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| Forrest J. Ackerman, the original genre fan, circa 1990 |
I didn't muster up enough courage to approach Uncle Forry, though I'm sure he would have been accommodating if I had. His reputation preceded him. Though we didn't meet, I still remember clearly that he had an attractive woman on each arm and a gigantic smile on his face. He radiated an aura of complete contentment, like a man who was clearly in his element and wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
Forry was the original genre fan, and he probably single-handedly did more to create and maintain a community of genre fans like himself than anyone else ever has. Unfortunately, despite all that Uncle Forry accomplished, it's still not uncommon for genre fans to be condescended to by straights who just don't get it.
This week's edition of The Dog Farm's Best In Show 2013 features two posts that each examine the nature of genre fandom. The first, Don't Hate Horror Movie Fans Because We're A Bit Twisted, But Don't Forget That, Either . . . , examines the very community that Forry did so much to foster. Oddly, this post generated a fair number of hits and only three comments. Are we all still just a little shy about letting our freak flags fly?
The second, (Mostly) Effective Tips For Teaching A Straight To Like Horror Movies, was posted just a couple of weeks later and was an almost direct continuation of the first. Regardless of whether or not we genre fans are looked down upon, we each bear a responsibility to evangelize. Not everyone finds their way to the nurturing bosom of genre fandom on their own.
Don't Hate Horror Movie Fans Because We're A Bit Twisted, But Don't Forget That, Either . . .
(Mostly) Effective Tips For Teaching A Straight To Like Horror Movies
Join me next week for the final installment of The Dog Farm's Best In Show 2013.
