It’s okay if you don’t like comic books. Sorry, graphic novels. Sheesh. When I was growing up we never had a lot money to spare. It’s not that we were poor, but it was more like a choice between comics or candy. (I’ve always had a sweet tooth.)
But now, when I hear people talking about this artist or that project, I’m a little jealous that I never got into that world. Occasionally, something will break through to the mainstream — like Watchmen or Sin City — and I feel totally left out of the loop. I can’t imagine how many talented people are out there that I’ve never heard of. (The amount of things I don’t know would stagger you.)
I was the kid who wanted to go the library on a sunny day in the summer. (Well, it was air-conditioned and free, unlike the movies.) Call me a word nerd. Some of my favourite memories are spending all Saturday searching through the piles in used book stores, looking for Ace Doubles of Philip K. Dick or filling out my Asimov Foundation timeline. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I pity you.)
I don’t judge. It doesn’t matter what you geek out about. It might be games, or movies, or — I don’t know — cooking. There are even sports geeks. (Not to be confused with sports fans who are mostly in it for the beer.) Everyone is different and has different interests. De gustibus non est disputandum.
We are moving away from a world where, for the most part, we shared one culture. New media is fragmenting audiences into smaller niche groups, with specific interests that might not be shared (or even known about) by the mainstream. This is why we have to learn to be accepting of everyone’s differences. Because underneath it all we are the same.
Also, I have eight dictionaries, three style guides, and two thesauri. Yes, that’s right, thesauri. Look it up.
Crazed recluse and sociophobe who has taken up writing after failing at everything else. Send pizza.
Verbatim Gibberish 