"Not a Fan"

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During lunch I wondered when the phrase not a fan became a negative, even mildly derogatory one.

Context: First, reading a piece in The New Yorker about Lady GaGa. Then, returning to the office I noticed a friend of mine from the early 80s had become a fan of Lady GaGa on FaceBook today. I said outloud, "I'm not a fan."

Then it struck me. I'm simply not a fan.

I don't belittle people who are. I don't dislike her. I don't hope she fails. I don't hope all her fans see the folly of their ways and move on to say, Bernadette Peters (of whom I must admit, I am a huge fan!) It was simply "I'm not a fan," which in my book still carries a neutral tone.

Fan: "an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc."

Yet on FaceBook, the opposite phenomena often occurs: Some people become a fan of everything, everybody, every place, every business, every cause, every elected official, every cute movement, every snappy phrase du jour, etc. that catches their fancy when they see it pop up on someone else's list. These folks spread their fandom over such a wide net that it really doesn't seem to mean much. I personally am not a fan of going gaga over fanning.

(Sure on FB some things have slipped under my radar in a warm fuzzy moment and I have fanned them, but I have resisted becoming a fan of many things that I actually like.)

Hmmmm... when people fan things they only marginally care about, then the phrase "not a fan" for those people could easily and logically have a negative connotation--because for those people "fan" = "like."

Okay. Maybe I get it now. Or not.

Meanwhile, I guess we have to look to tone of said phrase, context of usage and FaceBook fanning habits to determine its intended meaning.

If I were in the same room as Bernadette Peters, it would be hard for me not to go gaga over her. Perhaps I should become a fan of her on FB.

Cheers!
,m