A poster called me a prequel basher yesterday. I'm rather amused by this, because the worst thing I feel about the prequels is indifference: yes, some parts of prequels (and all of the movies) are less than perfect, but it really doesn't bother me that much. They are what they are.

As for the original trilogy, which she also accused me of bashing: HA! Yes, I like Empire Strikes Back the best. Other than that, I have no clue where she came to the conclusion that I hate ANH and ROTJ. Yes, I'll mock Luke's hair in Episode VI until the end of time and beyond; that doesn't mean I hate the movie as a whole. Hell, I mock everything. I love mocking; to me, being able to make fun of what you love is the very cornerstone of a healthy relationship with fandom.

It's especially funny because I was a basher at one point. A long time ago. Before the prequels, even, but it wasn't about the OT. (Despite the occasional joke about how Ewoks taste like chicken.) If you've read some of my entries, you may have noticed a strong negative streak towards - wait for it - the works of EU author Kevin J. Anderson.

When I first discovered online fandom, not long after Darksaber was released, it was virtually impossible for me to shut up about the guy. I never accused him of ruining my childhood (my childhood memories of SW are vague and involve a bit of a mix up with Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome) but I did say some quite nasty things. Things that, if the Dark Spork of today was a mod at a the AOL Fan Forum of yesteryear, would get Dunc397 severely modslapped, and probably banned. Oh, I bashed. I bashed but good.

And eventually, I got over it and moved on.

Today, my dislike of KJA's books is one of those static things in fandom; I don't bother to discuss it. I don't antagonize his fans deliberately by going into KJA-centric threads and harping on how I think he ruined the EU. (Which I did at AOL.) I don't say these things on a board the man himself frequents. (Which yes, I did on AOL.) I don't reread his stuff - I've tried, but without the flaming ball of hate urging me on I just can't do it. I haven't opened one of his Dune books, and I have no plans to, despite being a fan of that saga. I'm not going to turn around and praise The Jedi Academy Trilogy, Darksaber or the YJK books, but I'm not going to devote large periods of time to broadcasting my displeasure either. I might bust out the snark occasionally, but that's it.

So, having been on both sides of the fence, here's my definition of bashing:

Bashers are people who deeply hate something, and refuse to change the subject.

Bashers are disruptive.

Bashers harass and accuse other other posters

Bashers are people who spend the vast majority of their time on the forums being negative.

Bashers refuse to express their opinions in a manner that is not accusing, angry, or condemnatory.

Bashers don't respect posters that have opinions they disagree with.

Bashers think that people who don't share their opinions are stupid.

That's in my experience. However, here are a few other traits I've registered from my time within the fandom:

Bashers claim to be 'True Fans,' and that anyone who does not agree with them are not real fans.

Bashers believe you are either with them or against them.

Bashers are spoiling for a fight; they want you to get angry.

Bashers like to claim they are victims or martyrs for their cause.

Bashers have no sense of humor.

In short? Bashers are trolls, in the truest sense. Are they really fans? I'm sure some of them are. But they're fans blinded by hate, and I won't have them on any board where I have the power to say otherwise.

And because 'basher' is one of those terms thrown out by certain aspects of fandom like candy, here's what a basher isn't:

Bashers are not people who disagree with you politely.

Bashers are not people who don't love the exact same aspects of Star Wars you do.

Bashers are not people who interpret things in the saga and fandom differently from you.

Bashers are not people who are willing to agree to disagree.

Bashers are not people who make mildly disparaging or tounge-in-cheek comments every once in a while.

Bashers are not people who can joke about the saga and the fandom.

Bashers are not people who can take a joke about the saga and the fandom.

Bashers are not people who can admit that something is flawed and love it anyway.

And one important fact: You may heard about bashers the most from prequel fans, but bashing is not a phenomenon limited to one aspect of the saga. Star Wars fandom is very large; there are people who love and hate and love to hate almost every aspect of it. There are no universals, no hard and fast rule, even in these lists.

So what's a basher? Now you know. As for the person who said these things to me? She's earned a perm ban. Not because she insulted me specifically, but because she has a long history of bashing on these boards and showed no signs of calming down. By speaking out about 'bashers' with such venom, she became the very thing she claims to hate the most. Ironic, no? Just remember that old matter of forum conduct: It's not what you say about something that gets you modsmacked, it's how you say it.