We all know those people. People who declare, usually angrily,
that they liked this band before they were popular. They they read that book
before it became a bestseller. That they liked
that actor before they were famous.
And they get all annoyed when other people jump on the bandwagon and love whatever-it-is too. I can’t understand
this. Why wouldn’t you want other people to love what you love? Why would you
want to go it alone? Don’t you want to share that passion and excitement with
others?
I have this terrible habit of falling (hard) for TV shows
that get cancelled. Moonlight, Farscape,
Veronica Mars, Pushing Daisies, Firefly... The list goes on and on. They
were all cancelled too soon and I would have loved for more people, lots of people, to have loved them too.
But sadly their fandoms were too small, or too late (see Moonlight).
Being a part of a fandom is like surfing a wave*. If you’re
early, you’re out there on your own, arms in the air, super excited about that thing—telling anyone who will listen
about how great it is. Or maybe you’re intensely secretive about it. It’s your
beloved thing—that no one else knows about yet. It’s a thrilling experience to
be ahead of the curve, but a lonely one. Whereas, if you join the wave later,
you’re surrounded by other people to share the experience with—you discover more.
Then there’s the over-saturation point. You missed the
wave and are trying to catch up to everyone but you’re under the water, your
voice drowned out. You’re too late—no one wants to hear about whatever-it-is anymore.
Of course there’s also the hatred for fandoms. If you’re riding
high on the wave, others try to knock you down, tell you what you love isn’t
worth bleep. They fight you simply because you’re up there, riding your wave,
having fun. It’s sad. Can’t we just love what we love in peace?
So I ask you: is fandom a dirty word? Or are you proud of the
things you're passionate about with no time for haters? What fandom are you a part of? No judgement here!
*Disclaimer: whilst I’m Australian and grew up around
beaches, I by no means claim to be a surfer, or knowledgeable about surfing, or
knowledgeable about anything to do with the ocean, really… So accept my
metaphor at your own risk…
