I love fandom. But I hate some of the more sheep-like aspects of it, the 'gotta get it now!' mentality of the latest Big Cool Thing, and then the sectarian nuttiness of various factions squabbling over its interpretations.
I never watched "Firefly", so I cannot comment on "Serenity". I don't own a Harry Potter book, and probably never will. I read (and was terribly bored by) Tolkein, and only saw the first two films because all the battles were so damn tiresome. The majority of SF & F is aimed at adolescent boys, and all the overhyped battles in many of the media is aimed straight at this 'precious' demographic. (I never understood why young males are more 'valuable' than all the rest of us, but it seems that a lot of what we see, hear, and endure 'out in the world' is aimed at them, poor taste and all. But that's another rant...)
I used to be a True Believer™, and my religion of choice was Star Trek. I ate, slept and breathed the show, and no one could convince me otherwise that anything about it or its characters, books, movies, conventions, etc was foolish or slightly nutty. When Next Generation ended, so did my interest in the series. I quit buying the books, going to the conventions, writing the fanfic, and being a fangirl. I still like it, but the thought of forking over $500 to own the original and Next Generation series on DVD has kept me from returning to it, even in a nostalgic way.
I now see both sides of the issue. I understand the passion of the True Believer ™ in the series/story of their dreams, and I understand the "Guys, it's just a TV show, book, movie, etc." point of view. I dwell somewhere in the middle. I've been drawn into the Battlestar Galactica universe, but only enough to enjoy the show. I haven't joined any chat boards, or written any fic, or gone to any conventions featuring the show and its characters. I am aware of the schism in the fandom over the 'old' versus 'new' storyline, and understand both sides.
I see where you're coming from, but I can also understand the 'incoming missiles' of the True Believers ™ that might be launched at you for daring to tell them that their Fanboy Emperors are buck nekkid, and have pimples on their asses. They'll understand someday... maybe.
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I love fandom. But I hate some of the more sheep-like aspects of it, the 'gotta get it now!' mentality of the latest Big Cool Thing, and then the sectarian nuttiness of various factions squabbling over its interpretations.
I never watched "Firefly", so I cannot comment on "Serenity". I don't own a Harry Potter book, and probably never will. I read (and was terribly bored by) Tolkein, and only saw the first two films because all the battles were so damn tiresome. The majority of SF & F is aimed at adolescent boys, and all the overhyped battles in many of the media is aimed straight at this 'precious' demographic. (I never understood why young males are more 'valuable' than all the rest of us, but it seems that a lot of what we see, hear, and endure 'out in the world' is aimed at them, poor taste and all. But that's another rant...)
I used to be a True Believer™, and my religion of choice was Star Trek. I ate, slept and breathed the show, and no one could convince me otherwise that anything about it or its characters, books, movies, conventions, etc was foolish or slightly nutty. When Next Generation ended, so did my interest in the series. I quit buying the books, going to the conventions, writing the fanfic, and being a fangirl. I still like it, but the thought of forking over $500 to own the original and Next Generation series on DVD has kept me from returning to it, even in a nostalgic way.
I now see both sides of the issue. I understand the passion of the True Believer ™ in the series/story of their dreams, and I understand the "Guys, it's just a TV show, book, movie, etc." point of view. I dwell somewhere in the middle. I've been drawn into the Battlestar Galactica universe, but only enough to enjoy the show. I haven't joined any chat boards, or written any fic, or gone to any conventions featuring the show and its characters. I am aware of the schism in the fandom over the 'old' versus 'new' storyline, and understand both sides.
I see where you're coming from, but I can also understand the 'incoming missiles' of the True Believers ™ that might be launched at you for daring to tell them that their Fanboy Emperors are buck nekkid, and have pimples on their asses. They'll understand someday... maybe.