Peter Rosenberg’s case brings up some pretty crucial questions about the labeling of fandoms and who is qualified to do the labeling. It can be especially sensitive with subcultures created by oppressed minority groups. Rosenberg’s feud with Nicki Minaj brings to question who is qualified to judge the authenticity of a work. Rosenberg’s identity as a white male had Minaj questioning his qualifications to judge her songs as “not rap” and angry for putting down a black female rapper. The underlying claims Minaj seems to be posing in her statement against Rosenberg is that only black people, people apart of the creation of the subculture, are allowed to judge its authenticity, and no matter how much you’re invested in the subculture, you don’t have a say if you’re not apart of the original culture that created it. Overall, that mindset seems rather problematic because of its basis on exclusivity. In a time when we’re trying to be inclusive of all people, it seems that often that inclusivity is conditional. Only if you behave a certain way, only if you have certain characteristics, etc. can you be included into the subculture or fandom. However it also the other way around. Often people only accept subcultures conditionally much like Rosenberg pointed out with white people liking Eminem. The gatekeeping of a genre or subculture, remind me of the gatekeepers to a fandom. Often fans who have been with the fandom for longer act as gatekeepers to the fandom and exclude newer fans with the belief that their passion and love is ingenuine or insufficient.
- Lilian