How I Learned to Relax and Love the Pop-Culture Explosion
Written by j
July 1, 2009
6 Comments
Okay, I’m an adult; I can confess this without shame.
I’m a major fan of Harry Potter, and I’m eagerly awaiting opening night for the sixth movie. I’ve been to at least one midnight book release party, and I intend on getting a Hogwarts Express at some point for my Christmas tree.
It wasn’t always like this, however. I once said I would never read Harry Potter, because it was a cult (cult meaning obsessive fandom, not anything religious). The first three or so books had taken the world by storm, and I barely knew anything about it, although I admitted it would have been right up my alley at ten years old.
Then I saw the first movie. I was entranced, and read the first book. It was good, but I wasn’t hooked just yet, and I decided I’d read each subsequent book after the film. Fast forward to one year later: the second movie comes out, I read the second book… and the third… and the fourth… all in 24 hours.
I don’t know why I get so stubborn when “everyone” loves something. My sister and brother-in-law tried to get me to watch Firefly for probably more than a year, but they were so gung-ho about it that it turned me off. Eventually I caught it when some friends were doing a mini-marathon, and guess what? It was a great series. I loved it.
I could say that over-zealous fans turn me off, but I didn’t actually know any of the Harry Potter sort before I read the series; and besides, who am I to judge someone for taking joy in their fandom? At any rate, whether it was young rebellion or a bit of sf snobbery, I’ve made an effort to take more suggestions over the years.
What about you? What have you come to love despite your best efforts?
J is the Assistant Dream Girl. When she's not writing, helping her wonderful geeky clients find love, or playing the French horn, she's usually glued to a video game controller. (Email j, or follow @jdreamgeek on Twitter.)
I admit I’m pumped about the new Harry Potter as well! But will you go to the midnight release is the real question
As far as things everyone loves that I eventually succumbed to, World of Warcraft is definitely top of the list. I was actually clean for about 6 months but my friend Jon came over to hang out with Nicole and I this weekend and all but forced us to re-activate our accounts to play with him :p
Take care!
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World of Warcrack. I resisted for a few years, before I finally gave in and gave it a try. I played for about 3 months and then stopped cold turkey after I got my mount (back when you had to be lv40 to have a mount). Now that one of my best friends has moved to CO, looks like I’ll have to start playing again (both to stay in touch and continue having our gaming sessions).
It’s not that WoW is a bad game, it’s just that I’ve seen it consume too many people’s lives to be entirely comfortable with it, which is why I resisted it for so long.
Heroes, I resisted watching it for so long because I didn’t like the idea of a mainstream show dumbing down superheroes. It was stupid, of course. I eventually watched the first season and loved it. Dropped off in the middle of the second season, but I still think the first one is gold.
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@Wumpus For me it was/is a great way to stay in touch with my Dad. He used to play Diablo II online all the time with my grandfather and I kind of fell into playing it with him
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I also avoided the Harry Potter bandwagon. I was told one Christmas that my family was going to see the second movie, but they would wait for me to join them. I borrowed the Harry Potter movie from a friend and watched it twice before traveling home. I received a last minute gift of the first four books, which I eagerly devoured in the first week. Now I am dying for the next Harry Potter fix. I felt the first two were good, but the next three didn’t quite hold up (yet I own all five). If the trailer is any indication, this one will be just as good as the book.
A fandom I avoided for a long time was Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although Joss Whedon is my master now). The name sounded ridiculous, and I had heard how bad the movie was. Now I own a copy of the Chosen One set, and I’ve watched it several times. I’ve fallen behind on the comics though.
Stupid grad school…