I'm amazed at how in 2013 there is still so much hate and controversy over things that bring so much joy to others. At the same time, I also am amazed that some people can be so obsessed with something so trivial. Whether it's homophobic people ranting and raving that men are watching My Little Pony, or parents complaining that video games are too violent and should be banned, or even anime fans that walk around daily in costumes that aren't exactly normal looking. It's one thing to be a fan or not be a fan of something. It's another thing when your obsession starts running your life or your hatred starts infringing on the rights of others.
Maybe I should start with giving a basis of what I'm a fan of. To name a few of my favorite things, I play video games of all different sorts, I'm a bigger fan of Star Trek than I am of Star Wars, I watch and enjoy Doctor Who, How I Met Your Mother, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, as well as numerous Japanese animations, particularly Neon Genesis Evangelion, Slayers, Ranma 1/2, and a multitude of others. Outside the geek realm, I'm a fan of American muscle cars, a guitarist, and I enjoy building things out of wood whenever I get the materials and the need for it. Basically, I'm all across the board, and that's okay. Having things you enjoy, regardless of how different they are from each other or how strange they are to others is fine. I have one friend that is into anime as well, but his favorite genre is different from mine. He likes the cute girl 'moe' anime. Yet, he's also an avid Jeep fan, enjoying mudding and off-roading as well. I don't judge him based on either, because he's a good guy and what he enjoys on his free time is his own business.
The problem with some people is they take things too far. Being a fan of something is one thing, but being so obsessed with anything that it begins to change your everyday routine, or even the way you prefer to look and talk, isn't healthy. The bigger problem is as you start flaunting it around, other people who may not be fans yet get a wrong idea in their head and don't want to be lumped in with that type of person. Another friend of mine a while ago said the reason he didn't get into My Little Pony is because when it came out, a bunch of his other friends bombarded him with so many images and posts about it, that he became sick of it without even watching an episode. And I agree with him. Had my friends all slapped me in the face with MLP stuff, I probably wouldn't have watched it either.
Then there's the other extreme. Those that just don't understand it or grow so much hatred towards it because of the above people that they feel compelled to delete it from existence. I mainly see this with parents and video games. A kid shoots someone and they find a few first person shooters in his room and believe 100% that the game was the cause of his misdeed. I would like to clarify this now. Video games are like a drug. Like any drug, eventually you have to take more and more in order to feel the same 'high' as you did the first time you took it. With video games however, there really isn't an over-dosing problem. One of two things can happen if you don't change what's causing you to escape into video games. Either you will play a game for so long without taking a break that you will die, or no matter how much you play it doesn't seem like enough. That's what causes people to snap. The drug no longer works. Think of it like a bad acid trip...that one bad thought enters your head and suddenly the fireplace is burning down the house, the TV has ghosts in it, and that time you took lunch money from an underclassman now has you being pulled apart by cafeteria chicken fingers. Also, parents, if you have a 12 year old kid, don't buy them a game rated M. If you used a little less energy trying to ruin everything for everyone that is old enough to purchase an M rated game, and instead parented your child by ensuring that they were getting games suitable for your child, we'd all be a little happier. They want to whine about not getting God of War or Grand Theft Auto? Too bad...be a parent first, and a friend second. That's your job. The reason those games are rated M is because they require a slightly older mindset...one that can easily separate reality from fiction.
Here's the thing. It's great that you found something you enjoy, regardless of whether it's a TV show, a sport, an activity, or even religion (I'll get into that topic in it's own post later). And it's great that you want to share you're new discovery with the world to get more people to enjoy it with you so you can talk and laugh and sing and dance about it. But understand that there are people that aren't as much of a fan as you are. They may just watch an episode when they can and be on their way. I see my parents do this with American Idol. They like watching it because it's entertaining. But when it comes down to who's who, they don't care about everyone's 'tragic' backstory. They just want to hear the people sing and when the season is over, they move on and forget who won in 3 or 4 days. So when you find something you like, just enjoy it. Ask if anyone else has seen it, but don't slam your Facebook wall with pictures and quotes from the show so much that all your friends are flooded with it in their news stream. Trust me, as a casual fan of Doctor Who, even I get sick of seeing 1000 pictures of Doctor Who stuff on my news feed every day.
The same goes in reverse. Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone. Inform your friends that you don't want to be involved in anything related. My friend that doesn't like MLP? I make it so he can't see my MLP posts whenever I post them. He also understands that one may slip through the cracks occasionally, and he's not going to rag me for it. He just scrolls past.
So here's a proposal. If you don't understand something, ask someone that is a fan. If you hate something because of the people that take the fandom too far, then inform them that they are taking something too far. If you are not a fan of something, as long as it doesn't take away your freedom and rights, then just ignore it. And to you fans, tone it down a bit...some of you a lot. And don't just sit there. Add to your community. The one thing I do enjoy most about the Brony community is that so many people add to it. Whether it's fan music, animation, stories, whatever, there are tons of people out there adding to the community so that there is more of it to enjoy. Do this with your fandom. There are 1000 ways to add to a fandom, regardless of what it is. Even if you don't have a special talent that you know of, even organizing gatherings of like-minded individuals is helping bring people together so that friends are formed. Or doing what you normally do for a good cause. Cosplay for a Cause is great. Not only is it hot girls in scantily clad outfits, but it goes towards charity. And all they had to do was what they normally do. Cosplay and get their pictures taken.
What's your fandom, or something you can't stand? I'd love to hear about it below.
Maybe I should start with giving a basis of what I'm a fan of. To name a few of my favorite things, I play video games of all different sorts, I'm a bigger fan of Star Trek than I am of Star Wars, I watch and enjoy Doctor Who, How I Met Your Mother, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, as well as numerous Japanese animations, particularly Neon Genesis Evangelion, Slayers, Ranma 1/2, and a multitude of others. Outside the geek realm, I'm a fan of American muscle cars, a guitarist, and I enjoy building things out of wood whenever I get the materials and the need for it. Basically, I'm all across the board, and that's okay. Having things you enjoy, regardless of how different they are from each other or how strange they are to others is fine. I have one friend that is into anime as well, but his favorite genre is different from mine. He likes the cute girl 'moe' anime. Yet, he's also an avid Jeep fan, enjoying mudding and off-roading as well. I don't judge him based on either, because he's a good guy and what he enjoys on his free time is his own business.
The problem with some people is they take things too far. Being a fan of something is one thing, but being so obsessed with anything that it begins to change your everyday routine, or even the way you prefer to look and talk, isn't healthy. The bigger problem is as you start flaunting it around, other people who may not be fans yet get a wrong idea in their head and don't want to be lumped in with that type of person. Another friend of mine a while ago said the reason he didn't get into My Little Pony is because when it came out, a bunch of his other friends bombarded him with so many images and posts about it, that he became sick of it without even watching an episode. And I agree with him. Had my friends all slapped me in the face with MLP stuff, I probably wouldn't have watched it either.
Then there's the other extreme. Those that just don't understand it or grow so much hatred towards it because of the above people that they feel compelled to delete it from existence. I mainly see this with parents and video games. A kid shoots someone and they find a few first person shooters in his room and believe 100% that the game was the cause of his misdeed. I would like to clarify this now. Video games are like a drug. Like any drug, eventually you have to take more and more in order to feel the same 'high' as you did the first time you took it. With video games however, there really isn't an over-dosing problem. One of two things can happen if you don't change what's causing you to escape into video games. Either you will play a game for so long without taking a break that you will die, or no matter how much you play it doesn't seem like enough. That's what causes people to snap. The drug no longer works. Think of it like a bad acid trip...that one bad thought enters your head and suddenly the fireplace is burning down the house, the TV has ghosts in it, and that time you took lunch money from an underclassman now has you being pulled apart by cafeteria chicken fingers. Also, parents, if you have a 12 year old kid, don't buy them a game rated M. If you used a little less energy trying to ruin everything for everyone that is old enough to purchase an M rated game, and instead parented your child by ensuring that they were getting games suitable for your child, we'd all be a little happier. They want to whine about not getting God of War or Grand Theft Auto? Too bad...be a parent first, and a friend second. That's your job. The reason those games are rated M is because they require a slightly older mindset...one that can easily separate reality from fiction.
Here's the thing. It's great that you found something you enjoy, regardless of whether it's a TV show, a sport, an activity, or even religion (I'll get into that topic in it's own post later). And it's great that you want to share you're new discovery with the world to get more people to enjoy it with you so you can talk and laugh and sing and dance about it. But understand that there are people that aren't as much of a fan as you are. They may just watch an episode when they can and be on their way. I see my parents do this with American Idol. They like watching it because it's entertaining. But when it comes down to who's who, they don't care about everyone's 'tragic' backstory. They just want to hear the people sing and when the season is over, they move on and forget who won in 3 or 4 days. So when you find something you like, just enjoy it. Ask if anyone else has seen it, but don't slam your Facebook wall with pictures and quotes from the show so much that all your friends are flooded with it in their news stream. Trust me, as a casual fan of Doctor Who, even I get sick of seeing 1000 pictures of Doctor Who stuff on my news feed every day.
The same goes in reverse. Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone. Inform your friends that you don't want to be involved in anything related. My friend that doesn't like MLP? I make it so he can't see my MLP posts whenever I post them. He also understands that one may slip through the cracks occasionally, and he's not going to rag me for it. He just scrolls past.
So here's a proposal. If you don't understand something, ask someone that is a fan. If you hate something because of the people that take the fandom too far, then inform them that they are taking something too far. If you are not a fan of something, as long as it doesn't take away your freedom and rights, then just ignore it. And to you fans, tone it down a bit...some of you a lot. And don't just sit there. Add to your community. The one thing I do enjoy most about the Brony community is that so many people add to it. Whether it's fan music, animation, stories, whatever, there are tons of people out there adding to the community so that there is more of it to enjoy. Do this with your fandom. There are 1000 ways to add to a fandom, regardless of what it is. Even if you don't have a special talent that you know of, even organizing gatherings of like-minded individuals is helping bring people together so that friends are formed. Or doing what you normally do for a good cause. Cosplay for a Cause is great. Not only is it hot girls in scantily clad outfits, but it goes towards charity. And all they had to do was what they normally do. Cosplay and get their pictures taken.
What's your fandom, or something you can't stand? I'd love to hear about it below.
I don't even know what i'm a fan of anymore actually. It's kinda sad.
ReplyDeleteBecause honestly.
Being a fan of something, if anything at all is something to do, and enjoy.
and it's something to talk about when not doing it.
Communicating with someone, when you don't really have anything you are majorly interested in is just really awkward.
I'll never be the kind to flaunt what I enjoy.
But on some level, perhaps it's good to show what you enjoy, just not excessively.
If anyone berates someone for posting something about what they enjoy in life, every once in a while.
Then those people are probably just jealous that they don't actually have anything that they enjoy on "that" level of enjoyment.
Then what you should probably do is start exploring as much as you can. Watch more TV, play more games, read more books. Do something you've never done before. And don't care what other people think about your enjoyment into it. Let all your inhibitions go, and let out that inner child. Don't force it, let it come naturally. If you are doing something and suddenly you start laughing or smiling uncontrollably, let it happen. When you find it, find people that enjoy the same thing as you, whether online or in real life. Sometimes, it's what you need in order to release that extra energy that physical exertion doesn't. Having something to geek out over gives you something that no matter how down you are, will pick you up and make you happy.
Delete