From Directioners and Swifties to Whovians and Potterheads, fandoms for anything imaginable exist. Dedicated fans of TV shows, musicians, books and movies band together to form diverse fan bases that are similar to families. Even though each fandom is different from another, there’s one similarity: original fans conflicting with newer fans.

“Some [true fans] treat new fans alright, but other [true fans] are mean to new fans for being new and not knowing as much,” Tiffany Chen (10) said.

Original fans are those who have been in their fandoms for a while, whereas new fans are just joining their fandoms. Most newbies are insulted and called fake because of their lack of experience. Originals attack them for not understanding inside jokes or knowing much history, which sometimes leads to virtual bullying on forums and social media websites. Moreover, originals, known as “true fans”, sometimes see themselves as superior to newbies, creating even more conflict.

“[True fans] don’t treat new fans very fairly,” Kendall Ballard (11) said. “[True fans] are mostly mean to new fans and talk badly about them.”

Since most originals have been together in their fandoms for so long, they tend to become overly protective of their fan base. They create tight-knit cults in their fandoms, and they make it difficult for new members to join. These originals perceive new fans as vicious intruders, but the newbies mean no harm.

“I can’t say anything bad about [new fans] because they end up learning more, and people shouldn’t be as harsh on them,” Ballard said.

Knowing less about a musician, movie or video game doesn’t make someone less of a dedicated fan. They’re just in the process of learning. New fans don’t purposefully join fandoms later than others do, and they shouldn’t be ostracized for it.

It can be annoying when someone else isn’t as knowledgeable about your favorite book or musician, and you may even see them as unworthy members of your fandom. But you need to get over yourself. No one has the right to deem others as inferior, especially over something as trivial as fandom knowledge.

“Everyone’s been a new fan once, so [all fans] should be treated equally,” Chen said.

I congratulate originals for staying with their fandoms for long periods of time, but they’re not better than every new fan. A newbie could learn as much as an original knows and own as much merchandise. Fans should be ecstatic about anyone joining their fandom because it signifies a growing popularity.

There is no magical scale that measures how adequate a fan someone is, and there are no standards that true fans have to meet. If you consider yourself a true fan, then you are one. Nobody can tell you otherwise.

Every member of a fan base is a part of their base for the same reason, so why should they hate each other? There is no significant difference between new and true; a fan is a fan. So let’s end this imaginary battle and just enjoy the happy, makeshift families we call fandoms.