just:words

Something amazing has happened in the past 15 years, I think.

Sci-fi is nearly “mainstream.”  The flood of sci-fi, comic book, fantasy, and stories set in an alternative universe has brought a wonderful world of stories to our doorsteps. My friends who used to raise an eyebrow at the idea of going to a “weird movie with aliens or orcs” are lining up to read Game of Thrones.

Some who love the niche-i-ness of sci-f and fantasy culture may lament the fact that their beloved underground passions aren’t so niche anymore. (Great article on geekdom and marketing Dr Who popped into my feed today)

The quintessential Hipster™ refuses to like anything once more than a few thousand people care to think about it. These two attitudes come from the same source, I think:  priding oneself in being on the leading edge of a trend rather than on the bandwagon.

And hey, that’s cool. I get it. I too enjoy a tiny sense of pride knowing that I listened to Mumford & Sons long before they were popular in the US (but only because some other, more-musically-aware friends of mine had already started talking about them).

But really, people —

Good music, good TV, good stories: These are good because of intrinsic quality, not because they’re popular.  I agree that the popular taste can seem like the lowest-common-denominator, but it doesn’t have to be.

Why wouldn’t we be THRILLED that more people love the stories and tunes that we’ve come to love?  I’m excited that I can connect to more people now because of  sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, anime, and video games.

Living in 2013 is so cool.   Go watch/read/hear something you would have never considered…. and encourage the rest of us to do the same.