How To Get Into Comic Book Reading
You are such a nerd, and I don't mean it in a good way
In a day and age where some people equate being a "nerd" is "cool" and "trendy," and even valued in some places, it strikes me as odd when people really don't want to be identified as one by their peers. People go to their workplaces and schools and talk about how awesome Guardians of the Galaxy was, and how they saw it a couple times and bought the DVD, but when people make mention of reading the comics? Well, they've crossed some invisible line that separates okay and weird. There are excuses, and the work environment might determine this like if you're a cute girl into cute anime/comic characters and adorn your desk at a video game company as compared to a tiny guy like me at a healthcare company who puts up comic themed posters and sometimes wears comic shirts and sometimes is made fun of. The gender doesn't matter, but the images help when determining which environment is more accepting. And before you say "Mak, but it sounds like your environment doesn't value that sort of thing at all," that's untrue, and that still wouldn't influence the people around me even if it were. It's a cultural thing. Either way.
When I was but a wee lad of my early 20's, I'd hang out with some friends at my local comic shop. Well, more like fellow travelers also there to pick up comic books on comic release day, we didn't hang out outside of this particular location. One time, one guy said it was sort of nice to go to a comic shop that was slightly off the beaten path because nobody would really see him and therefore nobody would make fun of him, going on to further say he never really gave comics a chance until his son showed an interest in them because he always felt they were for "nerds."
I felt bad for the guy because one he was still "in the locker" as I've heard before, but because he spent a large part of his life not even trying something because he didn't want to be made fun of. And whether you think you're thick skinned or not, nobody actually enjoys being bullied/made fun of/laughed at/whatever. Nobody does. Let's say you go to work tomorrow you big tough guy and some of your coworkers bash you for your decidedly poor taste in sports team wear. Now, that's a different sort of rivalry normally, but I mean outright make bad fun of you. Not the, "Ha ha, your team sucks," as much as, "Your team sucks, and by extension you must be the product of your mom fucking a pig to get an outcome as shit as you are if you like that team." Now clearly thisrarely doesn't happen to this extent, but this is something potential fans of comics fear. And it's a valid fear. These people, already afraid of being the victim of this, have seen it in fellow coworkers. Ever have a friend who's a little too much into Breaking Bad or Bones or some other "it" show like Big Bang Theory? They sometimes are made fun of. Why? Because sometimes people just like making fun of other people, and the less socially acceptable makes it more likely to be made fun of or teased. Or maybe it stems from being made fun of in high school and they want to avoid it. Maybe.
Big Bang Theory. Another thing I did sort of want to address, but not fully on this post. Oh, get off it. You know what I'm going to say, and while I'm not going to out and out say it's a bad thing, it does deter people in a separate way. TBBT is a show built up of stereotypes, and while not as bad it is to "nerds" as black people to a show about other black people who live on welfare, are illiterate, can't control themselves sexually, are lazy, and are violent criminals. Like I said, not an apples to apples comparison, but a similar idea. The reason you don't see this fictional black show and you do see TBBT theory is because making fun of "nerds" is still an okay thing to do. Now, I'm not calling for some revolution where nerds are placed in some sort of civil rights deal like sexual orientation, race, and religion finds footing, but keep in mind this is what people fear. People watch TBBT and think that's what nerds might be and potentially what they might become, despite the fact pretty much everybody knows nerds aren't exactly that way. People still don't want to be associated with a "Raj" or even worse be considered a "Raj" (a topic for another day in how that's ridiculous). I have been asked whether I'm a Leonard or a Sheldon to which I usually reply I'm an Irwin Schwab and we all have a laugh when they have no clue what I'm talking about. Why? Because comic fans rarely are like TBBT cast. Nobody is. Go to your local comic shop (with your safari equipment) and actually look at these people. Talk to them. If you've ever even seen a comic convention on the news you realize they look like people who traverse fairs and Disneyland and restaurants. They behave like everyday people. Why? Because they ARE everyday people. And this stigma that they'll be treated like idiots on a television show or be equated to them drives people away from even trying this sort of thing out. Nobody wants to be equated to that (unless you mean the actors, in which case I would because they're RICH).
The truth is you'll be made fun of for anything because people just make fun of others with varying degrees of acceptance (again, there are certain cultures you cannot do this to because that's crap). So long as you continue to play life as normal while enjoying comics this will eventually go away.
Now if you go to your job or school and cry from the rooftops about the revival of your very soul after reading a few comics, you're going to get made fun of for being a raving lunatic. That's a different story.
When I was but a wee lad of my early 20's, I'd hang out with some friends at my local comic shop. Well, more like fellow travelers also there to pick up comic books on comic release day, we didn't hang out outside of this particular location. One time, one guy said it was sort of nice to go to a comic shop that was slightly off the beaten path because nobody would really see him and therefore nobody would make fun of him, going on to further say he never really gave comics a chance until his son showed an interest in them because he always felt they were for "nerds."
A small aside, I don't think comic books are for nerds or geeks or trend setters or whatever. I think they're for everybody. Everybody should be able to enjoy comics, and comics anymore don't seem to cater to anything but the dollar so it's not like major companies even really try to appeal to any particular niche crowd outside of those who might enjoy comics. So... anybody again. It's not like you have certain "enjoyment" qualifications you need to make before you have achieved your nerd certificate. Back to the deal.
I felt bad for the guy because one he was still "in the locker" as I've heard before, but because he spent a large part of his life not even trying something because he didn't want to be made fun of. And whether you think you're thick skinned or not, nobody actually enjoys being bullied/made fun of/laughed at/whatever. Nobody does. Let's say you go to work tomorrow you big tough guy and some of your coworkers bash you for your decidedly poor taste in sports team wear. Now, that's a different sort of rivalry normally, but I mean outright make bad fun of you. Not the, "Ha ha, your team sucks," as much as, "Your team sucks, and by extension you must be the product of your mom fucking a pig to get an outcome as shit as you are if you like that team." Now clearly this
Big Bang Theory. Another thing I did sort of want to address, but not fully on this post. Oh, get off it. You know what I'm going to say, and while I'm not going to out and out say it's a bad thing, it does deter people in a separate way. TBBT is a show built up of stereotypes, and while not as bad it is to "nerds" as black people to a show about other black people who live on welfare, are illiterate, can't control themselves sexually, are lazy, and are violent criminals. Like I said, not an apples to apples comparison, but a similar idea. The reason you don't see this fictional black show and you do see TBBT theory is because making fun of "nerds" is still an okay thing to do. Now, I'm not calling for some revolution where nerds are placed in some sort of civil rights deal like sexual orientation, race, and religion finds footing, but keep in mind this is what people fear. People watch TBBT and think that's what nerds might be and potentially what they might become, despite the fact pretty much everybody knows nerds aren't exactly that way. People still don't want to be associated with a "Raj" or even worse be considered a "Raj" (a topic for another day in how that's ridiculous). I have been asked whether I'm a Leonard or a Sheldon to which I usually reply I'm an Irwin Schwab and we all have a laugh when they have no clue what I'm talking about. Why? Because comic fans rarely are like TBBT cast. Nobody is. Go to your local comic shop (with your safari equipment) and actually look at these people. Talk to them. If you've ever even seen a comic convention on the news you realize they look like people who traverse fairs and Disneyland and restaurants. They behave like everyday people. Why? Because they ARE everyday people. And this stigma that they'll be treated like idiots on a television show or be equated to them drives people away from even trying this sort of thing out. Nobody wants to be equated to that (unless you mean the actors, in which case I would because they're RICH).
The truth is you'll be made fun of for anything because people just make fun of others with varying degrees of acceptance (again, there are certain cultures you cannot do this to because that's crap). So long as you continue to play life as normal while enjoying comics this will eventually go away.
Now if you go to your job or school and cry from the rooftops about the revival of your very soul after reading a few comics, you're going to get made fun of for being a raving lunatic. That's a different story.
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