The most recent 20 comments posted to Electrolite by gabe chouinard:

A couple of random observations.

I usually see actor/playwright Sam Shepard about once a week. Over time, I've developed quite a nice rapport with Sam (where I can actually *call* him Sam). Not because he's 'famous', but because we have some tastes in common, from Frayn to Lorca to history texts. And while it is sometimes odd and surreal - for instance, when I watched THE PELICAN BRIEF one night, and spent half an hour talking to him the next day about READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN - it is never awkward.

What's awkward is watching *other* people approach him with drooling idiocy. But Sam is a nice guy, and treats them all with wonderful, kind patience. And I didn't get it, so I asked him once. "Why don't you get upset when these people stare at you while you drink your Americano?" I asked.

He shrugged, and said: "I chose this lifestyle. It comes with the territory."

And that was that.

So regarding the original essay by Tim Burke, I have to shake my head in wonder. The Wiggles travel around by choice, and have chosen to entertain children. Why should they get upset when they are approached by children? It's silly.

All of which has absolutely ZERO to do with fandom in any of its myriad shapes and forms. Being star-struck isn't being a fan. Being able to elbow Neil Gaiman aside at World Fantasy so you can talk to Pete Crowther? That's being a fan. (Yes, I admit to it! I did it! And I'm sorry, Neil!)

Huh. Eighty-odd posts, and someone finally said something worthwhile.

"And none of those generalisations are true, and at a large convention these days you'll encounter all sorts of cons going on inside the con and all sorts of fandoms with their own agendas and histories and the membership of the fandoms isn't exclusive either. There are media fans who are literary SF fans who are comics fans... And the rules change from country to country and from genre to genre and from medium to medium..."

Way to sum it all up.

Just remember that there will always be a consensus decision upon what "fandom" means, and there will always be an insider decision upon what "fandom" means, and odds are they'll never match up. So be it.

I've flown into Sky Harbor a hundred times, since my family is down in Tucson.

I don't think I'll ever go there again without envisioning an invasion force rappelling down that faux rock wall...

--gabe chouinard
hypermode.blogspot.com

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