Don’t Tease the Mundanes
Posted By Kathleen David on April 8, 2008
I can remember that I first saw that phrase about half way through the list of rules for a science fiction convention. I knew what a Mundane was because I was pretty well versed in sci-fi fan short hand. I found it strange that they put that in the list but found out later that it had to do with something that had happened at a previous convention to a wedding reception group and a group of fans both of which had a bit too much to drink. The hotel almost paid the kill fee on the contract and kicked the convention out.
That phrase came back to me this weekend since school was in session while the convention was going on. Usually the convention is on the spring break weekend of the college and most of the kids are off campus. Now a number of the students participate in the convention either as attendees or as staff and they have a blast. There are also a number of high school students from the area who do that same. It is a good mix of younger and older fans.
Stony Brook has a weapons policy and they do enforce it. Just because one is cosplaying doesn’t mean that you can swing your keyblade around with abandonment. It will be confiscated by the campus police. I heard the cops tell you where and when you could get it back too after the convention. Threatening the campus under your breath to your buddies will win you no friends from the local constabulary and believe me they heard you too.
Either this year there was a rule I didn’t see about wings or no one was wearing them because of all the problems they caused last year with just trying to move through the dealers’ room. Which was a blessing indeed especially for someone like Caroline who is right at the height to get poked in the eye by the tip of a wing. However, I do understand the use of props as part of your costume to complete the look but if you are going to carry around something that extends past you and can be very hazardous to other people who are just trying to walk from point A to point B, think twice and leave the prop at home. I’m talking to the individuals who were carrying either the giant striped hammers or the over sized foam core swords that when you prop it on your shoulder and swing around everyone has to jump back a foot to avoid being hit.
I’m glad that (insert character here) is your favorite character in the universe and you want to dress up like them. May I politely ask if you looked in a mirror after putting on your costume? Dance belts are our friends and I really don’t care to see the outline of your dangly bits mashed up into the spandex without support. To another costumer who really needs a mirror, the reason everyone was talking pictures is that none of them thought their friends would believe what they saw standing in front of them. If you wanted to wear that costume, there were ways of doing it that would not make it such a spectacle. I would bet that you have had that costume for a while and have put on a little weight since the first time you put it on.
To the Idiots who were still partying and running up and down the halls after midnight at the hotel. You were not young kids. Some of you were my age and older. People are trying to sleep. The hotel has not rented out the entire hotel to the convention therefore the areas where the guest rooms are is the place where some people are trying to get some sleep. And there are a number of people who are attending the convention who went to bed at a reasonable hour so they could get up early for what they wanted to do at the convention. You are not helping fandom in the least by arguing loudly and probably drunkly about various aspects of a certain scifi TV show.
Maybe I’m getting old or maybe just getting sensitive about how my fandom is perceived from the outside. But these sorts of things I do see and wince about. No, my behavior was not perfect when I was a young fan and I know that. But a majority of the people I am talking about were my age or older. Also complaining about the Mundanes in the bar in a loud voice while the locals are there to drink is really bad form. I’m just saying….
I am grateful to all the fans there who took the time to explain to the Mundanes what was going on and giving them useful information. A couple of people came to the convention who had never been there because of what you said.
I hate Hate HATE the whole “mundanes” thing. It smacks of the worst sort of elitism, and was the main reason I couldn’t stay involved with sf fandom for more than a few months. How terribly arrogant of any group of people to believe everyone but them to be “mundane”! Even if it’s tongue in cheek, it’s insufferable and utterly uncalled for.
Agreed on the costumes with dangerous bits. I saw a girl with a big blue foam (I hope) sword thwap one or two people before it was pointed out to her. I think the guy was ready to break the sword over his knee (he was really tall).
I know an ambulance was at the dealers room on Saturday afternoon. I hope that wasn’t due to someone’s prop.
Elayne,
While I don’t know where the term “mundanes” originated, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were in response to people who tended to mock fandom in a very derisive term — the people who use “Trekkie” as an insult, for instance.
I’m not saying that makes it justified, but I doubt it came about in a vacuum.
Would you prefer “normals”? 🙂
TWL
I believe the appropriate designation should be “Fan” and “Non-Fan”… it is both accurate and un-derogatory. It implies the former’s enthusiasm while reflecting the choice of the latter NOT to participate in that “world”. Neither should be condemmed in the eyes of the other.
And remember , we were all “non-fans” once. Remember that most S/F is supportive of tolerance and accepting ourselves and others the way we are. Celebrate the diversity of us all.
Ridiculing others choices is never cool. For good or bad they are “choices”, and it is why we live in the greatest country on Earth. We all have these rights.
Now, my brethren of fandom. Go forth and hug a mundane. I grok humanity.
I believe the appropriate designation should be “Fan” and “Non-Fan”… it is both accurate and un-derogatory. It implies the former’s enthusiasm while reflecting the choice of the latter NOT to participate in that “world”. Neither should be condemmed in the eyes of the other.
And remember , we were all “non-fans” once. Remember that most S/F is supportive of tolerance and accepting ourselves and others the way we are. Celebrate the diversity of us all.
Ridiculing others choices is never cool. For good or bad they are “choices”, and it is why we live in the greatest country on Earth. We all have these rights.
Now, my brethren of fandom. Go forth and hug a mundane. I grok humanity.
forgive the double post… a “ghost” in the machine no doubt.
Excelsior!
Sorry. I have to say that considering the constant dismissal of SF fans as geeks, weirdos, dorks, freaks, etc., “mundanes” is a pretty mild term. I just can’t get that worked up over the feelings of individuals who will not hesitate to describe SF fans in the most disparaging, arrogant and snotty terms.
When you have five hundred people dressed up in t-shirts or uniform replicas, it’s called an SF convention. When you have 50,000 people dressed in t-shirts or uniform replicas, it’s called a major league baseball game. Funny how the latter is acceptable but the former is considered the province of dorks.
Nope. No sympathy at all.
PAD
I just can’t get that worked up over the feelings of individuals who will not hesitate to describe SF fans in the most disparaging, arrogant and snotty terms.
You’re automatically assuming that all people who do not attend sci-fi cons have such feelings.
I’m as much a sci-fi ‘geek’ as anyone, but the term ‘mundane’ is pretty dámņ lame as well. Apparently even geeks feel the need to label others just to ‘fit in’.
i’m throwing this out there..its not on the same level as the costumes…but how do folks feel about people shlepping wheeled cases and backpacks at cons? Just wondering cuz last year was the first time i took my wheeled backpack to a con and people kept knocking into it. (I did my best to keep it as close to me as possible but it was the NYCC and it was crowded esp on Sun).
Anyone have any thoughts or ideas?
Another thing to think about with costumes that have not only dangerous accessories, but also the lack of er…under accessories(or should that be support?) is that not only are their little kids around but also little people and folks in wheel chairs.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been derogatorally described, and have in fact, embraced the geek label, that I dont think the mundane label should be used either. Nevermind the only other context I’ve heard it used in was B5, and you could see where JMS was going with that usage. In fact, I don’t even think I have a term for non-congoers. I think it’s because the con I go to, SDCC, I’d have to say only 10-20% of the people dress up full time, the rest either wear pop-culture shirts or dress as they normally do, dressing up on a specific day for a specific event. So you really can’t tell in downtown who’s going to the con, who’s on vacation and was never told it was sdcc weekend and still can’t figure out why the hotel was so pricey, and who just lives there.
And Peter, you should have been there when the baseball crowd spilled out of the ballpark last year and ran into the con crowd…or should say became the con crowd. It was like watching that scene in shrek 2 where everyone ran from one sb to the next.
You’re automatically assuming that all people who do not attend sci-fi cons have such feelings.
No, I’m not. But I’ve certainly encountered enough that I have zero concerns over it…including, most recently, listening to radio commentators who were running a BSG contest and were clearly doing so against their will. There were constant comments about nerds and geeks, people who were living in their parents’ basements, guys who would never know the love of a woman, etc.
And, frankly, I also have little tolerance for when people start getting all weak-kneed about being offended on the behalf of other people. “How dare we say such insulting things about the poor mundanes!” As if mundanes would give a crap about what a bunch of geeks and weirdos call them.
How far are we going to take the whole outrage-over-slang thing, anyway? Hey, here’s a thought: Every e-mail user has to swear never to use the term “snail mail” again because it’s insensitive to hard-working mail carriers.
PAD
In my view, it’s like any other slang — it can be used endearingly or pejoratively, and which one it is should be a function of the user’s intent.
When my wife calls me a geek, I know it’s used fondly (mostly because she can manage to outgeek me on a regular basis). If someone I only barely knew called me a geek as a criticism, my reaction would be different.
Is this really all that different from other slang terms?
TWL
My point as well. PAD… Why can’t we all get along? What is this insane need people have to look down and disparage things they do not understand? Why is it funny when Sheldon belittles Leonard for having the bad tase to like a “normal” female?
“Why is it funny when Sheldon belittles Leonard for having the bad tase to like a “normal” female?”
I know who Sheldon Leonard is, but I don’t know who Sheldon and Leonard are, so I can’t really answer the question.
PAD