So there I was, dear hypothetical reader, browsing the wares in a local branch of Popular Music Chain, and I ventured into the basement to look at the DVDs. No, not those kinds of DVDs, mind out of the gutter, please. Anyway, it seems a recent change to the layout of the store has seen a new section added off to one side, hidden at the side of the counter behind the blu-rays. This section is exclusively for Science Fiction films, ostensibly at least. This sort of thing is incredibly common, walk into any branch of Popular Bookshop Chain (and indeed many independents) and you’ll see something similar, Science Fiction and it’s stable mate Fantasy are often deliberately separated from everyday Fiction based on entirely arbitrary distinctions. There has always been this bizarre attitude that scifi, and often only specific kinds at that, is somehow “less worthy” of being considered alongside other works of fiction, that it is somehow a lesser work of creative endeavour. This, folks, is the Science Fiction Ghetto.
Tag / geek
On Fanboys
It can’t have escaped the attention of people that use the series of tubes composing the internet that there exists a certain type of individual out there who is so dedicated to a certain interest to an almost fanatical degree, much to the detriment of all other things. This is the Fanboy or Fangirl. They exist in pretty much shared interest group and will be the type who will doggedly defend it, or even their little corner of it, for good or ill against pretty much everyone. Their influence has become a matter of note in many areas, and more often than not to a negative degree. Since I wrote about the highs and lows of Fandoms a couple of weeks back, I thought it a rather appropriate continuation of theme to talk about their most enthusiastic, shall we say, members.
On Fandom
Currently we live in an age where communication with one another is easier than ever, so long as you have the right equipment any one person on the planet can, theoretically, contact any other near instantaneously. This has assisted many facets of society, not least of all shared interest groups, or what I’m going to continue to refer to as “Fandoms.” Now fandoms existed before the coming of the Internet certainly, but far in less expansive and interconnected ways. What the internet gave these groups was a way to grow and interact in a much more fluid manner than before. As soon as they became connected, groups that had existed in isolation developed discussion forums, fan sites, constant growth and so on to the point many stopped being niche and gained almost, but not quite, main stream appeal. Many certainly became more well known than they would have done previously. The march of technology brought people with similar interests together the face of shared interests were changed forever.
Ndro's Adventures in Reality 