by Ian Williams
“What is Superman in the twenty-first century but a corporate mascot, albeit one with a lavish backstory?”
Yes! Excellent essay at the link above. Nerds/geeks/fans ought to be aware of where their money goes, who they’re actually supporting, and the policies and politics of those parties. It is impossible to live a-politically. Solely following your interests and forming no opinions on economics or sociocultural morality means you are passively supporting the status quo. I love science fiction, video games, Star Trek, Batman, lots of stuff like that, but too many self-proclaimed nerds/geeks act as though their lives and interests are insulated from larger issues in the world. This is not the case. It is important and wonderful to be passionate about a variety of media and fictional stories and characters, but please remember there is a world outside your fantasy, and be aware of how your fantasy fits into the larger world.
One thing the essay touches on but does not get into much detail about: in the last 5 years, there has been a huge increase in authors self-publishing, and in the prominence of small independent video game developers. The same is probably true for comics but I don’t follow comics closely enough to know much about this. Indies and self-published creators do not tend to have the obsessive fanbase of media monoliths like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Tolkien’s universe, Marvel and DC, Zelda, Mario, etc. If you are concerned about where your money is going and who you are supporting, look into the thousands of excellent stories, comics, games, animations, short films, etc. made by small creators paving their own way! Go cosplay or write fanfic or buy t-shirts for those characters!
Jarien's words 