Dragaera

Fandom

Fri Jun 30 09:44:41 PDT 2006


> -----Original Message-----
> From: dragaera-bounces at dragaera.info [mailto:dragaera-
> bounces at dragaera.info] On Behalf Of David Dyer-Bennet
> Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 9:32 AM
> To: dragaera at dragaera.info
> Subject: Re: Fandom
> 
> "A.S. Zanoni" <chica at dreamcafe.com> writes:
> 
> > Fandom.
> >
> > I don't know why many sf/f readers feel they are not "part of
> > fandom". There isn't a rule that says a Real Fan has to attend
> > conventions... or run a fanzine/ezine... or wear costumes that match a
> > particular motif... or write fanfic... or be on sf/f newsgroups... or
> > participate in running conventions... or write letters to F&SF or
> > Asimov's [or even read either of 'em]... or be part of a local sf/f
> > group that may or may not do any number of those things.
> >
> > I could go on and on.  I'll spare you.
> 
> Huh; for me, "fan" means somebody involved in fandom.  The term
> "reader" was the traditional term for, well, readers, who weren't
> involved in fandom.  The appearance of significant tv and film sf has
> caused that to not really be the right term, and so people are trying
> to fall back on "fan" and this is causing all sorts of confusion and
> bad feelings on both sides.
> 
> Which is unfortuntate.  Our fannish use of "fan" is contrary to the
> common usage, but there really needs to be *some* term for people who
> choose to associate themselves with the cultural stream of fandom and
> I, and others apparently, are loathe to give up the term we've used
> for 70 years to identify ourselves.
> --

There is a term already; it's "geek". This is broadly applicable across the
range of things one can be enthusiastic about without requiring professional
involvement: car geeks, stamp geeks, model train geeks, computer geeks, gun
geeks, music geeks. This term has, I think, become less derogatory as it is
embraced by the geeks themselves (well, you might get a punch in the nose by
calling the car enthusiast a "geek", but that's what he is).

So embrace the geekiness. Readers are fans. Geeks are fans. But readers are
not geeks. There. You have your division.

Shawn