Jackboot Fandom

Jackboot Fandom, a phrase out of the 1970s, doesn’t have a precise, agreed-upon definition, nor can we point to its exact origins. There’s consensus that it was used disparagingly, and most agree that it was applied to groups of drobes who liked to swagger around conventions in militaristic hall costumes, whether drawn from military SF, history or their own imaginations.

Many agree it specifically meant booted fans with right-wing mundane politics and an affirmative view of the fascist ideologies behind those costumes.

Others used it for officious, heavy-handed con security teams, whether costumed, like the Dorsai Irregulars, or not.

In that post-Vietnam era, many fans were disdainful of anything to do with soldiery or authoritarianism. Among those who took a dim view of the costumers was Mike Glyer, who gave a condemnatory speech on Jackboot Fandom at DeepSouthCon 18 in 1980.

Meanwhile, the Interstellar Mercenaries Guild, a club formed that year for fen who were veterans of the armed services, declared, “This will not be another ‘jackboot' fan group’....”

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Fanspeak

1970s—

This is a fanspeak page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was coined, whether it’s still in use, etc.