Took the words right outta my mouth. I remember traveling through Italy in the 70's and being astonished that 20 somethings were reading comic books. Now the world has long past that moment. Thanks
My wife and I have talked of this endless infantilization of young adults on many an occasion. We see it too; they refuse to put down the childish things and reach for adultish things as part of the proper course in life. They cling. They obsess. We see it very clear in Legos...it used to be the toys were wonderful for children with imagination; a new toy every day. Now, they're marketed to the young adult crowd, designed not be a thing of imagination but a toy-ish icon, typically something from Star Wars or Harry Potter or something similar. There are Lego bonsai trees. WTF.
Don't get me wrong. I like toys. I will walk the toy aisle every chance I get. Unlike the infantilized young adults, this old adult likes the toys for the art and imagination in them. I look for the good toys, the ones that would last the longest in childhood. I try to sort out what brands have the best qualities for a child. I do not buy them or hoard them (sorry...that's known as 'collecting' them.)
This infantilization is a sickness, the sign of people who are stretched across the years of their lives...some part of them is back there in childhood, screaming for something they are missing or marred. They are psychically distorted, pulled out of shape, with important pieces of themselves scattered behind themselves, pulling them backwards. Until they are whole, they will not be able to go forward, they will be unwilling and unable to reach for adult things.
Interesting. I prefer child-centered works for entertainment (such as Hilda or Studio Ghibli) though I can't sit through truly childish fare (like my kids' Pokemon obsession). With higher art stuff, I will stretch slightly, though I avoid anything too intense (Gaiman's Sandman comic series is the most graphic I can handle).
But your piece is about obsession beyond preference. I guess the problem is that we've been co-opted into self-identifying with things are unworthy of such worship. It's a brilliant marketing magic trick by the entertainment complex, most likely starting with sports teams which gets more icky when lines get blurred with children's content.
Then again, Miller's Dark Knight Returns was a necessary coming of age for comics. But as that industry has grown up and gotten "grittier", these masked heroes have left the realm of kids, leaving their world a bit poorer....though I could always pick up reprints of the early issues in those DC showcase or Marvel Essential collections.
Much to chew on, thanks again for the provocation.
Conventions aren't the problem. If people got nostalgic a few times a year, that'd be fine. It's that the obsessions are a constant thing throughout the year.
You're right about fandom culture being a problem, but most of it isn't fixated on "stories intended for children". That's part of the problem, but the biggest is how weirdly tribal these little culture cults get. Like religion, they blow their money on these obsessions, believe bizarre things, get in dumb fights with people over mere opinions, etc. Most into them are harmless, regular fans, but fandom is where it starts getting religious, and same as religion: culturally cancerous.
Took the words right outta my mouth. I remember traveling through Italy in the 70's and being astonished that 20 somethings were reading comic books. Now the world has long past that moment. Thanks
My wife and I have talked of this endless infantilization of young adults on many an occasion. We see it too; they refuse to put down the childish things and reach for adultish things as part of the proper course in life. They cling. They obsess. We see it very clear in Legos...it used to be the toys were wonderful for children with imagination; a new toy every day. Now, they're marketed to the young adult crowd, designed not be a thing of imagination but a toy-ish icon, typically something from Star Wars or Harry Potter or something similar. There are Lego bonsai trees. WTF.
Don't get me wrong. I like toys. I will walk the toy aisle every chance I get. Unlike the infantilized young adults, this old adult likes the toys for the art and imagination in them. I look for the good toys, the ones that would last the longest in childhood. I try to sort out what brands have the best qualities for a child. I do not buy them or hoard them (sorry...that's known as 'collecting' them.)
This infantilization is a sickness, the sign of people who are stretched across the years of their lives...some part of them is back there in childhood, screaming for something they are missing or marred. They are psychically distorted, pulled out of shape, with important pieces of themselves scattered behind themselves, pulling them backwards. Until they are whole, they will not be able to go forward, they will be unwilling and unable to reach for adult things.
Interesting. I prefer child-centered works for entertainment (such as Hilda or Studio Ghibli) though I can't sit through truly childish fare (like my kids' Pokemon obsession). With higher art stuff, I will stretch slightly, though I avoid anything too intense (Gaiman's Sandman comic series is the most graphic I can handle).
But your piece is about obsession beyond preference. I guess the problem is that we've been co-opted into self-identifying with things are unworthy of such worship. It's a brilliant marketing magic trick by the entertainment complex, most likely starting with sports teams which gets more icky when lines get blurred with children's content.
Then again, Miller's Dark Knight Returns was a necessary coming of age for comics. But as that industry has grown up and gotten "grittier", these masked heroes have left the realm of kids, leaving their world a bit poorer....though I could always pick up reprints of the early issues in those DC showcase or Marvel Essential collections.
Much to chew on, thanks again for the provocation.
Conventions aren't the problem. If people got nostalgic a few times a year, that'd be fine. It's that the obsessions are a constant thing throughout the year.
You're right about fandom culture being a problem, but most of it isn't fixated on "stories intended for children". That's part of the problem, but the biggest is how weirdly tribal these little culture cults get. Like religion, they blow their money on these obsessions, believe bizarre things, get in dumb fights with people over mere opinions, etc. Most into them are harmless, regular fans, but fandom is where it starts getting religious, and same as religion: culturally cancerous.