"The desire to create a community in something as inappropriate in a comic book store (or to judge such a place on the expectations of community) and the desire to create one on-line where the shared values and relevant items of discourse depend on superhero comic book ephemera -- these desires have to be related, and neither one is likely to be healthy for anyone involved, be they outraged, hurt, disappointed or legitimized by the outcome...
It has to be possible to read, buy and talk about comics without investing every human transaction of that type with the drama and import of one's core self-worth. If nothing else, it bleeds attention away from things like systemic reform and advocacy according to higher, more ethical standards by cuffing almost every issue about the head and shoulders until it turns into one more referendum on "what happened to me."
--Tom Spurgeon
dumb it down for me please, is he saying we should just buy our comics and shut up? cause where would the fun in that be?
ReplyDeleteTom was referring to long, drawn-out fights on the Internet about comic books. I can think of many things that are more fun and productive.
ReplyDelete"The desire to create a community in something as inappropriate in a comic book store (or to judge such a place on the expectations of community) and the desire to create one on-line where the shared values and relevant items of discourse depend on superhero comic book ephemera -- these desires have to be related, and neither one is likely to be healthy for anyone involved, be they outraged, hurt, disappointed or legitimized by the outcome..."
ReplyDeleteI still don't get it, it's one giant run on sentence. It sounds like he's saying the desire to create community on line and in a comic book shop is inappropriate. Says who? I get a great sense of community out of my comic book shop, I also visit plenty of spots on-line where the sense of community is very strong and I don't think that's a bad thing. I still don't get it.
Well, I'd suggest reading his entire post and the referenced posts. And if you still disagree with him, accept that people have different opinions and move on. Because what he is talking about are people who cannot simply accept that people have different opinions and move on.
ReplyDeletelesson learned! I didn't actually notice you embeded the link to the the full comment under Tom's name. I clicked throught and read the whole thing. It does make more sense in context.
ReplyDeleteBut I refuse to accept that other people have opinions! ok just kidding... I think that like just about everything in life, there's a time and place for both community and for nice detached impersonalism (is that a word? is now!). That's not something exclusive to the subject of comic books, but could be applied to everything from movies to music to home plumbing repair.
I find that the less involved I am in the community, the more I enjoy the comics. That probably wouldn't be the case if I found less instances of people having opinions and more instances of people being thoughtful. A little less 'Rama, a little more Occasional.
ReplyDelete