My Major Comic Convention Pet Peeve

My Major Comic Convention Pet Peeve

For those of us who attend cons on a regular basis, we all have them. Here is the one that has stuck out to me for a while now. No, it has nothing to do with Cosplayers, children, or 'know it all' fanboys. Actually it is the reverse.

Editorial Opinion
By BawbScharf - May 15, 2014 03:05 PM EST
Filed Under: Other
I want to take just a brief moment to talk about one of my biggest pet peeves at Cons. Now this DOES tie into a bigger problem for me and with society in general ...but I will spare MOST of that for another time.  I have been to a few Wizard Worlds over the years and among the cosplayers, fanboys, collectors, and children there is the presence of something that mocks our very existence. It represents a manufactured CORPORATE parody of our lifestyle that laughs AT us, not with us. Of course I am refering to 

                                                        


...The Bazinga Shirt.

Or anything that promotes that disgusting, hateful, vain television series. Without going FULLY into my thoughts about The Big Bang Theory, I do believe that supporting that show in any way is supporting bullying, alienation, and negative stereotypes. Which is why when I see a person show up to a con wearing something that promotes that television series ...I do not get the feeling they are there because they actually enjoy the stuff on display but more or less are there for the same reasons people go to a zoo. Of course it would not be fair of me to say that everyone who wears this shirt are like that nor that they get that it is a negative and not very accurate viewpoint of fan boys. But that IS where my mind goes to when I see people wearing something that proudly proclaims that we are weird, awkward people, that no one understands and no one SHOULD understand us. 

Now I am sure there are many that disagree with this and I will be expanding more on my thoughts towards this show in a three or four part series that will be a compare and contrast to the departed Community on NBC. I probably do sound like an elitist when it comes to 'outsiders' which isn't the case. What I am saying is that they are not aware of the negative influence the show has been having on society and what supporting that show at a con says about the people at said Con. 

I want to reiterate that this is MY opinion and you have a right to disagree with it. This is just something that personally bothers me and understand that there are probably a lot who do not see my point of view or do not think it is as serious as I am making it out to be. Though this should state my stand point to many on if they will read my editorials after this point or not as it's popularity is something that baffles and disappoints me.
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Poolio
Poolio - 5/15/2014, 4:01 PM
LMAO! I have that shirt
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 5/15/2014, 4:06 PM
I agree. I avoid the hell out of people with Big Bang related clothes and if I start hanging out with people only to discover they like it, I get the hell out of there.
SoFresh
SoFresh - 5/15/2014, 4:09 PM
SoFresh
SoFresh - 5/15/2014, 4:10 PM
Abary
Abary - 5/15/2014, 4:12 PM
I totally agree. They try making the characters of that show relateable to a comic geek, but in reality they are just a geek stereotype.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 5/15/2014, 4:18 PM
I hate how they show us as being socially inept. That pisses me right off.
Thing94
Thing94 - 5/15/2014, 4:50 PM
I never liked that show. My ex-girlfriend liked it and I hate it even more for that, lol

On another note, I got laid to this other girl while she was watching the show in her room, lol
BawbScharf
BawbScharf - 5/15/2014, 4:53 PM
There is a laundry list of negative stereotypes:

-Jewish men are perverts
-Jewish mothers are all fat and dumb
-All geeks, nerds, dorks, assorted others have no idea how to behave in society
-Attractive women are all sluts and in one way or another manipulative.
-Its a rarity for intellectuals to date attractive women
-We must show no attempt to try to understand those with aspergers but instead treat them like the freaks they are.
-All intellectual women deep down inside just want sex and are just repressed

There are A LOT more which I will go into full detail about over the next few weeks.
DaVinci31
DaVinci31 - 5/15/2014, 4:57 PM
I've never been to one of those types of conventions, but yes, I definitely understand how you feel. You see this type of "geek" culture at the theater as well.

This argument though, would have been much better if you focused on the portion you chose not to speak of, the societal issues. This conflict gets much more complex when you weigh in the effects it has on how these individuals interact with each other, both the ones who are being laughed at, and the ones who practice this type of ignorant and immature class of personality.
MrBlackJack
MrBlackJack - 5/15/2014, 4:59 PM
To be fair though, this site proves there is a fair amount of us that are socially inept :P!
DaVinci31
DaVinci31 - 5/15/2014, 5:05 PM
@MrBlackJack

That's kind of what I get at, with the whole societal issue. Instead of welcoming individuals who do need the help, the majority casts them out.
BawbScharf
BawbScharf - 5/15/2014, 5:17 PM
As said there is a more extensive societal issue that I will go into at a later date in a four part series. This was just a little rant and also testing the waters for the much bigger issue.
staypuffed
staypuffed - 5/15/2014, 5:23 PM
Big Bang Theory is a [frick]ing terrible show. Shit characters, shit "laughs", everything about it sucks. I hate that Bazinga has become a "cultural phenomenon" yet very few realise the logo is a parody of the Flash. [frick]in idiots
ruadh
ruadh - 5/15/2014, 5:58 PM
Awesome. My wife's brothers and cousins are always insisting that I will love this show, but they're pretty much all the types who would have picked on the cast of bbt in highschool. I watched a tiny bit and concluded its a show for people who are not nerds but like to laugh at nerds.
MrBlackJack
MrBlackJack - 5/15/2014, 6:37 PM
@DaVinci yeah I know, but I mean it was intended to be a harmless joke and I wasn't trying to single individuals out (I know that still sounds wrong).
MrBlackJack
MrBlackJack - 5/15/2014, 6:38 PM
I hope people know I don't take too much to heart and am trying to joke around most of the time.
MrBlackJack
MrBlackJack - 5/15/2014, 6:39 PM
Not that joking justify a hazing of any kind and not to give the idea that I "bully" other users by joking with them (because I don't).
MrBlackJack
MrBlackJack - 5/15/2014, 6:40 PM
Dear lord this is going from bad to worse. I'm not coming out of this one clean...
MrBlackJack
MrBlackJack - 5/15/2014, 6:41 PM
And this is why I stick to joking.
Starkasm
Starkasm - 5/15/2014, 6:49 PM
I don't really find it all that offensive. I guess it's because I couldn't care less what people think of me.
Starkasm
Starkasm - 5/15/2014, 6:51 PM
I enjoy the jokes that referance sci fi, comics etc. Sure the "nerds stuggle to fit in" jokes are always present but it's not like we are the only group who receives this treatment.

Women have it the worst.
Humby
Humby - 5/15/2014, 6:53 PM
Frankly, the only reason I dislike the show is because the majority of it just isn't funny.

Every character in this show has what I call "Steve Urkel Syndrome"--a character that usurps viewers attention for a cheap laugh. This is fine when it's limited to a character or two, but every single character in this show falls into this category, except the blonde girl. 90% of this show is cheap humor.
WYLEEJAY
WYLEEJAY - 5/15/2014, 7:31 PM
See......I dont see it. I have been interested in comics and super heroes since I was like six. Im 32. Not once can I remember being made fun of for it. I was open about it too. Hell people still come to me when they have questions about the characters in the movies. Plus, my son is into the same things as me, and I just recently asked if the kids at school know it, and if anybody makes him feel uncomfortable. He says nope. Kids come to him with questions too. Maybe I was just lucky, and in the groups of people I was around I was just accepted as the comic book guy. Looks like my boy has the same luck. I have never felt out of place. And I was cutting the grass in a Captain America graphic tee the other day so I dont go out of my way to fit in with others that dont have the same interest as me. I just dont pay attention to the negativity I guess.
ruadh
ruadh - 5/15/2014, 8:59 PM
I was probably made fun of for comics but can't swear to it. I always wore comic shirts once I went to public school.

The amazing thing to me is I remember one year there was one other kid into comics but he had a Joker shirt on and I was sporting X-Men. Amazingly we never spit venom at each other. We were both comic nerds. I guess it was just a different time.
MightyZeus
MightyZeus - 5/15/2014, 9:35 PM
I really hate that Big Bang Theory T Shirt. If people want to wear that shirt then fine, but i don't want people forcing me to watch the Big Bang Theory or forcing me to buy Big Bang Theory merchandise.
WYLEEJAY
WYLEEJAY - 5/15/2014, 10:31 PM
I guess I can understand some people being offended. It just doesn't offend me.
case
case - 5/16/2014, 12:17 AM
Yeah this show. It's on all the time where I am too.

MrSunday said something on his podcast that rings so true - if people find out you are a comic book geek they're all like "Oh do you watch the Big Bang Theory - you must LOVE that show!"

A flash t-shirt does not make a funny geek show.
Vortigar
Vortigar - 5/16/2014, 1:20 AM
Seen a fair share of it, some episodes are better than others.

The greater part of my friends, mostly geeks too (in one way or another), like the show a lot. They know I don't like it, but I'll watch it occasionally if its on in the background. The show can be genuinely funny from time to time, which is more than most shows manage.

One thing though:
Don't judge people based on the shirt. There's lots of geeks who celebrate the show because it shows another avanue that a lot of people simply don't know about. Most entertainment either glorifies or stomps down on the nerd-type. BBT actually shows them as real characters, warts and all. (Except for Sheldon, he remains a freak-show.)

From that point of view its actually really admirable and some people choose to embrace that part of it instead of the negative part.

That's the funny thing with geeks, they come in all shapes and sizes and convictions, just like *gasp* real people.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 5/16/2014, 8:24 AM
I don't pay any attention to the Big Bang Theory. I don't have a lot of time to watch TV period, so I'm pretty choosey about what I do watch, and I haven't caught an episode of it.

I've been to ONE convention, and it sucked so bad. Tampa Bay Metro-Con. Lots of cosplay - that's always fun, but I went in thinking we'd be seeing some celebrities at the convention center. There was this REALLY REALLY stupid fictional character battle... I feel embarrassed just mentioning it, mostly because I paid to see it (not realizing I could have gone WITHOUT paying). There were shops, where aspiring artists sold chibified paintings and sketches for too much money. There wasn't a community there though, I mean, it's like outside of the friends who went in groups together, no one wanted to talk to anyone else.

I think Matt Smith said it best here.
DaVinci31
DaVinci31 - 5/16/2014, 11:49 AM
@@MrBlackJack

I wasn't accusing you of anything btw. Just speaking of how there are individuals like that.

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