Stigma being a Stargate Fan (or fan of any Scifi really)

[Kunoichi]

You all need to work in science! 95% of the people I work with are scifi and/or fantasy fans. There's no stigma and everyone gets the random scifi references or quotes when someone makes them!

[Stubba2]

I think humour is a wonderful tool for expressing yourself, and it makes you feel good even if you are the only person laughing. With all the hate in the world though it is often mistaken for attacks on the part of the reader. The message is often lost on the internet because there is no visual aid for the reader to interpret the intent of the statement, fortunately we have the "Gen Y" emoticons which enable the poster to express their intent visually as well as in the written form, maybe we should be using these more proactively in our posts so subscribers can get a better feeling of where we are coming from. Of course we all have various senses of humour based on upbringing/environment/education level/and belief structures, noting we are a world wide forum; but, emoticons can help us all to at least see your intent, regardless of our feelings.

[Colonel Rebel]

I've always liked what I liked, and I was never afraid to let everyone know it. I'm happy that I'm a sci-fi fan

And hey, I watch soap operas, and I'm a guy! And I've always let people I associate with know that too. If they look down on me for it, that's their problem. I'll just keep watching what Rafe is up to on Days or if Sam will forgive Jason on GH.

[Stubba2]

Personally, I think it has a lot to do with where you live and what kind of people you surround yourself with. I've never felt that sort of stigma even though I'm a big Stargate (SG-1) fan. I'm not much into Star Trek etc but there are other sci-fi shows I like. Some of my friends like them too, others don't. Most of my friends are intelligent, creative and some like gadgets others don't. None of them live in a basement though. Everyone here has internet and in this day and age you can hardly live without it, so people will be more stunned if you don't have it. Shyness is certainly not something that's associated with me, although I can be a bit anti-social but that's more because I can see fairly quickly if I click with someone or not; if not then I'm not going to bother unless I have to.

Well said, I totally agree. I have the same problem. I don't see it as anti-social to want to engage with people who are worth talking to, and ignoring those who aren't. What a pity there are so many that aren't worth talking to or whose life experience is so limited that they are just down right boring and/or dull.

[Gatefan1976]

Well said, I totally agree. I have the same problem. I don't see it as anti-social to want to engage with people who are worth talking to, and ignoring those who aren't. What a pity there are so many that aren't worth talking to or whose life experience is so limited that they are just down right boring and/or dull.

You need to move out of Queensland and back to NSW.....................

[Girlbot]

*makes popcorn and watches the Aussies battle *

[Gatefan1976]

*makes popcorn and watches the Aussies battle *

ROFLMAO!!!!

Ya know that wouldn't be a pretty fight

[Girlbot]

ROFLMAO!!!!

Ya know that wouldn't be a pretty fight

So your saying I should hold the butter on the popcorn?

[Gatefan1976]

So your saying I should hold the butter on the popcorn?

Nah, go nuts.
The salt for the wounds may be more apropriate however

[Stubba2]

smiths lake is on the mid north coast of NSW

[Starfist]

As far as I am concerned there is no stigma attached to being a fan of science fiction or fantasy. Personally I have been a fan of the genre for as long as I can remember. Cutting my teeth on shows such as 'Stingray', 'Thunderbirds', 'Captain Scarlet', 'Joe 90', 'UFO', 'Space 1999' and 'Dr. Who'.

I am a fan of Star Trek in all it's incarnations. I've even attended Trek and Stargate conventions here in the UK. Making many friends of a like mind in the process. And of course I wouldn't be on this forum if I didn't like Stargate. Which was recommended to me by a friend who I met at one of the many conventions I have attended over the years.

I admit to having a large collection of Sci-Fi videos and DVDs. Inculding every epsiode of SG-1, SGA and SGU. I even have Stargate Infinity on DVD. And you should see my bookcases.

Yes I have been made fun of for my interest in Sci-Fi and Fantasy. But I don't bear a grudge. To use something from Babylon 5, to those who made fun of me I gave them the label of 'Mundanes'.

Being a Sci-Fi fan bears no stigma in my mind. My thoughts are 'each to their own'. And I'm sure those who read this have other interests other than things Sci-Fi related. I know I do. If you want to know please ask.

And as it says in my signiture:- 'Reality is an illusion... Created by those who cannot handle Stargate...!"
But perhaps it should read :- 'Reality is an illusion... Created by those who cannot handle Science Fiction'

[Gatefan1976]

As far as I am concerned there is no stigma attached to being a fan of science fiction or fantasy. Personally I have been a fan of the genre for as long as I can remember. Cutting my teeth on shows such as 'Stingray', 'Thunderbirds', 'Captain Scarlet', 'Joe 90', 'UFO', 'Space 1999' and 'Dr. Who'.

I am a fan of Star Trek in all it's incarnations. I've even attended Trek and Stargate conventions here in the UK. Making many friends of a like mind in the process. And of course I wouldn't be on this forum if I didn't like Stargate. Which was recommended to me by a friend who I met at one of the many conventions I have attended over the years.

I admit to having a large collection of Sci-Fi videos and DVDs. Inculding every epsiode of SG-1, SGA and SGU. I even have Stargate Infinity on DVD. And you should see my bookcases.

Yes I have been made fun of for my interest in Sci-Fi and Fantasy. But I don't bear a grudge. To use something from Babylon 5, to those who made fun of me I gave them the label of 'Mundanes'.

Being a Sci-Fi fan bears no stigma in my mind. My thoughts are 'each to their own'. And I'm sure those who read this have other interests other than things Sci-Fi related. I know I do. If you want to know please ask.

And as it says in my signiture:- 'Reality is an illusion... Created by those who cannot handle Stargate...!"
But perhaps it should read :- 'Reality is an illusion... Created by those who cannot handle Science Fiction'

I like my one
Reality is for those with no imagination.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Reality is for those with no imagination.

[Dean Grr]

I like to be the Devil's Advocate sometimes, and this thread is as much a personal one, as an open question about humor on forums, or stigma and scifi.

After reading many of your responses, it's good to see the "infinite diversity" that's out there, and that many people associate scifi positively in their lives and with friends, work, home life, etc. For me, scifi has been an escape, a role model or like a friend even, at times I needed one. I'm still debating over this ... as some of the charges I've heard made against scifi fans - nerdy, geeky, shy - can be positive or negative parts of our identity, depending on how we feel about them. Being confident, self-accepting, more outgoing, has been a challenge at times, and scifi has been a great haven and source of joy, as well as a reflection of my personal struggles (i.e. turning to scifi to feel better, when lonely, etc).

...

Another way of saying this, is that I'd rather be compassionate about personal struggles, and if scifi can be used to help heal or cope with the real world, that's okay.

[Dr. D.]

consider Tyrion Lanisters speach to Jon Snow about being a "B****rd"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ASZsMRzqhs

Great scene.

I've often taken this approach...

Or for an older one, "It's all a question of mind over matter, we don't mind, cause you don't matter"

...yet I haven't really thought of it in those words. That's an interesting way of putting it. I just remind myself that the people I might communicate with on the “interwebz” are random strangers, unknown or anonymous, and unless or until I get to know any of them in real life, particularly in person, there is no point in becoming overly invested in certain topics.

In RL it's a little difficult to find other female scifi-fans.

In my experience, it's very easy to find female sci-fi fans.

However, I've had a difficult time finding a female sci-fi fan with whom I can have a relationship, though I'm not giving up. I believe that my future long-term or potentially life-long significant other – who also happens to be at least as much of a Stargate fan – is out there... somewhere.

Although it's difficult finding that relationship partner, it's fairly easy finding a female sci-fi fan who makes a great friend.

My ex, who is a huge fan of DW (and she's obsessed with Tennant), was more friend material, and not because she's more into DW than SG. Though, I won't deny that, if she were as hardcore a Stargate fan as I am, then that would have made a difference. She was a bit too preoccupied with her own inner conflicts between concerns of being a nerd/geek sci-fi fan and trying to fit in with some kind of so-called “cool crowd”. Unfortunately, even the friendship fizzed out and faded away.

Sci-fi girls, in general: there are loads of them. Finding the right one for a relationship: it seems impossible.

I can only speak from my experiences in the UK, but I find there's much less of a stigma attached to liking Stargate than there is Star Trek.

I've seen somewhat similar behaviors from various communities where I've lived and visited across the US. Unless someone is the polar opposite of a sci-fi fan – whatever that might be, given that sci-fi fans come from all walks of life, so let's say any “anti-sci-fi” person – there's a pretty good chance that they'll recognize and be able to distinguish the differences between SG & ST (and SW, you know, all of those “Star-” sci-fis). However, more people that I've come across tend to have more of those “nerd-alarmbells,” as you put it, going off with mention of Star Trek, while they tend to have more of a neutral response to Stargate.

The theatre folks were the same people I played D&D with

Oh, well, D&D, that's a whole other ball of wax. Theatre, too.

i know many other sci-fi fans of both genders. my roommate and i both are trekies and are girls. i openly admit to being a sci-fi nerd, but if people don't like it than forget them .

That's great! It's like LGBT pride. Sci-fi pride! Good stuff. I enjoy the Star Trek productions but I don't consider myself a trekkie. I'm definitely a gater. I generally love all-things-sci-fi.

I think the reason Stargate isn't seen as that nerdy in the UK is because it's in syndication on mainstream channels almost all the time.

That's awesome!

while Trek seems to be mainly filling up slots on the cheapo Freeview channels.

That's funny but also too bad, there's a lot of great ST. Maybe it's put in those slots partly due to being an older franchise. I wouldn't be surprised if SG ended up in those slots in the future.

I really have no one in RL to talk Stargate or Sci Fi with.
It's why I come here.

Bingo. Same here. Speaking of which, anybody live south of Chicago?

I did have a long discussion with the clerk at Barnes and Noble when I bought Dr Who box set.

Spooky, my ex – the extreme DW fan – works at B&N.

the uneducated out there would assume i mean star trek and thus I would be cheesey as star trek is.

Unfortunately, there are those who don't know the difference between one sci-fi and the next.

I don't think he means cheesy as in sentimental, more of the camp/tacky variety.

Cheese is good. Okay, I'm lactose intolerant but it's great in sci-fi shows/movies.

I've heard people describe the old Stargate productions as “camp & cheese”.

Of course, the SGU show creators tried to flip that around when they went for “dark & gritty”.

However, I love camp & cheese. The dark & gritty is good too, to an extent. Just as is the campy and cheesy stuff.

All things in moderation.

I meant the general look of the starships, they look really fake and cheap. CGI and acting was good but the sets were terrible.

Too many people far too often miscommunicate or misunderstand each other due to different interpretations of various terms, phrases, and their connotations within various contexts.

Someone might see an older show as camp & cheese simply because of the production value, such as cheap sets, while someone else might look past those elements and see something else entirely, while perhaps even enjoying their own interpretation of “camp” or “cheese”. After all, geek is the new cool. Of course, that is ever-changing. It's a cycle. Give it a few years or a couple decades and things will change again.

Really! How can Stargate carry a stigma while people drown in a cesspool of fake reality shows?

That's one thing I don't get: the infatuation people have with reality shows. The first reality show I saw back, whenever, I have no idea when, a long time ago, I thought it was fairly interesting. And then I had enough of it. It was like eating a certain type of candy. It doesn't have a great taste but it is interesting enough that your curiosity says to give it a try. Then you're finished with it and you move on. I did that. And then, a few years later, that show was still being renewed. And then, a few years later, more reality shows started popping up. And even later, more. And more.

Reality shows are real life replicators.

95% of the people I work with are scifi and/or fantasy fans.

What's your line of work?

And hey, I watch soap operas, and I'm a guy!

I used to watch soaps when I was in, I think it was high school, I forget, maybe junior high. It was a habit that I picked up after getting home from school. My mom recorded All My Children and General Hospital, and when she got home she'd watch them, and I guess I had nothing else to do so I watched them with her. I also gave One Life to Live a try but by that point I was just about finished with soap operas in general. I was getting busy with other stuff. So, I stopped. I recently found out that James Franco was in one of them (I think General Hospital), so I checked it out. I just couldn't stomach it. I never realized how extremely different soaps are from most other shows. Though, who knows, if I had given it a real second chance then I might have ended up getting hooked again. If I could get a hold of RDA's old General Hospital episodes, I'd definitely like to see them.

I like my one
Reality is for those with no imagination.

...unless they create a reality of their own.

[Gatefan1976]

...unless they create a reality of their own.

Then they would have imagination would they not?

[Dr. D.]

Then they would have imagination would they not?

Yes, hence the "...unless" but, yes, indeed.

[JosephGracey]

Why can't we as sci-fi fans do what i've been doing all my life as a scottish person?

We just take the **** laugh and go haha you're country isn't perfect so if a 14 year old girl says "OMG you are like so weird knowing all that stuff about sci-fi shows you do know it's not real right?"
Just reply "Yeah well we know all about it cos we like the characters in the show and the story line. You don't even fan girl over your T.V. shows because the writing is so terrible you just sit and look at the pretty people then reblog pictures of those pretty people on tumblr."
Or something to that extent

[Brother Freyr]

Reply to critic: go back to your ridiculous, empty faux-reality shows, please.

[Snowman37]

Generally, the only stigma about being into science-fiction is that people assume you know more about fantasy than reality, hence why people keep science-fiction nerds at a distance.