Geeks in costumes

I know that I've covered this before very briefly in another blog, but since tomorrow's WonderCon, I thought I'd give it its own blog.

WonderCon, for those of you who don't know, is a comic book convention. As a fan of comics, it's a big deal for me, and this will be the 22nd annual show, and I've been to all of them. Unfortunately, and even at the lunch table where I work, people look at me like I'm going to a leper colony when I mention that I'm going there. They mention all the comic geeks and the people who dress up. They even ask me what I'm going to go dressed up as. Well, I'm not going to dress up, and I never have and I never plan on doing it. And while it's true that the convention attracts a lot of people who have nothing in their lives outside of comics, there are more people there who are simply like me - fans of comics, and comics are important to us, but we do have other things going on in our lives.

So, even though I don't dress up, it still irks me when people make fun of those who do. Now, I'll admit to poking fun at the people who dress up in really lame costumes that look as though they just slapped them together. However, people make fun of the guys (and girls) who wear the really elaborate, movie-prop quality, costumes. The notion is that these people obviously must not have a life since they were able to spend so much time making a costume.

Personally, I think that if that's your attitude, then you are an asshole. What's wrong with doing something that you enjoy? It's not for me, but if somebody wants to spend time making a costume, that's their business. I mean, I spend a lot of time making beer and watching movies - something that wouldn't interest others, but is my time really better spent doing those things?

Not only that, but the people with the really nice costumes attract a lot of people who want to have their pictures taken with them. Years ago at San Diego, my friend Scott and I brought a camera. We posed with some cool people who made some pretty cool costumes, including Captain America, Catwoman, Boba Fett, and Wolverine. These people weren't socially awkward, social misfits. They were just doing something that was fun, and they were sharing that fun with fans of those characters. I have also seen them pose with little kids, and who doesn't remember the thrill of getting their picture taken with Mickey Mouse when they were little? Same thing.

So, if you want to make fun of those people, realize that you're making fun of somebody who brings a little bit of fun and happiness to others. Also, ask yourself - what was it that YOU did that was so constructive lately? Watching TV? Getting drunk/stoned? Playing video games? Not that I judge people who do those things, (as I do a few of them myself) but is that a better use of one's time than doing something that's creative? Probably not.

So yeah, they may be nerds, but at least they're not assholes.