Good morning/afternoon/evening and welcome to my blog. Thinky Thurdays is the day I just let my brain pick a random topic and run with it. I hope you enjoy my choice for today.
"But you're too old for that."
Really?!!!
I have been in fandom most of my life and if there is one question that comes up time and again when I mention this to people who consider themselves "normal" it's:
"But aren't you too old for that?"
They don't mean it in a bad way, but it has some very negative connotations.
I firmly believe that if you enjoy something that enriches your life, you are never too old for it.
We live in a very bizarre world where it is okay to stand around a football field until you drop dead watching your favourite team playing, but hit 25 and we're no longer allowed to be fans of popular music or popular films or comics or YA books or so many things.
Collecting stamps is okay, so is antiques, but not action figures or autographs - unless they are antique too.
There seems to be an invisible line that we cross and are supposed to no longer enjoy the things we enjoy.
This is all balderdash.
I do agree that when you have adults in a fandom designed for children, for example, My Little Pony, you have to be careful to protect the children. Sooner of later, when adults are involved, parts of a fandom will become sexualised. I don't have a problem with this, but adult do have to be careful to protect younger fans from content they should not be viewing.
We always did it in Harry Potter fandom - all adult material was so marked and we made sure no one could stumble on it without realising what it was. This is not to say you lock it away so you have to know someone who knows someone who has the secret handshake, like in the old days :) , but care is required so no one is traumatised.
Oh and I kid you not. Once upon a time there were archives and mailing lists where the only way you could get on them was to know someone who would recommend you to the group and you would be invited in. It was almost as if we were doing something illegal!
The is no age limit on enjoyment.
I will cheerfully tell anyone who will listen that I love cartoons, I love Avengers memorabilia, I love Chorlton and the Wheelies, I love Harry Potter, I love Anime, I love Fanfiction and so much more. I don't care how old I am or who the stuff was originally aimed at. I STILL LOVE IT! :D
It applies outside fandom as well - if I was "a responsible adult" I wouldn't be a writer :). I'd be doing something "sensible". But I'm not and I'm doing something as ridiculous as trying to make a living with words. The very idea, eh? :)
That is one that we have heard from others for most of my life, dear Lady Tasha....
ReplyDelete... As Dr. Who said, "There's no point in being grown-up, if you can't act childish sometimes".
I've also watched people grow old before their time - they seem to think they have to stop enjoying everything they did and do something different and just get old. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteWell said! There's no rational reason to stop liking something that means a lot to you, just because you've hit a certain age.
ReplyDeleteSo many people seem to think there is and I can't for the life of me work out why!
DeleteIf i couldn't have my anime and manga, i think i would be a very sad person indeed. there is nothing like enjoying the inane stupidity of sgt. frog or the gore-fest of hellsing. mmm, or even the hotness of sebastian and sesshomaru . . . ahem, point made. :D
ReplyDeleteI know, I hate to think that people have lost something they love because of outside pressure. My favourite anime is Weiss Kreuz - I loved it, and I really need to watch Hellsing again :)
DeleteI've never had anyone tell me that and I am an unashamed fangirl of many things. =D
ReplyDeleteYay! :) I hope many people are in the same position as you, but I fear not.
DeleteI don't think I've been told I'm too old for something, but I have gotten "looks" for enjoying computer games. They're not just for teenage boys! I love your line, "if I was a responsible adult I wouldn't be a writer". Haha! So true!
ReplyDelete:D You go with computer games, yay! - I'm an original Wolfenstein and Doom person myself - I suck at all the new ones :)
DeleteI don't think it matters a persons age, if they enjoy a thing. I do think as people get older they usually have more and more responsibilities and they need to find balance for any interests when it comes to time and finances.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, blogging at Life & Faith in Caneyhead
Balance is important at any time in life, I agree. There are some people that take fannish things to obsession and that is never a good place, but some people try to rain on other's parades for no other reason than they think someone is too old and that makes me sad.
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