have the opinion that Winx Club is a good show or at least worthy to be watched. People outside the fandom disagree, sometimes strongly. I've been publicly mocked for watching this show. Who mocked me? A bunch of strangers -- people who didn't give a care about me.

Long story short: fandom is a good idea that doesn't work well in action. All this stuff about "respecting all opinions" is compensating for the shortcomings of fandom and the side effects of the Internet giving everyone -- I mean, everyone -- a voice.