Loving your idol is a no-brainer
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, July 29, 2013
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Young people crave for autograph of their hero during a fans meeting in Shanghai. |
The new buzzword "disabled brains" describes obsessed fans who send their idols everything from homemade jam to racing cars.
Chinese fans love their idols unconditionally. They are united like a cult, ready at any time and any place to defend and fight for their heroes. Any "slander" or criticism of their darlings can cause ugly fights and online "holy wars." They swear to die for their idols.
One pop star's obsessed fan recently burned copies of a Shanghai newspaper on the street, all because of one sentence: "She has many supporters and also some antis." The fans argued their idol has no "antis." Everyone loves her.
They are the nao can fen (literally the "disabled brain fans"), the latest buzzword to describe the fanatics who adore, worship, pursue and ferociously defend their celebrity idols - and often stop at nothing to express their loyalty.
They are overwhelmingly emotional young girls and women who want dream lovers.
Using their savings or their parents' money, they send gifts - from flowers, homemade jams, watermelons, CDs, arts and crafts to tailor-made suits, electronic gadgets, jewelry, even an occasional racing car or apartment.
In mid-July, a 15-year-old girl posted a photo of a new apartment in Beijing on her blog and claimed she was going to present it as a gift to Fu Xinbo, second runner-up at 2007 "My Hero" talent show, at a fans meeting.
In March, a teenage girl in Beijing vowed online that she would send a 100,000-yuan (US$16,290) car as a gift to Taiwanese pop singer and actor Show Lo. "It's just a big toy. If he refuses, I will smash the car," she said in an interview.
The star once thanked his female fans by taking a bath together with them; their pictures were taken in the bath. Stars' up-close interactions with fans are known as providing fans' "benefits" and reciprocating fans' signs of affection and spending. This can include handshakes, personalized autographs, dinner together, an hour in the star's presence.
"People, not only crazed fans, need an ideal and flawless object to follow and to look up to," says Cheng Jie from Zhen He Psychological Consultation Center in Shanghai. "At the same time, some are trying to keep a tight and close relationship with their idol, through which they hope they too can become perfect."
In early life, children tend to regard their parents as ideals and models. By obtaining parents' approval, they gradually develop their own sense of identity and values, Cheng says. As a person matures and learns more about reality, he or she goes through a process of de-idealizing.
Idealizing - unrealistically admiring someone or some thing - goes on for a lifetime. If someone is satisfied with a "realistic ideal" at a relatively early age, he or she might not get carried away in the future. If not, the pursuit of an ideal goes on. For "brainless fans," the ideals tend to be film, TV drama and pop music stars.
"It's psychological projection," says sociologist Gu Xiaoming from Fudan University, who agrees with Cheng. "Put simply, they think, 'I'm not good enough, I'm inadequate but my idol is perfect and has all the qualities that I lack. By worshipping him, I can obtain self-satisfaction and acknowledgement."
Fiona Feng, 28, flew all the way from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to Shanghai a week ago to join the fans' meeting of a 25-year-old Japanese actor. Feng only spoke to Shanghai Daily on condition that the star was not identified.
She arrived two days in advance, just to be on the safe side. "We didn't know which flight he would take, so we waited from 6am to late afternoon at the airport," she says.
Feng was among 300 fans who created chaos.
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