Re: Re:Childish things was Re: That Age Thing

On Thu, 22 February 2001, "Jeremy Sadler" wrote:

> What am I talking about? No, not a gamer. YI'm talking about your
average
> sports fan.

As anyone who has seen me in my Toronto Argonauts t-shirts (and, yes, I
do NOT just have Argos garments), the two aren't necessarily mutually
exclusive. In fact, a fellow gamer (mostly roleplaying, though he played
a lot of board games and some minis when he was younger) is one of the
most knowledgeable fans of the Canadian Football League that I've ever
seen. Growing up in Calgary will do that to you...

It's a matter of what's mainstream and what's not. In fact, everyone
tends to chuckle at everyone else. I mean, the fact that the term
"mundane" exists shows that no one is immune. Football fans are
considered "normal" in society, and yet there are plenty of people who
point and laugh at them (mostly hockey fans! *L*). Or soccer. I'm a
soccer fan living in Canada. I get weird looks. Mind you, I stare at
them and say, "Soccer. 5.5 billion people can't be wrong!" *L* 

An anecdote from the World Science Fiction Convention in Winnipeg in '94
(roundly considered one of the worst run Worldcons, by the way...). We
(as in me and a bunch of friends -- including the above mentioned CFL
fan -- were sitting in an outdoor cafe. The others were all writers,
though technically I am one too. As we sat there, people in "plastic
foreheads" (Trekkies) walked by. The table beside us were locals who
were, a) sort of laughing at them, b) happy to see money coming into
Winnipeg, c) having a conversation with us.

As we watched, a guy drove by in his muscle car. He must have spent a
small fortune on it. He honked his horn. It sounded like a moose. My
friend Michael, the CFL fan, turned to the other table and said
something to the effect that, "It's ironic, though, that people in
costumes are considered weird, and somoene like THAT," he points to the
car, "is considered normal."

They didn't get it.

To each his own. Humans tend to cluster into subcommunities and
subcultures. Usually at many different levels and in many different
ways. This tendency has brought us hatred, racism, patriotism,
community, charity, and friendship. It's natural, and we can't do much
about it.

We all just have to learn to accept that everyone has different
interests, and that everyone is equal. Except for "Dr. Who" fans. What's
THAT about!

*Grin*

Allan Goodall - agoodall@canada.com
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