Shipping and noshipping

[msl at fc.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 11155

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Rita Winston" <catlady at w...> wrote:

> 
> But I also find distasteful the no-shipping arguments that assert 
> that things like "they're only 14", "they're going to go through a 
> lot of stuff that can change their personalities, and some of 
> them might die", and "Muggles hardly ever marry someone they met in 
> junior high" are adequate reasons to avoid gossip and speculation. 
> And the argument that 'whatever JKR writes in her books is the way 
> it truly happens' doesn't even qualify as a true statement.

As far as *this* noshipper is concerned, the point is not to 
discourage speculation and gossip; the point is to explain why I 
don't feel compelled to pant after or lobby for one pairing of 
characters or another.  I don't want to discourage anybody else from 
doing so.

<risking heat> For that matter, I don't think it quite qualifies as 
shipping unless you've decided that you *want* to see two(or more) 
characters together.  To merely read the words JKR wrote and 
say, "Aha!  I see evidence that Ron likes Hermione!" isn't quite 
shipping.  That's just reading.  OTOH, to say, "Aha!  See this 
evidence that Hermione reciprocates Ron's affection?  In your face, 
SS H/H!!" *is* shipping.  :-)

But there might be an intermediate state, too.  For example, what if 
someone reads the books for signs of potential romance and argues for 
the likelihood of a pairing based on textual evidence?  This person 
isn't saying "I *want* so-and-so to match up with so-and-so because 
they seem right for each other/because that satisfies my drama 
jones;" rather, he's saying, "I think this will happen in the future 
for reasons x,y,z."  Is that shipping?  What if the purpose of these 
reasearch is a wager, say...."Ten galleons on H/H before the end of 
book 6!"  Is that shipping or just goofiness? 

The last questions interests me because I wonder if adopting the 
label "noshipper" means I'm not supposed to speculate *at all* about 
the romantic interests of the characters, or if it just means that I 
haven't taken up a particular match as my cause.  I lean towards the 
latter definition simply because I *am* curious, and I *do* care 
about the characters' emotions and so on, othewise the books would be 
less fun.

How about this analogy; I see the noshipper fan as a kind of literary 
sports analyst, watching the game and trying to understand the play 
and possibily even predict/infer the outcome without actually rooting 
for a particular team/outcome.  It's like watching a game between 
teams neither of whom is *your* team, so you don't have to be fully 
invested in the outcome and instead you just cheer whenever you see a 
good play.

marvin