In this final part to Fanship Phenomenon you will read about the fan and antifan groups that have effected their peers. Many times the receiving end of obsessive fan behavior is celebrities, but it can and has spiraled to harm fellow fans. We would find it very normal to think that people with common interests would bond, but in some cases it sparks a sick version of competition. This imaginary contest to protect a celebrity or do due harm to a celebrity has lead to harassment, stalking, assault and for some worse. More »

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In my previous article, I touched base on how fans and antifans effect the lives of celebrities. Whether we file these actions under the Fan or AntiFan label, sometimes the outcome can be one in the same. In this article you will read how the constant obsessive behavior has led to greater expense and even cost some people their lives…

Cruelness does seem like a waste of effort for many, yet for some of these antifans it seems to be the only thing on their agenda. Rapper Jang Woo Hyuk (from H.O.T. / J.T.L) as well as singer Lee Minwoo (from Shinwha) both had antifans reserve tickets to performances. Therefore making them unavailable for purchase and subsequently the concerts were cancelled to poor attendee numbers. Singer ChaeYeon & Suju Member Heechul had to fight rumors that they were dating. No matter how Heechul openly denied and defended Chae Yeon it only seemed to energize more rumors and attacks. Couplings seem to fuel the best scandal. Several years ago Rain & Hyori were rumored to be sleeping together. Their closeness was linked to the many performances they were working on during award ceremony season. Yet people note Danny Ahn’s radio show when Kim Tae Woo asked Rain via phone convo if they were together. The rumor is JYPE studios covered up the radio broadcast by paying a member another band to expose himself on live TV, but Rain/JYPE filed a lawsuit against the people who kept printing these rumor and won in court. More »

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Stalking, harassment, breaking & entering, these are not alien situations in the lives of celebrities. Many times the guilty party is jailed because of this dangerous affinity with a popular entertainer. When does the love and admiration for talented people take a turn downward? Is there a fine line between fanaticism and dangerous obsession? The Fan-Girl phenomenon is something the US media only sees every decade or so. Usually these fan-ships are not negative, they’re maybe some casualties of concert crushing, but all in all for most it is a positive experience.

In the West, we can especially pinpoint times where popular musicians inspired a mass hysteria such as the 1950’s rise of Rock-n-roll, or The Beatles Invasion in the 1960’s. Even the clone Boy-Band wars of the late 80’s and early 90’s had their own obsessive fan groups. On a American daytime talk-show (Rachel Ray) a 33 year old female talked about her obsession with NKOTB. She stated very normally how she saved a half-drunken water bottle belonging to Jordan Knight for over 12 years. This bottle was stolen, by her, out of a hotel hallway that she snuck onto as a teenager. So loving a celebrity this way can become a way of life that lasts into adulthood. More »

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