iReport — Flo DiBona© May 30, 2011For those who have never been hooked on a soap opera storyline, it may be difficult to understand the passion soap opera viewers, or Soapers, have for this genre.  Since the April 14th, 2011 All My Children and One Life To Live cancellation announcements by ABC, Soapers have been on fire to save these shows. Why the passion?  Shows have been cancelled before, even soap operas.  They are just shows.  What’s the big deal?  The answers to those questions lie in the stories themselves, the characters in them, and the stories of millions of fans who use these shows as tools to combat illness, disability, traumas, loneliness, stress, or to just take a breather.Soap storylines stretch the imagination beyond belief.  That is the beauty of them.  Where else can dead not mean dead, even with a bonafide body?  Only in the soap world!Soapers deal with reality twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. They like to give reality a break on weekdays for an hour or two when they can. Every day they are dealing with their responsibilities in this world.  They deal with the loss of loved ones, jobs, healthcare and homes; traumas suffered; illnesses they or loved ones are fighting; financial pressures; and job stress.  These stories provide a temporary break.  It doesn’t change the reality but it can help change and improve one’s perspective of it.The characters are more than those on a show that airs one, five, or even ten seasons on primetime television.  These characters and generations of these soap families have been inside viewers’ homes five days a week for many viewers’ entire lives.  They are also in the lives of their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, children and grandchildren.  Often, these characters deal with difficult social issues, becoming the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves and opening dialog on subjects previously difficult to broach. The real passion lies in the stories of Soapers themselves.  There are ...