Evolution of a Fan (Now with Pics)
After a conversation with Lucion's wife I discovered we were both "Fans" of Harry Potter. Fans is in quotes because we had different meanings for this concepts. I've sense thought about it a lot. Here is what I believe to be the evolution of fandom. Evolution is probably incorrect its probably more of a scale, but many people progress on linearly so it might function like evolution. I'll provide two examples at each stage. One for Harry Potter and One for Comics and one for Lord of the Rings.
Stage 1 - Ignorance is bliss - This person is unaware of the media. This type of fan isn't really possible for Harry Potter or Spider-man unless you've been living in a cave.
HP - Quidi-what-ich?
Comics - Spider-who?
LotR - Hobbits? You mean midgets, right?
Stage 2 - Not a Fan - You are aware of the media but not a fan of it.
HP - Oh, Harry Potter, yeah, that kids thing.
Comics - Oh, yeah like Archie and Jughead.
LotR - Hmm... another movie about sword fighting.
Stage 3 - The Dabbler - A lot of noob fans start out but just putting their toes in the water.
HP - I've seen the first Harry Potter Movie.
Comics - I've seen the first Superman Movie.
LotR - I watched the animated Hobbit in High School English.
Stage 4 - The Sophomore - Once you get over the dabbler stage you think you're the bomb. But you truly are the "Wise Fool" They tend to say things true fans have heard a million times already.
HP - Well, you know JK really wanted a female protagonist!
Comics - If Superman really caught Lois when she fell off that helicopter, the force of him accelerating to catch her would be more forceful than letting her hit the pavement.
LotR - You know the One Ring is really the Atom Bomb don't you!
Stage 5 - The Devoted Fan - This fan could also be called the Cult Fan, or the Devotee. This stage everything about the thing you like is PERFECT! Criticism of your favorite thing is a sin.
HP - How dare you say JK was "stalling" during book seven just to artificially stretch it out to the Hogwarts Year 7 paradigm. She is a genius! She might be the next Buddha! She's not wrong! You are wrong!
Comics - The JSA is the definitive book about heroics in a dark time. It taught me how to be a better dad!
LOTR - The LOTR is the I Ching, the sum of all wisdom.
Stage 6 - The Fanboy - (Or Fangirl I guess.) - This is the fan who's awareness and love of a product has enlarged to include its flaws. This fan is defensive of others who dabble or criticize but might be the toughest critic of his chosen passion. This type of fan believes "If you love something set it free... then shoot at it with a shotgun!"
HP - YES! She stretched out the book. Yes! It was annoying that the best stuff in book 7 happened "off camera" at Hogwarts while the gang was mucking around in the wood. But it was a serious stroke of genius to be able to write a series to a growing, maturing audience.
Comics - Worst Issue Ever! (The Comic Book Guy is the quintessential Fanboy.)
LotR - My PRECIOUS!
Labels: Comics, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pop Culture, Psychology, Simpsons, Theories
posted by Trey Laminack @ 9:40 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Okay...an example of each for the Dallas Cowboys:
Stage 1 = "My Dad likes the Texas Cowboys!"
Stage 2 = "Football is barbaric"
Stage 3 = "I was at a party once and everyone was watching the Cowboys on TV"
Stage 4 = "What we need is for Herschel Walker to come out of retirement"
Stage 5 = "The Dallas Cowboys are America's Team!!!"
Stage 6 = "If we can just stop giving up the long touchdown passes then we'll be in the Super Bowl for sure!"
I agree there were a few chapters in the 7th book that were BORING. When Ron left and they were starvign! Kill me now~ but then it got better than I could have hoped. I am still bitter it is over!
I do love "The Hobbit" cartoon.
I am not quite sure where I fit in here. I really enjoyed HP and LOTR. But, at the same time, they are books (i.e., figments of someone's imagination) and not my real life. And my real life is pretty cool.
Here is one to add to Stage 1- HP stands for Hewlett Packard, right?
Now on to how I rank would me on HP, Comics, and LOTR using the scale of "Trey"
HP-Stage 5, I did get Harry-crazy when I stood in line forever to ge the last book and took the day off just to see the latest movie.
Comics-Stage 4, I read more of these in high school and have now moved on to manga. I have seen all of the comic based movies.
Manga-Stage 5 for sure, getting closer to Stage 6.
LOTR-Stage 3, but I have seen all the movies. It just didn't give me that "fan" tingle.
It goes without saying that I'm a chronic Stage 6 Fanboy for my three examples.
Good Cowboys Stages Ryan: I would probably be staqe 6 there as well, except my job keeps me so busy its hard to watch all the games live. So I'm down to stage 4. Although with TiVo I'm feeding the beast again.
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