How Voltaire Anticipated 'Stan' Culture

 by Jacob French

Voltaire

Unless you have been living under a rock in the past three to four years, it is quite obvious that ‘stan’ culture has been on the rise within social media, specifically Twitter, with a whole community forming called ‘stan Twitter’. For all those that have been living under a rock or for people who may have seen references to the culture but do not understand its origin, ‘stan’ is a slang term formed by the combination of the words ‘stalker’ and ‘fan’. The term was first coined by Eminem in his hit single ‘Stan’ which is a rap from the point of view of a very overbearing and fanatical fan who, out of spite for Eminem not replying to his letters, ties up his girlfriend, puts her into the trunk of his car and drives off of a bridge. This is, of course, a critique of the over-idolisation of a celebrity and, hence, the term ‘stan’ was formed.

‘Stan’ accounts on Twitter are accounts solely dedicated to idealising a celebrity or influencer. Their profile picture is usually of that figure, almost all of their posts will be about that person, and, a more recent development in ‘stan’ culture that has come into popularity is the creation of ’fan-cams’, a video montage of the celebrity or influencer they ‘stan’; all of this suggesting that the person they are idolising has become a part of their identity. Now most stan accounts are completely harmless and just want to show their support for that person. However, I have seen with my own eyes how this extreme fanaticism and zeal can turn toxic. From racial slurs aimed at public critics, to the denial of any wrongdoing from the person they ‘stan’, to just general obnoxiousness, it seems that fanaticism can lead to a very toxic environment, especially towards those who may think differently from the ‘stan’. Funnily enough, this concept was explored and heavily criticised 252 years ago, by François-Marie Arouet, most commonly known by his pen name, Voltaire.

A French philosopher in the Age of Enlightenment, Voltaire’s beliefs revolve around the ideas of freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the separation of the church and state. He was one of the main critics of the Roman Catholic Church, the only accepted religion in France at the time, discouraging the zeal it promoted because he believed fanaticism led to conflict, and religious conflict was the main source of evil in the world. After being banished from France for his criticism of the Catholic Church, Voltaire traveled to England where he wrote Letters Concerning the English Nation which praised British religious and political liberalism, helped forge the analogy of the apple falling from the tree which explained Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity, and enforced his distaste for the religious zeal within French society. 

I believe his most influential criticism of Catholic zeal came through in his Treatise on Tolerance. This work follows the trail of Jean Calais, a Protestant accused of killing his son Marc-Antoine to prevent his Catholic conversion. His son had actually committed suicide but the court, who were swayed by their Catholic bias and pressured by an angry Catholic mob who had spread rumours about the death of Marc-Antoine, tortured Calais until he admitted to a crime which there was no evidence he committed. Voltaire was deeply moved and angered that an innocent life had been taken by fanaticism, stating ‘There are about forty millions of inhabitants in Europe who are not members of the Church of Rome; should we say to every one of them, 'Sir, since you are infallibly damned, I shall neither eat, converse, nor have any connections with you?'’, a quote that rings true today when looking into the negatives of Stan culture. 

The fanaticism around stan culture today draws very clear parallels to the fanaticism within French society in the 18th century: obviously, less physically violent but the verbal violence is definitely comparable, being made easier through the formation of social media which brings out more hostile attitudes because we can hide behind a computer or phone screen. I believe stan culture creates a very toxic environment within social media because, in the words of Voltaire ’It seems as if fanaticism, which had been affronted by the success of reason in the recent past, struggled even more angrily under the yoke of rationality’; becoming infatuated with an influencer or celebrity will lead one to become irrational, causing these cases of disgusting behavior mentioned previously.

Overall, it is very obvious that 252 years later there is still much to take from Voltaire’s criticisms of religious zeal. Although western society has progressed dramatically in religious liberalism since the 18th century, new forms of fanaticism have surfaced and I believe we need to be reminded of their dangers.