Posted in: BBC, Disney+, Doctor Who, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,


There's More to Geek Fandom Than Just "Ride or Die" or Nothing

I have a hot take for you today, and most of you here aren't going to like it, but you need to hear it. Fandom isn't all or nothing; it's great if you're a ride-or-die geek of a franchise, but don't you dare tell other people that they have to be just as into it as you are to "get" the films or love them. I don't want to have to read a 12 book series and watch 7 films and a terrible 60s sci-fi show in order to like or get something that's coming out now. Just let people enjoy things at the level they want and have time for.

Some people work 65 hours a week, but still like seeing the new Star Wars in theaters. No, they don't have time to binge every movie leading up to the new one. Does this mean they're not a "real" fan or they can't be as into it as you are? Not in the least.

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Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor, Jo Martin as Ruth Clayton – Doctor Who _ Season 12, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Ben Blackall/BBC Studios/BBC America

So you have time and energy to watch the entire history of Star Trek or Doctor Who and sew elaborate cosplays of your favorite characters and keep up with new episodes the day they came out. Good for you! Does this make you more of a fan than others who don't have the same luxury of time? Nope.

We need to unlearn this culture of "all or nothing". And by that, I don't just mean fandom, but everything. Do you like sewing? You should be a costumer and do that for work and keep doing it as a hobby and function as well by making your own clothes! Or maybe you're into makeup. But just putting it on and liking it isn't enough anymore, you have to watch the beauty vloggers and follow the trends and do your own videos and invest in all the newest products. Quite frankly, it's exhausting.

People don't have to be over-the-top into something. Just…let people love what they love, how they love it, and at their level. So you see someone at a con who has a Batman Halloween costume on. Does that make you better or a "real fan" because you dropped a cool grand on a dye-sub suit and urethane cowl? Absolutely not.

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Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Screencap)

It's okay to love Kylo Ren and not really care about the rest of Star Wars. It's alright to like Disney and not obsess about it and spend every dime on park visits and collectibles. But it's also perfectly fine if you choose to. I think you get the point. Just… be excellent to one another. And if somebody doesn't get that reference, it's okay. You don't have to be an elitist prick about liking something. Cool? Let's let a geek be the geek they want to be, not how you think they should be.


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Eden ArnoldAbout Eden Arnold

Having spent far too much time in front of the television growing up, Eden has lots of opinions about television (as well as movies and everything else). She puts this to good use along with her journalism degree and writing experience with by-lines over the years in many print publications, books, and online media outlets. You can find her on Twitter at @Edenhasopinions
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