Calling All Geeks!

I’ve never been Mr. Popular. I know I really can’t be picky when it comes to friends. But I think there has to be a line. On more the one occasion, I’ve allowed myself to become a walking doormat in order to keep friends who don’t truly appreciate me. Well, FanForce is getting really close to crossing that line.

FanForce Columbus is the local Star Wars fan group. Jon introduced them to me a few months ago. At first it was cool. They all seemed to be basically nice and I’m all for meeting new people. Contrary to what many might think, I’m not typically anti-social by choice. But, yeah, like I said, in the beginning, it was all cool. But things started to go down hill.

I really don’t know when it started for me. Jon gave up on them a little while ago. I know he was disappointed in the lack of costuming and he often complained of their expensive taste. I have to agree with him on that. For instance, as we all know, I work at a movie theatre. A cheap, first run movie theatre. $3.50 for matinee shows, $6 in the evening. Where do they go to see “V for Vendetta”? $9.50 AMC, after I told them about my theatre about a dozen times. And I understood when they saw Superman at AMC, ‘cause we didn’t have the special edition 3D version. But where did we go before the movie? McDonalds? No, we went to Max & Erma’s, and that was only because the fancy Italian restaurant was booked. (Mmm, I had Coke for dinner.)

My biggest problem, though, I think, is the pompous, arrogant, self-righteousness of a few of its members. Not even all of them. It’s only three or four members. But, it’s like, Lord, it’s freakin’ Star Wars, people! I love it, too, but I at least try to keep it in perspective. Some of them act like just ‘cause they know the difference between IG-88 and Bosk, they’re the masters of all the universe. And they can be just mean about it. Recently, some guy posted an open letter to George Lucas blasting him for his constant repackaging of the Star Wars series. These people freaked out. I kid you not, there were honest-to-God death threats. There were two or three members who actually went on the records saying that this human being, a father who simply wanted his children to see the same movies he saw as a kid, was less of a human being and that he deserved to die, that he should stop living, that his children should be made orphans, all because he expressed disproval and dared to question the word of God George Lucas. I don’t care what you think of George Lucas or what he’s done with his movies, that is too much.

And if you’re not in their inner circle, you’re nothing. Ultimately, I think that’s what’s doing me in. For instance, the thing that inspired this post, one of the members just posted an invitation to a “Heroes” premier to watch the new show on NBC. It’s your typical invitation with “What, Where, When, Why, Who”. I was fine with it until the “Who”. It read, “Who: The “Hard-core 4″ – with girlfriends in tow! – And anyone who’d like to join us!”

Yeah, I was invited. I guess I should be happy about that. But I’m an “Other”. (And not the cool Lost kind.) I literally fall into the third tier of the invited group. I’ve become that kid in your class that you invited to your birthday party but only because you invited everyone else and your mom kind of made you but you really hope he doesn’t show up because he’s creepy and you don’t really like him. And just the fact that the poster went out of his way to single out the people he actually wanted and those who were merely extras. He could have just as easily said “everyone” or even leave the “who” out completely. But no, he had to make it clear that I’m not part of the “Hard-core 4”.

But, like I said, I won’t be turned away if I show up, so I suppose I should be grateful. It could be worse, they could be threatening to “shoot first”.