For the past two and a half years, I've kept a close eye on this fandom. I've rarely interacted with any of the members - mainly because I view a vast majority of them as extremely combative: including, and with added emphasis, the moderators.
For most of my time here, I've witnessed extremely vile and hateful discourse between fans of the show and critics of the show. There are virtually no members who are objective, and even the ones that sound somewhat objective are firmly biased in one direction or the other and occasionally devolve into the same kind of vitriol as the more egregious members.
In this sense, the RWBY wiki has been composed of equal parts rabid, pro-RT zealots and toxic, anti-RT haters. Every discussion, no matter how innocuous, has been permeated by this discourse to some degree.
Of late, however, the moderators (who fall firmly in the pro-RT zealot camp) have used a new system of rules to begin to ban (and eventually permaban) all critics from the forums. While this will, indeed, end the vitriol I spoke of, it will inevitably turn these forums into a mindless parade of unending praise and worship. Thus, the RWBY fandom has become - by definition - a tribalistic cult where dissent is treated as heresy and condemned. And, therefore, freedom of speech here has been abrogated.
I had hoped that eventually the two sides would become more tempered and a more principled, moderate group would rise up and become the majority - but alas - it seems that the forums have succumbed and cannot be saved. There can no longer be any possibility of meaningful discussion.
Consequently, I will no longer be taking part in any further observation or discussion here, nor will I be keeping up with the show any further. Any work that produces a fanbase this toxic clearly isn't worth watching or examining. In truth, I regret ever watching RWBY or immersing myself in the degeneracy that it spawned in its wake.
The tragedy is that the RWBY fandom has done permanent and irreparable damage to the show itself and to its viewer base. It's impossible for fair-minded, good-hearted folks to take part in a viewership so tribal and so full of hate. I believe that if the fandom were more civil, the RWBY viewership would be far more robust and RT would be far more prosperous. But, unfortunately, the stain of this fandom will forever scar the show.
Goodbye to you all. I hope you find a way out of the black hole that's swallowed you. Peace and love.
❤️