I used to think gatekeeping was just part of being a fan

I mean, I'd get annoyed when someone only knew the movies and called themselves a fan. But then my cousin, who only saw the Spider-Man films, asked me to explain the whole Clone Saga to her over coffee last month. Seeing how excited she got about the weird details totally changed my view. Has anyone else had a moment like that that made them chill out?

3 comments

3 Comments

masonpark1mo ago

Yeah, it's like that with coffee or music too.

seth_martinez211mo ago

Honestly, it's just comics. Or movies, or whatever. Getting worked up over who's a "real fan" seems like a waste of energy. If someone's curious and asking questions, that's cool. If they're not, that's fine too.

terry_walker1mo ago

Man, I used to be the worst about that with old video games. I'd quiz people on release years like it was my job. Then I got super into a new show and realized I didn't know a single side character's name. Felt like a total hypocrite. Kind of hard to stay on a high horse after that.

-1