On May 19th,
2015 , several Facebook friends posted an article about Simon Pegg (http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2015/05/19/we-must-accept-simon-pegg-as-the-king-of-the-geeks). In an interview he talked about how many
adults are consuming childish things: superheroes, comic books and the
like. He wondered if this was an
infantilzation of Western Culture. He later referred to the more intellectual
work of genre fiction; his examples were Ex Machina and Mad Max: Fury Road
I had been in a situation where I was belittled for
enjoying, video games, comic books, superheroes, and animation. When I left, I re-claimed those things. The reclaiming of my geeky passions was a way
for me to reclaim my identity. If you
were to see where I live, you would see my superhero action figures and other
geeky/nerdy merchandise. Those who have
known me for a long time know my childhood was no bed of roses. When I have these things that connect to my
childhood, they are because they connect to so very strong positive
memories. Pegg claimed that this infantilzation
of pop culture is used to distract from weightier issues. This may be true for many, but not for
me. The funny thing is that in the
format superheroes where introduced, comic books, I have found myself drifting
away from them. I have even sold most of
my comic book collection.
I tried to keep up but the continuity and events soon soured
me again on mainstream superheroes from the big two, Marvel Comics and DC
Comics. I still read, watch and buy
merchandise and media about superheroes, just not in comic book format. When Pegg mentioned the headier genre
fiction, I have been reading those kinds of novels for decades. I enjoy work that
makes me think and re-think my views.
Such authors for that lately have been Nathan Lowell, Charles de Lint, Jay Lake
The attitude that reaching for the nostalgia of one’s youth
is new to Generation X or younger is incorrect.
In the early 80’s there was a re-make of the Lone Ranger targeted to the
Baby Boomers. I know of grown men who
were highly influenced by westerns on film, television and in literature who
still consume all the media and merchandise associated with their youth. Then you have the revival of fifties music in
the seventies and the revival of sixties music in the eighties. The nostalgia game is hardly anything
new. Wizard of Oz still appears yearly
on television as do many holiday special from long gone decades. In the 1980’s there were revivals of Gidget,
Dobbie Gillis and they even reunited Frankie and Annette.
The thing is what Pegg is referring to is mostly targeted to
the Nerd/Geek community, which in the last decade has gone seriously
mainstream. What we need to do is
appreciate our loves from are youth, but not allow that to regress to being
childish ourselves. Youthful energy and
passion is good, making it the end all be all that can be considered
questionable.
We need to not allow these passions to become bread and
circuses. What I mean is do not allow the powers that be distract us from
making the world a better place for everyone.
There are many injustices out in the world, we should work to make sure
they no longer hold true. We need to build better communities. Why not start with pop culture
communities? We can work to make them
safe and enjoyable for as many as we can.
We can then work out in a widening spiral to help everyone in our
personal sphere. The Browncoats
(Firefly/Serenity fans) hold events regularly to help the show’s creator, Joss
Whedon’s favorite cause Equality Now, which works for the Human Rights for
Females. That kind of fandom mixed with activism can and could be powerful.
We also need to promote balance with outside interests and
our popular culture passions. When
passions become unhealthy obsessions they hurt those involved, not always
directly. When I talk about healthy, I
mean physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. I feel however putting away all childish
youthful things may be going too far. We
need to feed the inner child that helps keep us youthful in our minds. There is a fine line between passion and
obsession, it is necessary to find the line and know our limits.
We also need to feed the adult, by dealing responsibly with
the world and others. We should read things that stimulate our intellect and
improve our knowledge base. We should help others find their passions and help
ground them with the real world. That
can be by example and/or mentoring.
There is a time for all things under heaven as according to chapter
three of Ecclesiastes also used for the Byrds song Turn! Turn! Turn! Well, That Has Been My Not So Humble Opinion.
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