Inspiration for this bài viết goes to: loveissweet19, NateHeartSerena, eve_k, STEFIdi for the title, delenaluv, and HaleyDewit

Maybe it's because when I joined this spot, DE những người hâm mộ were only in the hundreds, but I can't help but feel immensely proud of how much we've grown, and of how passionate and perceptive and smart the Delena những người hâm mộ I've encountered are. Have bạn ever been on tumblr hoặc YouTube and read a bình luận bởi another DE người hâm mộ that bạn hadn't thought about before, but made bạn go: 'Wow! So true!' hoặc sometimes someone can tap into a feeling about DE that you'd felt before but weren't able to articulate. It's uncanny. 'I feel like I know bạn all personally just because bạn ship DE, how weird is that?' one người hâm mộ on YouTube posted.
But there's an ugly side too. I daresay some of bạn have been confronted with it at some point. Like the các bài viết that can be found on other spots bởi authors who paint an unflattering picture of the DE fanbase, villifying them, taunting them, labelling them as 'sick', 'rabid', downright freakish individuals who can't tell the difference between reality and fiction. As if that wasn't bad enough, they then state that the DE fanbase bullies other ships into submission, calling them horrible names, making their lives a misery, making it impossible for them to enjoy watching the hiển thị to the point where they want to quit, and generally calling DE the worst fanbase of the entire show.
The purpose of this bài viết is not to claim that Delena những người hâm mộ are perfect. I have personally never come across any of the examples listed above, but I'm sure that tragically, they sometimes occur. Nor do I wish to use this bài viết to retaliate against other ships. I just want to point out that some of their claims are unjust and perhaps unfounded. I hope it doesn't come across as ranting, but I think that enough is enough. I don't think it's fair that other spots can post endless các bài viết about why and how much they detest Delena and us, while we remain silent on the matter. Should we care about what they think? Perhaps not, but when it comes to the damage these 'hate attack' các bài viết can cause, then I think we should at least câu hỏi their views, because if we don't, they will just continue thinking the worst of us.

The first time I discovered a hate-fuelled bài viết on another spot, I was horrified. I clicked on it because it was about Delena, and I was curious about what the tác giả thought. I couldn't even chịu, gấu to read it all. The tác giả made no Bones about how much she despised Delena, and the fans. I looked at the các bình luận accompanying it. Most of them applauded her for telling the truth, and joined in with the bashing. I escaped back to the DE spot, as if I was fleeing for my life.
These các bài viết bạn might refer to as 'bashing' are what I call 'hate speech'. They sometimes look fairly innocuous on the outside, because they usually take the guise of something else. The tác giả may even feign innocence bởi professing the bài viết is 'not bashing!' But when bạn take a closer look, bạn realise that's exactly what it is. Upon closer examination, the author's true motives for publishing the article, along with their real feelings - come to light. Their intense hatred for Delena means it's not possible for them to write objectively.
'Hate speech' is potentially damaging for several reasons. 1.) bởi villifying Delena and the fans, the tác giả succeeds in causing people who already hate them, to hate them even more.
2). It increases feelings of discontent and dissatisfaction among the author's fanbase, thus making them ever thêm depressed, resentful and angry.
3.)It perpetuates shipper wars. Word gets around. Delena những người hâm mộ get wind of the article, are shocked, infuriated, and hate the tác giả of the article/fanbase, who hate us in return, and post another article...and so it goes on.

Hate speech is thêm than a rant. We might read something that upset us, and go to the rant thread to get it off our chest. It helps, we cool down...and forget about it. But các bài viết that bash another fanbase are a bit different. For one thing, the tác giả has to take the time and effort to write the article. And if he/she abhors Delena and the những người hâm mộ so much...then why would they even take the trouble to do that?? If I didn't enjoy nghề viết văn các bài viết for this spot, then I wouldn't bother to do it. One can only assume that the person who writes such các bài viết likes to write them. Which can only mean...they don't just HATE Delena. They ENJOY HATING THEM. I know that's a weird concept. If bạn hate something, then how can bạn enjoy it? I know it's confusing, but I don't see how bạn can explain it any other way.

Maybe Delena and the những người hâm mộ aren't always the root of the problem then. I'm not saying they never do anything to upset other shippers. I just can't help wondering if Delena would be such an issue if other ships weren't obsessed with hating them. Another thing that exacerbates it might have little to do with the fans, but how the tam giác is progressing in the show. After all this time, Stelena are no longer the golden, untouchable couple. I bet there are những người hâm mộ out there who shocked at this, because they never really believed that Delena could, hoặc would happen. But Delena are happening, and that has nothing to do with us. So they should be angry at the writers, not the những người hâm mộ hoặc even Delena. Am I trying to make excuses for the incidents when a DE người hâm mộ harrassed a Bamon/SE fan? Absolutely not. But nor can I - hoặc anyone here who wasn't directly involved - be held responsible for what happened. How can the majority of the DE fanbase be held to ransom for the actions of a stranger? So a select number of people who ship DE were nasty towards someone on-line, but that's not our fault. How can we be guilty for something we didn't do? I'm not claiming that we're perfect bởi any means, but nor do I think it's right that we're constantly portrayed as the the worst TVD fandom when every fandom has its share of 'bad apples'. Moreover, if the DE fanbase was as bad as other ships make us out to be, nobody would want to join. My appeal to anyone who thinks all Delena shippers are the same is, please think again. As for those who can't stand the fact that we tình yêu Delena, there's nothing they can do about it. They can hate us as much as they want. They can write as many các bài viết about it as they please. It won't change a thing. But the fact that they're so intent on hating Delena isn't our problem; it's their's. Why does it matter so much to them that we tình yêu DE? Why should they care, when they have their own ship? But again, the fact that they're obsessed with hating DE and anyone who ships them, isn't really our problem. Because everything is Delena. And nothing hurts.