How Comic Fans & Shops Are Stereotyped 387
brumgrunt writes "Why do TV shows, such as 30 Rock, The Simpsons, Heroes, and Everybody Loves Raymond, persist in so ferevently stereotyping comic book fans and stores? Den of Geek has pulled together eight examples, with video evidence to back them up ..." Minus one point for doubling up on Malcolm in the Middle. Plus 10 points for referencing Spaced, which I hope you all have seen.
What about Captain Sweatpants ? (Score:2, Interesting)
How About Typing Comics Fans as Sex Offenders? (Score:5, Interesting)
U.S. Manga Obscenity Conviction Roils Comics World [wired.com]
In an obscenity first, a U.S. comic book collector has pleaded guilty to importing and possessing Japanese manga books depicting illustrations of child sex abuse and bestiality.
Christopher Handley, described by his lawyer as a "prolific collector" of manga, pleaded guilty last week to mailing obscene matter, and to "possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children." Three other counts were dropped in a plea deal with prosecutors.
The 39-year-old office worker was charged under the 2003 Protect Act, which outlaws cartoons, drawings, sculptures or paintings depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and which lack "serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value." Handley's guilty plea makes him the first to be convicted under that law for possessing cartoon art, without any evidence that he also collected or viewed genuine child pornography. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Keep that cartoon coochie identifyably 18!
Re:Sad but true (Score:5, Interesting)
It may be a stereotype but if you walk into most comic book/anime stores and look around at the people in them, the vast majority will match up to the stereotype.
At my local comic book store (it also sells books; specfic, fantasy, horror etc, and board games) I rarely if ever see any of the TV stereotype nerds. Then again I live in Norway so I guess it might not apply here or something. The people I see down there when I go to shop are mostly "normal" people. Everything from teenagers to old people browsing books or comics; and yes there is a pretty even distribution of girls there to. That being said reading comics, specfic or etc, (or being a nerd for that matter) is pretty much a none issue here; i.e. read/do what you like to read/do the rest of the people don't give a fuck one way or the other.
I dunno. (Score:4, Interesting)
Often times comic shops perpetuate their stereotype, but as far as service goes, I've never had an issues. They are manned by people who are genunnely interested in the product they are selling. Now walk down to the record store and you get something pretty different. They tend to have no interest in selling you anything, are disinterested and view your purchases with comtempt, but they are cool kids so we forgive them.
Who isn't stereotyped (Score:5, Interesting)
The article makes us really look like losers. The one thing that is more stereotyped than the comic book guy is the cheerleader. Save the cheerleader is both a catchphrase and an irony, because why does a girl who cannot be killed need saving, a la Buffy. Yet we continue to want her to be the damsel in distress. Bringing these two archetypes together was brilliant. It is the thing that Heros does that no one understands. Why do shows use stereotypes. Because most people are simplistic, and have trouble with multiple levels of meaning.
Rocko is equally brilliant in that it is a good depiction of early young adult hood, when one is forced to learn to live. It is not a pretty sight. It is full of lots of scared people who deal with their fears in different ways. Some by hiding in books, some by finding a new playmate every night. Either one of these is stereotyped and seen as reasonable when on is young. Being offended by Filbert says more about one's own issue rather than the character. I find the show hard to take sometimes, but it is because it is so real.
The rest of the most of these are simply too pop culture and too obvious to even give credence. Suffice it to say that we need to be secure enough with ourselves to not freak out anytime we are ridiculed. We do the same with people we do not understand, like cheerleaders.
Re:They are not "Comics" they are "Graphic Novels" (Score:2, Interesting)
Let's look at this first from the non-comic perspective. Novels are a subset of books. There is criteria to establish what is a novel, and what isn't. I have a novel in my hand right now... is it a book? Of course. But if I tell you I have a book in my hand, can you say that it is definitely a novel?
For comics, why would this not apply as well? There can be comic novels, there can be comic books. I think we can agree on this.
The problem with calling them comic novels is that "comic novels" already exist, in non-graphical form. Terry Pratchett, for example, writes comic novels, and these are not in a graphical format. So we are left with using the term "graphical novels" for comics that are also novels.
It's important to note that 'graphical novel' is not a term used to 'legitimize' comic books. It's a term used to differentiate one kind of comic book from another.
Re:They are not "Comics" they are "Graphic Novels" (Score:3, Interesting)
When I hear "Comic book" I think of a 20-30 page X-Men. When I hear "Graphic novel" I think of a ~150 page Scott Pilgrim book or a ~600 page Blankets. Graphic novels also usually have a definitive ending. I see that distinction.
I think the problem comes from people who are too worried about looking like a stereotype, too worried about looking childish -- so they sell graphic novels as a more mature, adult version of a comic. Which is totally false -- smart, mature comics with well written story arcs do exist, just like some childish graphic novels exist. These guys need to accept who they are and stop being so self conscious.
I also think this, like most other stereotypes, is just exacerbated by a small number of very loud people. None of the comic readers I know feel the need to defend themselves in such a silly manor.
Re:Human Nature (Score:2, Interesting)
Yes, an it's an excuse for war. And it works. It gets the pious killing the other side. They don't need to know the actual reason if you can use their religion to make them kill.
This is not an indictment of religion how?
Because non-religious justifications, such as nationalism, or even FEAR OF religion ("radical Islamists hate us because of our freedoms and because we don't cover our women in burkas!") works every bit as well, if not better, to gin up support for killing people while masking the real motivations.
Re:How About Typing Comics Fans as Sex Offenders? (Score:3, Interesting)
The frightening thing about this is, a court of law just got to decide that a comic book doesn't have serious literary or artistic value.
He plead guilty. The courts didn't decide anything. He really should have stuck with it, as this law is clearly unconstitutional and needs to be overturned by the courts. It's a real shame that prosecutors are able to use trumped up charges as a bludgeon to dissuade people from exercising their constitutional right to a trial. Plea bargaining ought to be abolished.
Re:How About Typing Comics Fans as Sex Offenders? (Score:3, Interesting)
One could even say they overlap perfectly.
Re:How About Typing Comics Fans as Sex Offenders? (Score:1, Interesting)
Nope. The law is clear: if it looks like a minor, it's child porn. Period. Even in cases with live actors of legal age.
As long as the prosecutor can convince the jury that it looks like a minor, it's child porn, regardless of the actual age of the actors.
And with the manga I've seen, all the characters look like 14 year olds, so I'm not sure playing the court game would be a safe bet. You want to try and convince 12 inconvenienced people too dumb to get out of jury duty that the cartoon picture isn't a minor? The sooner they convict, the sooner they get to go home.
Re:How About Typing Comics Fans as Sex Offenders? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Typical Hypocrisy (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, as I understand from Swedish friends, here is how they censor violence on TV in Sweden.
If the violence is real -- such as war atrocity or actual crime -- it can be depicted since to prohibit
it would be hiding the truth.
But if the violence is a work of fiction, it can't be depicted -- since that would be adding to the
ugliness of the world, and has the effect of deadening natural human empathy.
I'm not signing up for that position, but at least it's one logical place to draw a line.
And while I've never even seen a Manga comic book, I am signing up for the position that the judge who
said comic books have no artistic value is a "let's-put-drapes-on-the-naked-lady-statues" type of idiot.
Re:Human Nature (Score:3, Interesting)
It's an unnatural thing that must be taught.
I wonder who first learned to share, then?