a) Tribalism is weaponized fandom OR b) Fandom is sublimated tribalism I used to believe b, but I now believe a. Also fandom is displaced fancy (as in hobby). From X to people-who-are-also-into-X Fancy -(displace)-> fandom -(weaponize)-> tribalism
fan is abbreviation of fanatic. admirers and fanciers are not true fans. fanaticism is weaponized identification. if you think of yourself as fundamentally being composed of external objects you're a fanatic for those objects and will treat as if they are your own self.