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Fandom and Everyday Speech
Sep. 27th, 2006 11:27 amOver in the Doctor Who comms, it's become something of a tradition for a new member to introduce her/himself with the following:
"I'm new here! Hello!"
Now, to anyone outside of the Doctor Who fandom, it doesn't seem like a big deal. They said "Hello". So what? Except that, if you know the most recent incarnations of The Doctor [Nine and Ten, respectively], you get why the "Hello!" is so important.
And that made me start thinking about all the words and phrases that have probably slipped into other people's speech because of what they've watched or what they've read. I routinely find new words or phrases I like and work them into my speech and writing until it becomes more second nature than, "Oh, hey! That sounds cool!". The boy and I routinely quote back movie and television lines to one another. There's even the occasional "Dilbert" reference. [The boy is quite fond of the line "Because banks have locks".]
How much, I wonder, are we really influenced by our fannish practicese? I used to say "I haven't gotten", and now I say, "I've not gotten" because I heard it somewhere and thought it sounded so much better. I will occasionally swagger like Josh Lyman because I think it's a great walk. I don't think this little bits of other people's work makes me less authentic, but I now find myself wondering just how deep it goes. How influenced can you really be by fandom?
"I'm new here! Hello!"
Now, to anyone outside of the Doctor Who fandom, it doesn't seem like a big deal. They said "Hello". So what? Except that, if you know the most recent incarnations of The Doctor [Nine and Ten, respectively], you get why the "Hello!" is so important.
And that made me start thinking about all the words and phrases that have probably slipped into other people's speech because of what they've watched or what they've read. I routinely find new words or phrases I like and work them into my speech and writing until it becomes more second nature than, "Oh, hey! That sounds cool!". The boy and I routinely quote back movie and television lines to one another. There's even the occasional "Dilbert" reference. [The boy is quite fond of the line "Because banks have locks".]
How much, I wonder, are we really influenced by our fannish practicese? I used to say "I haven't gotten", and now I say, "I've not gotten" because I heard it somewhere and thought it sounded so much better. I will occasionally swagger like Josh Lyman because I think it's a great walk. I don't think this little bits of other people's work makes me less authentic, but I now find myself wondering just how deep it goes. How influenced can you really be by fandom?
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