The League of Like-Minded Maniacs
Aug. 25th, 2008 03:14 pmIf you are reading this, you are a member, in one way or another, of what the author of this interesting little read calls a "weird little world."
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trystbat, who probably thinks that one of my WLWs is being obsessive about the power of words. She would not be wrong.)
This is, for me, not a novel concept. I'd coined the term "like-minded maniacs" some time ago because "hobby" or "common interest" seemed such anemic terms for things that are often passions.
I'm on your F-list (or you're on mine) because some of your weird little worlds overlap with some of mine. We have some mutual interest that brings us together for one reason or another.
It starts being a Bad Thing when weird little worlds collide. It's all too easy to look at someone who is not part of your WLW and label them Other, especially when Other has a negative connotation. I don't refer to people outside of one of my WLWs as "mundane." They're not. They just have other things they're into. Having played in several sandboxes and enjoyed their respective merits and faults alike, you cannot make me get into a debate over the inherent superiority of historical re-enactment, the SCA or Ren Faire. They are what they are and they are what they are for different reasons. If you want to see me spiral into a tantrum of righteous outrage on the subject of bigotry, by all means refer to someone as a Nazi simply for having a different opinion than yours. Just be prepared to deal with The Wrath of The Gurdymonkey.
I enjoy spirited intellectual debate and passion for one's interests as much as anyone. In a world where people commit hate crimes and start wars against Other, I will simply end with the wise words of Buckaroo Banzai: "Don't be mean. No need to be mean. Just remember: no matter where you go... there you are."
(Link hijacked shamelessly from
trystbat, who probably thinks that one of my WLWs is being obsessive about the power of words. She would not be wrong.)This is, for me, not a novel concept. I'd coined the term "like-minded maniacs" some time ago because "hobby" or "common interest" seemed such anemic terms for things that are often passions.
I'm on your F-list (or you're on mine) because some of your weird little worlds overlap with some of mine. We have some mutual interest that brings us together for one reason or another.
It starts being a Bad Thing when weird little worlds collide. It's all too easy to look at someone who is not part of your WLW and label them Other, especially when Other has a negative connotation. I don't refer to people outside of one of my WLWs as "mundane." They're not. They just have other things they're into. Having played in several sandboxes and enjoyed their respective merits and faults alike, you cannot make me get into a debate over the inherent superiority of historical re-enactment, the SCA or Ren Faire. They are what they are and they are what they are for different reasons. If you want to see me spiral into a tantrum of righteous outrage on the subject of bigotry, by all means refer to someone as a Nazi simply for having a different opinion than yours. Just be prepared to deal with The Wrath of The Gurdymonkey.
I enjoy spirited intellectual debate and passion for one's interests as much as anyone. In a world where people commit hate crimes and start wars against Other, I will simply end with the wise words of Buckaroo Banzai: "Don't be mean. No need to be mean. Just remember: no matter where you go... there you are."
