I normally don't do personal blogs, but here I am doing just that. It's a subject that's near and dear to me as well. Being a nerd.
First of all, I'm perfectly happy admitting to people I'm a nerd. I don't feel ashamed of the things I like, even when they are dumb (I'm looking at you pokemon). In general though, I find that people expect these things out of me:
1. When I say I like anime, people assume I'm some sort of hardcore otaku who lives and breathes the stuff to stay alive. That's pretty much the exact opposite of me. I do watch anime, but usually only 1 to 4 series every few months with the only one I follow weekly being One Piece (Since One Piece has been near and dear to me since I was 12 or 13). Other than that, I don't watch much anime. I don't even watch much of the new stuff since, to be honest, a lot of it is unappealing. I do admit though, I'm am obsessed with Studio Ghibli. I fucking love nearly everything they've put out.
2. People seem to think I'm some kind of computer whiz. In reality, I suck with computers. I'm not as inept as your average person, but when it comes down to more specific hard to assess problems, I'm useless. This one doesn't come up too often, but every so often someone wants me to fix their comp and I have no idea how to.
3. I'm in love with video games...
You know what, I agree with this one. I love video games. I probably play more games than any other hobby. I even want to learn Japanese to play games that have never come out in English. So yes, I'm a huge video game nerd. I'm not angry though.
4. I'm socially inept and have little to no life. I couldn't disagree more with this one. I've got a job, a few good friends, and I go out pretty much everyday be it for work or just to talk with friends. I do admit though that I like being alone a bit more since I value my privacy quite a bit. In general, I think it's a bit insulting that just because some has a certain hobby that they lack social skills. This may be true for some, but most people in my line of interest are very nice and social people who share a common like of something.
5. One thing I notice anime fans find odd is my love for animation in other countries besides Japan. I've seen stuff in English, Russian, French and other languages over the years because I just like animation. Pixar is notably my favorite animation studio due to the amazing amount of awesome movies they've released. I also have a soft spot for Disney (That is slowly hardening with time) and I'm also a fan of the old Warner Brothers cartoons. I think it's kind of sad most anime fans brush off animation in other countries as "Immature" or "For kids". In my opinion, both Japanese animation and animation from other countries has similar flaws and strengths, but some people (Probably most) see more flaws in one more than the other.
To end it off, I find that my interests haven't changed much since I turned 16. I'm 18 now, and I find as I grow older that my passion for the things I like stays strong, unlike when I was a kid where I would go from Tamagotchi to pokemon trading cards in a matter of weeks. So I'll end this by posing a question. Do you think having an interest in subjects such as animation, videos games and the like is strange, or is our societies views on those subjects what makes them strange?
First of all, I'm perfectly happy admitting to people I'm a nerd. I don't feel ashamed of the things I like, even when they are dumb (I'm looking at you pokemon). In general though, I find that people expect these things out of me:
1. When I say I like anime, people assume I'm some sort of hardcore otaku who lives and breathes the stuff to stay alive. That's pretty much the exact opposite of me. I do watch anime, but usually only 1 to 4 series every few months with the only one I follow weekly being One Piece (Since One Piece has been near and dear to me since I was 12 or 13). Other than that, I don't watch much anime. I don't even watch much of the new stuff since, to be honest, a lot of it is unappealing. I do admit though, I'm am obsessed with Studio Ghibli. I fucking love nearly everything they've put out.
2. People seem to think I'm some kind of computer whiz. In reality, I suck with computers. I'm not as inept as your average person, but when it comes down to more specific hard to assess problems, I'm useless. This one doesn't come up too often, but every so often someone wants me to fix their comp and I have no idea how to.
3. I'm in love with video games...
You know what, I agree with this one. I love video games. I probably play more games than any other hobby. I even want to learn Japanese to play games that have never come out in English. So yes, I'm a huge video game nerd. I'm not angry though.
4. I'm socially inept and have little to no life. I couldn't disagree more with this one. I've got a job, a few good friends, and I go out pretty much everyday be it for work or just to talk with friends. I do admit though that I like being alone a bit more since I value my privacy quite a bit. In general, I think it's a bit insulting that just because some has a certain hobby that they lack social skills. This may be true for some, but most people in my line of interest are very nice and social people who share a common like of something.
5. One thing I notice anime fans find odd is my love for animation in other countries besides Japan. I've seen stuff in English, Russian, French and other languages over the years because I just like animation. Pixar is notably my favorite animation studio due to the amazing amount of awesome movies they've released. I also have a soft spot for Disney (That is slowly hardening with time) and I'm also a fan of the old Warner Brothers cartoons. I think it's kind of sad most anime fans brush off animation in other countries as "Immature" or "For kids". In my opinion, both Japanese animation and animation from other countries has similar flaws and strengths, but some people (Probably most) see more flaws in one more than the other.
To end it off, I find that my interests haven't changed much since I turned 16. I'm 18 now, and I find as I grow older that my passion for the things I like stays strong, unlike when I was a kid where I would go from Tamagotchi to pokemon trading cards in a matter of weeks. So I'll end this by posing a question. Do you think having an interest in subjects such as animation, videos games and the like is strange, or is our societies views on those subjects what makes them strange?
