This editorial was written by staff writer, Michael Worthan.
It is strange how a few days of watching the internet tear apart good, creative, and unique ideas will change one’s perspective, especially on something that I’ve been wanting to write about for a while. The original form of this article was going to be how DC and Marvel isn’t a “versus” kind of deal, but a situation where both companies need one another to perform well in theaters, as well as in the comic book industry as a whole. Because if one starts to falter the other may very well start to follow suit. Maybe one day I’ll get around to that story, but this one is about something a bit different.
Photo credit: Mark Patton
Over the past decade, maybe even longer, comic book fandom has grown to amazing proportions, and so has the popularity of nerd culture. This has always been something astonishing to me because the term “geek chic” did not exist when I was in school, being called a nerd was something you put up with and you went about your comic book business with close friends who were into the same thing. Now it seems I can’t throw a stone without seeing or meeting someone who has on a nerdy shirt and comments on my shirts as I do theirs. This expansion to me has been phenomenal, I’ve even been able to introduce my mom of all people to the TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and even took her to WonderCon this year, her first even nerd Con. The turn here though is with everything good in life some of the bad seeps in as well.
The issue we’ve started facing as fans is those on the internet who feel they can consistently do it better, or who look for the issues in every nook and cranny of every movie. These people used to be called critics and were paid by news organizations to go out and judge the films they see. They still exist, except their voice is just a little difficult to hear amid all the websites out there that also write-up critiques. Plus we have social media where everyone and everything has been, can be, or will be heard. The complaints, the hate, the anger, but most of all the feeling of entitlement.
That is what this is about, the feelings I have toward those within the fandom who feel entitled. These movies, cartoons, and fan films have occurred for such a log period of time that a lot of us have forgotten the time when we didn’t get a few comic movies a year, nor was the thing we love, the comic books from whence all the ideas for the movies have come from, were celebrated as widely as they are now. They don’t realize that one day all of this will indeed stop, the movies will over-saturate the industry and the money they make won’t be worth the studios’ time, or they’ll just grow weary of the complaints.
Photo credit: Mark Patton
The fact that “fans” within this industry are chasing off directors, scrutinizing every possible interview an actor has, and are months later getting “outraged” at the Guardians of the Galaxy movie for a line that was said is ridiculous and truly uncalled for. We need to focus on the good within the industry and yes if a major issue occurs talk about that, talk not threaten, not send hate mail, tweets, or Facebook posts. Talk like civilized people should. I one day plan to have a child that I would love to be a nerd, hell I have a nephew that is a nerd, but the status quo of nerdom needs to change ASAP for the younger generation’s sake, because we adult nerds are going to ruin something beautiful for the sake of just doing it.
It all starts with going to a movie and not looking to over-analyze it, but looking to enjoy it. If you don’t, hey, that’s your opinion and you are more than welcome to talk about it like a person, but the disparaging hate needs to quit and soon.
This is just my take, what’s yours? Read, comment, discuss. Don’t hate though. Never hate.