I would call myself an uber fan of a few folks. Someone, I won't call any names *cough* HIM *cough* called me a "stan" the other day. Who is a stan, sir? So, I sat with that and thought about it. I've concluded that there are two times of stans: the ones who absolutely love these artists/celebs and those who go overboard with the admiration. If I were to be completely honest, I would say that I fall into the first category. The following three people are my favorites. I am a fan of their work, their artistry, their politics, their intelligence and what they stand for. If that makes a stan, then I am one proudly. I like what/who I like. If you've been following this blog, it should not be a surprise who is on my list.
*Jay Z* He is by far my favorite rapper turned business man. In my eyes, the guy can do no wrong. I love his music because he is such a lyricist. I think he's super smart and very funny. He's a Sagittarius like myself so I get his humor. In concert, he put on a hell of a show. As a connoisseur of great music, I appreciate his attention to detail. He's very precise in the things that he does. I am clearly a fan.
*Beyonce'* Since the release of her first solo cd, I've been a fan. I love the tone of her voice. Her songs are either really light and fun (the club tracks) or deep love songs (that I love). Her music makes me happy. As a woman who loves a great concert, Beyonce' lives up to that and more. I've seen her a few times and I've never been disappointed. I will support her music because I like her. Case closed.
*President Barack Obama* Since first laying eyes on the President at the 2004 DNC, I was intrigued with him. I began to follow what he was doing. I've been impressed since then. Yes, I am more than ecstatic that he is the first Black President. But, I like him as a politician and as a person. He inspires me. His family inspires me. The Speech and Debate kid in me loves the orator in him. He was a man with a dream then. I believed him. He still has my vote.
So, there it is. That's my "stan" list. I cannot think of a better group of people to "stan" for. I know that none of them walk on water or are God. They are just humans. I am not delusional in any of this. I like what they do. I'm excited to see them give interviews or perform or whatever. They are my favorites. Do any of you guys stan for any artist? If so, who? Let's discuss.
Twitter, like all social media sites, can be the gift and the curse. Beyoncé has some of the best fans. She has some of the worst stans though. For those who don't know, stans are the overly obsessive, compulsive fans. These are the people who give regular fans a bad name. Stans are awful because of their actions. They will "drag" people all for the love of their faves. This never ends well. It's gotten worse with the emergence and popularity of Twitter, Facebook and blogs. Beyoncé's stans went so far overboard on Twitter and Tumblr a few nights ago. What I saw happen was beyond disgusting. And, the end result was one of my favorite writers and follows on Twitter deleted her account. That made me angry and sad.
A few nights ago, I was being thoroughly entertained with the tweets of one dream hampton. The topic of conversation was her teenage daughter's summer reading list. She named a few books that I haven't read so I'm thankful for that. The next tweet was out of character for her. She asked how someone got a picture of her daughter. The same daughter she is fiercely protective of, that she only refers to as the "AD" (awesome daughter). I never knew her daughters name or her face. And, in all actuality, why should I? What ensued was a serious ridiculous look into the minds of young people. A Beyoncé stan tweeted a picture of Bey and AD with the comment "Ewww" in front of it. This was followed by "she (referring to AD) wasn't cute anyway." Other stans joined in with calling dream's daughter ugly. They also cursed dream put, told her to stop overreacting and called her heinous names.
These stans went out of their way to be rude and cruel to dream and AD. They were malicious and gross. They attacked a child. A child who has know Beyoncé for 10 years. A child Beyoncé sees as family. Do you guys see how delusional these stans are? Why would Beyoncé be proud of them? This whole ordeal cause dream to delete her account for good. Her daughters picture, which was posed on a private Facebook Page, has been all over the web. Her daughter was attacked and called ugly. What adult does that to a kid? Why would you? I was heartsick watching it. Some people need a good psychiatrist and Jesus. I was ashamed of them. They should be ashamed of themselves.
The situation is beyond unfortunate. It just shows how bold people can be when they are behind a computer screen. It's very easy to have balls then. I'm sure none of them would have said any of that to dream's face. I'm sorry her daughter had to endure such nastiness from people. Seems like the stans were just jealous that they won't ever be that up close and personal with their idol. Twitter can be the devil when you're dealing with evil people. And, in my book, you have to be evil to say bad things about a child. I'm still shaking my head over this. It's just a really sad situation. I'm sorry for dream. I'm sorry that this had to happen. People need to do better, much better. Grow up. There is nothing healthy about being a stan. Y'all do remember the Eminem song? Stans are mentally wack people. Think about that before you speak ill all supposedly in the name of the artist you love. I'm sure they don't love that.
