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Not long ago I was weaing my TARDIS t-shirt, and some dude made a comment to me. I don't recall what it was. I didn't get it, and he said I must not be a "real Doctor Who fan."
It's possible it was a refrence to classic episodes I never saw, or to the newer Matt Smith episodes I don't watch. I just don't know. My first instinct was to rattle off my love for Sylvester McCoy, that I own an bootleg of the TV-movie, or that I have a framed poster of the Peter Cushing movie in my house. But after a moment of reflection I chose to respond with a smile and say "Well I guess you can go fuck yourself."
There are cases where how devoted you are to something makes a difference: doctors with medical journals, or high-wire riggers and the latest high-wire-rigging safety manuals are two examples. But with something like sci-fi shows, Dungeons and Dragons editions, or prog-rock, the level of slavish devotion one shows does not carry any moral weight.
- You don't know anything about jazz if you listen to it on CD.
- You're not a real comics geek. Your entire collection is in color.
- You never saw WrestleMania 5!? How can you call yourself a wrestling fan!
- You probably only like Insane Clown Posse's later albums. The commercial ones.
- There's no way you understand The Ramones like I do.
- You've never written an essay about why you hate the prequals??? You're just a Star Wars poseur!
- Red wine with pork? You should kill yourself.
I feel I've been encountering a lot of this nonsense lately. (Not necessarily on these boards). There's this "geek girl" meme thing, and the levels of VENOM people have in the "Phantom of the Opera" fandom for other fans is mind-blowing. It's just so damn annoying and more than a little ridiculous.
I understand the feeling. I remember in the late 90s when pro wrestling was super hot, and suddenly everyone had an "Austin 3:16" t-shirt, and I still remembered the years in middle school of being made fun of as a wrestling fan. Part of me still resents people who like the LOTR films because I had to slog through that endless prose as a lad to enjoy those same stories. But if I ever think this tenure makes me somehow better at liking something than someone else, please slap me.
Here's my simple rule. Anytime one feels like expressing that their enjoyment of something is somehow better or more authentic than someone else's, try replacing the object of interest with "Twilight fan-fic" and see if it still sounds worth saying.