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The Five Stages of Young Thug Fandom
DenialThis stage includes feelings of shock, numbness, and disbelief. When you hear Young Thug for the first time, most of us have a hard time believing “This is really happening"; "Is this rapping? Singing? I don't even know". It’s not that we‘re denying that Young Thug is a genius ahead of his time, but rather, it’s a sense of “I just can’t believe people like this”.
The feelings of this stage of fandom protect us; If we were to take in all the emotion related to hearing Young Thug right away it would be too overwhelming. Instead, our body and mind have little time to adjust to the way things are now having heard Young Thugs music.
Eventually, we may begin asking questions such as, “How did this happen?” or “Why?” or "You can't even understand what he says! What is he saying?". This is a sign that we are moving out of the denial phase and into the feeling and acceptance process.
Anger
Anger can present itself in a variety of ways—anger at your loved one, at others, at God (Young Thug), at the world, at yourself. Some will express anger easily and toward anyone or anything ("Stop talking about young thug!"), but many of us will suppress the anger instead, keeping it bottled up or even turning it inward, toward ourselves ("I can’t believe I don’t like Young Thug. I'm so angry at myself!").
But anger is a natural response to Young Thug Fandom. If we’re able to identify and label our anger, it can help us express it in healthier ways that don’t hurt others or ourselves. Saying, “I’m angry,” and letting yourself feel that anger is part of the process.
Bargaining
With bargaining, there’s a sense that we just want life back to the way it used to be. We wish we could go back in time, before we heard Young Thug, see something we didn’t see (every time he dresses himself, it goes motherfucking viral).
We may also feel guilty, focusing on “If only…” ("Maybe I should have listened to more of his tracks? Maybe after repeated listens I would have understood what he was saying" or "If only I hadn't listened to Rich Gangs 'Lifestyle' maybe I wouldn't be feeling like this").
If the discovery of Young Thug was sudden, we may wish we could go back in time and change things. Bargaining keeps us focused on the past so we don’t have to feel the emotions of the present. But bargaining can be helpful too. Once we accept that Young Thug has been heard, we can use bargaining to ease our minds; bargaining can help us focus on the future.
Depression
Eventually Young Thug fandom will enter on a deeper level, bringing with it intense feelings of emptiness and sadness. We feel like we don’t care about much of anything and wish life would just hurry up and pass on by. Getting out of bed can be a huge burden, exhaustion and apathy can set in, and we may begin to wonder, “What’s the point? Why even listen to music? There isn’t any instruments or anything in this stuff”.
This part of the Young Thug fandom process can last for some time—there’s no set “time limit” for the emotions of Young Thug fandom. So be patient with yourself, and remember that feeling the “depression” is the way out of it.
Acceptance
The experience of “depression” is what leads to “acceptance”. Many people mistakenly believe that “acceptance” means we are “cured” or “all right” with having heard Young Thug, but this isn’t the case at all. You aren't just OK with having heard him, you are positively excited by the fact. You have had an epiphany; Young Thug will forever be a part of you.
Acceptance simply means we are ready to try and move on—to accommodate ourselves to this world with Young Thug. This process can actually bring us closer to him as we make sense of how life was before we knew him and process how we want life now to be with his music in it. You will start to like Rich Gangs "Lifestyle" more than any song you have ever heard; you will even notice how his presence on a T.I. track 'makes' the record. You will buy copius amounts of Merchandise and tell strangers about your love of Young Thug.
This is the end of the five stages; when you make it here you will never look at life the same again. You have truly blossomed. Congratulations.
If you or someone you love is suffering through the stages of acceptance of Young Thug Fandom, please direct them here. Let's make the process as smooth as possible; its natural and normal for them to have the feelings they are having. Enlightenment isn't easy and they will feel blessed by the sheer excellence of Young Thug.
