As you have read before, I have been in the comics game for quite a while. I am quite invested in it. Through the store and conventions I have been exposed to quite bit of different fandom. Sadly for most of my life I had to keep on the downlow because it was not “cool” to like the things that I did. They were considered either childish or stupid by many people. In the present day, it is now fashionable to be nerdy. Superhero movies are making millions to billions of dollars. TV shows are based off comics. It is now a golden age for people like us.
With this being said, I find some of the things going on today fairly irksome. The first thing is that people are still gun-shy about letting other people know what they actually like. For this I blame the current climate of social media. Where people can hide behind an avatar and bully someone for just liking something. I understand that not everybody likes the same stuff but people do not have to be ridiculed for liking something different. I see it all the time in the store and it saddens me. I am not under the illusion that I am “cool”. I am far from it. I like everything from comics, B-movies, and Kaiju movies and TV shows. I will always listen to someone who really into something even if it is something I do not like. My ideal is that I might learn something. People are becoming ignorant in the own small little world so they lash out at anyone who does not like the same thing. That is what I find wrong with social media. I know I cannot change the world but I would like to change a few minds to make it a little better.
Let me give you examples. One of the other managers was talking about the Netflix Ultraman anime. He saw how excited I got about the show. He knows I love guys in rubber suits beating the crap out each other. So I would like to think that my excitement spurred him on to watch it. The biggest example I can give you is the relationship between my associate Dawn and I. I cannot speak for her but I can say that I am actually a better person because of her. I learned a plethora of things from her. Everything from movies, TV and music. These examples I use are to show you how even though people like different things than you, you can still learn something you may have known existed.
Another thing that really bothers me is the image of the comic store as an elitist bastion. Shows like the Big Bang Theory do not help that image. I know that there are stores out there that are the “good ole boy” stores where you have to be in the know to even mention something. At least in my store I try to listen to everyone. Noted I might not like the same things or agree with a certain point of view but at least I listen. I may sometimes come off as aloof. For that I apologize. It is not meant to come off that way. Yet you do have to remember that someone may not agree with you and is being respectful of your opinion. Please be respectful of their opinion as well.
Lastly my biggest problem is how women are treated. I see things that happen on social media and it angers me to no end. This makes some women not want to interact with anyone in a store for fear of being railed on. This is unacceptable in my opinion. I really do not care what gender you are if you want to talk comics with me. Hell, ladies I would love to hear from you. I can only listen to fart and wiener jokes for so long. Most of the people I follow on Twitter that teach me something or make me smile are women. The more people regardless of sex or gender in our industry the better. The more opinions the better. Maybe people will be a little less ignorant.
Once again I rambled on for far too long. This just has been something that has been bothering me for quite a bit. I love all the stuff that I am into. I also appreciate all those who have shown me new things that I now love. I just wish that more people would be a little more open to differing opinions or even something new. Learning something new makes you a better person and with that hopefully a better world. I know I might be tilting at windmills but at least I gave it the old college try. I just want people to read and love comics and other fandom as much as I do.
Thank you for listening to this idiot ramble.