http://tsuibhne.net/2008/03/30/its-the-culture-stupid/

I’ve taken some liberties with the direction of the discussion, but this struck me as the more important question in all of this.

Church:
I knew I was going against the grain of fandom as I wrote that it’s not our responsibility to promote our favorite media. I think there’s a difference between eagerly embracing that task and telling ourselves that it is our solemn duty. My hope is that the former mindset encourages content industries to see fans as willful collaborators in promotion rather than as resources to be exploited.

Matt:
I should’ve reread your post before putting mine up! That’s what I get for starting a reply, going away for a conference, and then getting back to it. As for indie comics: I agree. The paper alluded to in the above post basically argues that a lot of voices in the indie comics scene have been actively trying to make comics break stereotypes in their content so as to reach new audiences. The “graphic novel” phrase wouldn’t have worked if there weren’t some actual different sort of work to back up the claim that “this isn’t what you think of as ‘comics’” (though that buzz phrase was the missing step to get comics into mainstream bookstores).

Also, I had meant to hit SPX for the dissertation, but never did find the time. I’d be interested, though, if I’m still living around the area at that time.

Jordan/Dan:
What Dan said.

And furthermore:
I’m starting to think that maybe reason #1 (and implied reason #4, at the very end) might be best collapsed into a rephrased reason why someone might try to promote a medium to new audiences: the “creative” reason, by which audiences try hope to indirectly influence a medium’s creative output (whether for “high” or “pop” culture) by influencing the demographics it reaches. Maybe it’s erroneous to lump together Fantagraphics readers’ push for artsy content with Green Lantern readers’ petitions to bring back Hal Jordan, but I guess I’m seeing both as examples of trying to broaden the market offerings based on one’s own preferences.

Then again, maybe this is a topic for one of your other blogs. ;)

But this can come off as desperate from activity groups in any sector, right? Most times I walk into the school store I’m accosted by a number of student groups, and only one of them is the anime club. So while I agree that handing out fliers, or shoving fliers down peoples’ throats, can seem desperate, I think that’s just a part of PR for up-and-coming groups (“no press is bad press”). Furthermore, being comfortable doing this sort of advertising despite what someone may think is an important facet of the “personal reason” for making a medium feel more legit.

etc.

I will acknowledge that my argument is very much an issue of arguing over semantics and syntax. After writing my response I really wished I’d actually gotten around to reading people like Foucault and other post-structuralist stuff, as opposed to just picking things up from reading Peter Lamborn Wilson/Hakim Bey. Unfortunately, while I enjoy talking philosophy, I hate reading it.

Expect a long winded reply at Headphone Sacrament at some point in the future. Exactly when depends on how this week goes.

One thing I did want to point out. While I’m no expert on the history of Jazz, I don’t believe there was anyone who was trying to actively push it into high art areas. What I was getting at was that the genre largely lost sight of its populace roots. And that when that happened it started to loose its relevancy with a lot of its former fans. It was not intended as a cautionary tale specifically about legitimacy. Instead it was simply a more general tale about loosing sight of the roots of something. Reminding me that Jazz is a genre, not a medium, though is one of the things I need to chew on.

Also, you keep mentioning the graphic novel as an example of how comics have started to find legitimacy. I’d broaden that more and throw out the entire indie comics scene. They are the main proponents of the graphic novel as an alternative to single issues. More importantly though, they are the main force behind pushing the medium into new areas. Maus is great (though I admit to never reading it), but a single story is an exception if it isn’t followed up with work in a similar vein.

Speaking of which, you should give some thought to hitting the Small Press Expo outside DC this fall. A “comic book convention” for indie comics only could provide some interesting perspective on your research. It is definitely a different take on the comic book world. Probably the most overt mixing of hipster and geek cultures. Plus, it is a good way to blow a couple hundred dollars (oh how I wish that was a joke.)

Actually, that’s kind of the definition of fandom. Or at least, a serious side-effect.