LogFAQs > #894915318

"I think that you are entitled to a personal opinion," I said as I tried to return to my explanation on why this new customer should read All-Star Superman.

He muttered something under his breath and I continued with assisting the other customer. After ten minutes, the new customer purchased about 100 bucks worth of volumes and left. A short while later, as I talked with another customer at the counter, chatting about how I was looking forward to the new Domino series, Older Customer returned to the counter. He launched into a "Marvel sucks because it got rid of all of its old heroes for minority characters" shpiel. I've heard it a thousand times. I don't even disagree with it when its framed properly. But my response to him was, "Are you okay, man? You've been really negative today."

This led to what was essentially an antagonistic pushback. He told me that I shouldn't tell him how he should read comics and what characters he should like. I responded that I didn't, and that if I did, he would be told to read Animal Man if anything. The back and forth eventually revealed that this guy just didn't like anything. He didn't like minority characters. He didn't like reboots. He didn't like Superman. And on this last point, I said, "Have you ever read _____?" Here I filled in the blank with the titles I had just recommended to the other customer. He had not read any but one. I said, "Did you like that story?" He responded affirmatively. I said, "Have you read any other Superman comics?" No. "So the only Superman comic you've ever read you liked. But you hate the character." And he tried to respond but at this point I was finished myself. I admit that I was mostly frustrated with this individual's inability to be polite in front of a new customer. And he vaped. I hate the smell of vape and the cloud of vape smoke that lingers whenever someone puffs those damn cartridge things.

I'm not saying that comics and the sort of essays I read in English lit. are of the same caliber. Some of them deserve more recognition, sure. I think there's value in exploring what writers have to say in almost any medium or genre. But everywhere I go, there's a blanket dismissal of what a writer really has to say based on surface expectations. And, honestly, it does my heart ill to see the discourse among fans and critics alike become more base and elementary. "ME NO LIKE SUPERMAN" is not far off from "THIS WRITER IS BLACK." It ignores all of the subtlety, the nuance, the storytelling, the message, the skill of the writer, the passion of the person. It is the opposite of world-building. It's world-destroying. And it stems from the wedge issue driven tug-o-war at the heart of American politics and society. I don't care what your politics are if you have nothing to say about them, and I don't care about your base subjective opinions. I just want to talk about and learn from good books and great storytellers. I just want to explore the topics about which I never get to talk. I wish I could be less sarcastic and aggressive and find a way to turn dead-end arguments into opportunities to learn and discuss.

I know this is a string of posts no one cares about; this is all just an info dump without much editing or probably even substance. But hopefully someone else here on the board is equally as dismayed with how the sense of community all over just seems to be drying up.
---

"Reading would be your friend." ~Dave Meltzer