Five Fandoms I Hate to Admit I'm a Part of

Some people ruin fun stuff in the cringiest ways

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Most people have something they are fans of. Whether it's music, TV shows, movies, cooking, or something else, many people have something they are absorbed in. And there is nothing wrong with that. Being a fan of something connects you with a community and can be part of a fun hobby.

But some fandoms can be embarrassing to admit you are part of. Some sections of these communities are annoying, self-important, or just jackasses. In the best cases, people roll their eyes and defend the fandom despite these people. In the worst cases, it can cause people to abandon the fandom altogether when it becomes too toxic.

I was a pretty nerdy kid growing up (and honestly, not much has changed). I had a lot of hobbies and interests that were not considered that cool. Of course, now "nerd culture" has become cool, and it seems like we have a Revenge of the Nerds situation.

If you go on Reddit and look at the fandom subs, you will see what I mean. You will have people having normal conversations, but also some very unhinged takes on things people love.

My wife will jokingly give me crap when I drop some Lord of the Rings trivia or something like that. Which is fair; it is pretty nerdy, but it is something I enjoy. However, some fandoms and segments of those fandoms make it hard to admit I am part of them.

1. TOOL fans

I'm not talking about saws or power tools. I'm talking about the popular progressive metal band, TOOL. I got into them in high school, mostly because a few friends of mine were really into them. They have since become one of my favorite bands. I like the skill that the band members put into their instruments (watch a video of drummer Danny Carey, and you will see why he is considered one of the best drummers alive). And Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer, can write some amazing lyrics.

I've seen them live twice, and they put on a great show. However, there is a section of the fandom that gets really into it. They try to analyze every lyric and time signature. If you go on the Reddit page, you are going to see someone ranting about seeing a spiral (there is a lot of psychedelic imagery and math that I am not going to get into because, honestly, I don't quite get all of it). They will spend hundreds of dollars on merch, and then bitch about how greedy the band is. And they will snicker at people who don't "get their band theory" because they aren't as smart.

The funny thing is, the band kind of poke fun at these types of fans. Hell, they wrote a song called "Hooker with a Penis" about people giving them crap for selling out while still spending money on the band. Maynard has all but said these types of fans get on their nerves.

Now that their fans have gotten older, TOOL is in this weird space of almost becoming "dad rock". It is fun to see a younger person discover your favorite band and ask for song suggestions. Just don't go on a rant about the Fibonacci Sequence.

2. Comic Books

This one probably doesn't need much explanation. Comic books are one of the great American art forms, telling stories of superheroes among other topics. The medium has evolved to the point where writers have even won major awards (the great graphic novel Maus won a Pulitzer Prize). Comics have inspired movies and TV shows and have become mainstream in recent years.

That was not always the case. I was a stereotypical comic book nerd when I was a kid. Growing up, there was a comic book shop within walking distance of my house, and my dad took me there weekly to grab a stack of my favorite titles. It was a core memory. I had a pretty good-sized collection until a flood ruined most of them. I still have a decent collection, but my wife is probably happy it isn't as massive as it could be. And with the internet, I usually can read digital copies.

However, some get obsessed with the comics. Grown adults griping about storylines with Spider-Man or the new Supergirl movie. It's pretty cringy and seems really sad. The nerds grew up, but they didn't mature.

You also have the conventions. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to have met Stan Lee when he was alive. But most of the people who go are among the most awkward in the world. And God forbid there is an attractive female around, because these guys are going to make he uncomfortable.

And then there is the cosplay. I have no problem with good cosplay; it takes some real skill and talent. But then there are the lazy cosplays. Putting on a black trench coat and a T-shirt with a skull on it does not make you the Punisher. And as mentioned, I feel sorry for those scantily-clad models that dudes try to touch or ogle. There was a con a few years ago that had to put out a PSA: "Cosplay is not consent".

I honestly have not kept up with the major storylines for several years; my fandom is more nostalgic. I will usually still watch a new movie or show with my favorite characters. And I have a handful of friends that I will discuss the movie or show with, but we don't do deep dives into it. It has been useful as a school teacher, as they are a great way to connect with students.

3. Professional Wrestling

Before I begin: Yes, we all know wrestling is staged. I haven't thought wrestling was real since I was eight.

Now, that being said, I have a love-hate relationship with pro wrestling. I got into it a lot when I was a kid, then got out of it when I got a little older. Then I got back into it in high school during the whole Monday Night Wars era, but then got out of it again in the early 2000s. I recently got back into it a few years ago, but don't watch regularly.

I'm more of a nostalgia fan. I will watch a documentary, and sometimes I will watch an old pay-per-view online that I loved as a kid. And I will usually check on message boards or watch highlights to keep up with what is going on today.

Two things make being a pro wrestling fan difficult. As mentioned, one of the first things people will say when they find out you are a wrestling fan is: "You know it's fake, right?"

It is one of the most annoying things about being a wrestling fan. No other form of entertainment can prompt fans to question whether fantasy is separate from reality. I also don't think that Steve Carell spent years of his life working for a paper company, but I still love The Office.

The second thing is the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC). Pretty much since the dawn of the internet, fans have been talking about wrestling, and not much has changed. They share news and photos, which is fine. But then they get into their own theories about things behind the scenes or fantasy book events and get upset when things don't go as predicted.

One of the worst parts is when they get onto wrestling conspiracy theories that have been proven wrong over and over again. Two of the most annoying: 1. Randy Savage had an affair with a teenage Stephanie McMahon, and that is why he never resigned with WWE (in reality, it was over the Slim Jim sponsorship, and savage was doing promotion of a WWE video game before his sudden death). 2. Chris Benoit was framed for the murder of his wife and son (there is a mountain of evidence that he committed the murders before killing himself).

I'll still watch pro wrestling, but I usually don't make a big thing about it. However, it has helped to make some connections with my students and my history class. I once made a comparison between WWE and gladiator fights, noting that gladiator fights were often not fights to the death but choreographed blood sports.

5. Dungeons & Dragons (or Fantasy in general)

I'm using D&D as the placeholder for this one, as it is the best-known in this genre. Fantasy did get a bit of a boost thanks to Game of Thrones, but aside from that, the genre is still seen as pretty nerdy.

I never played tabletop D&D, mostly because none of my friends were really into it growing up. However, I did play the video games, and the Baldur's Gate series is still my favorite (I've done two playthroughs of BG3 to date).

The fantasy genre is fun. It allows you to escape reality into a fantasy world where anything is possible. I've even tried my hand at writing in the genre, with some success.

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However, there is a segment of fantasy fans that can make it embarrassing to admit you are a fan. You get the obsessives, who are all they want to talk about. Some fans want to dress up as characters when a movie comes out (looking at you, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter obsessives).

And there is LARPing. For those who don't know, Live Action Role Playing is where people will dress up and act like they are living in an RPG. On one hand, you want to say "at least they are outside", but they are doing it in the cringiest way possible.

A few years back, my wife and I went to a Renaissance fair with some friends. We had a great time, but she put the kibosh on my getting some cool-looking armor I was thinking of as a display piece. In hindsight, it was a good idea, though I still want a sword.

5. Star Wars

This is the granddaddy of them all. You could probably include any popular sci-fi series, but Star Wars seems like the most relevant today. With Disney owning the IP rights, it seems to be everywhere.

Like a lot of people, I loved Star Wars as a kid. I thought the original trilogy was great, and in hindsight the prequels aren't that bad. The newest installments seemed more of a cash grab with a lot of potential. But anyway, that isn't the point I'm trying to make. I will usually watch a new movie from the franchise, and maybe one of the new shows.

However, it took about four years to convince my in-laws that I was not a crazy Star Wars fan. When my mother-in-law would take a yearly trip with some of her friends, she would bring us back something from Disney. The question was always, "Nick likes Star Wars, right?"

And I would get a bunch of Star Wars stuff. Which was fine, but I am not obsessed with it, and that took some reminding. I'm not going to wear a Yoda shirt in public; it's just not my style.

But some people are obsessed with it. They literally harassed a kid into quitting acting (look up Danny Lloyd, who played little Anakin Skywalker). If something does not fit their headcanon, you better believe George Lucas will feel their wrath.

And going back to Disney, can we stop with the grown adults dressing up or challenging the park's Stormtroppers to a lightsaber battle? The employees honestly are rolling their eyes behind their masks. Now, if it is a little kid or someone who they are just having fun with, go for it. But a forty-year-old man trying to use the Force is cringy.

So there you go, five fandoms I am sometimes embarrassed to admit I am part of. I don't say this to tell people to quit enjoying what you enjoy, but please, for the love of God, have some sense. Don't be one of those people who make others want to quit being fans of something or embarrassed to admit they like it.

But hell, what do I know. Enjoy your life.

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