This last year has been one of self-reflection. I've thought a lot about who I am and how I interact with other people; I've also recently started reviewing media: it really was only a matter of time before the two intersected.
For the most part, when I begin following something, be it a TV show, a webcomic, or a band, I generally stick with it. Giving up on a source of entertainment takes a lot of effort for me. When I declared myself no longer a fan of Metallica, it was after about a year of not really enjoying their music but not wanting to admit it to myself. Maybe I get caught in routines or something but it's difficult for me to move on.
Well, very recently, I've given up on a few things. Parks and Recreation hasn't been consistently funny for nearly a season but I kept with it. I think since I had stuck with them for so long, I was hoping it would be funny again, but I decided a few weeks ago that it didn't deserve my time anymore. I do think that there are some very talented people involved with the show, but it's just not working for me anymore.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal started out as a webcomic that poked fun at geek culture and often used charts and pie graphs and [gasp!] math to convey the punchline. It was occasionally a bit off-colored with its humor, but those strips didn't seem to show up that often. However, since the cartoonist, Zach Weinersmith, became a father within the last year, he's been using his strip as a way to stand on a soapbox and share his personal philosophies. I do not fault him for doing that but the philosophy that he seems most fond of lately has been atheism, which was the message of three strips in only two weeks. I was supporting his webcomic because I thought he was funny or at least clever, but I can't continue to support someone who attacks my beliefs.
I don't know why I hang onto media franchises well past the point of enjoyment but I've started making progress in recognizing when it's time to say good-bye.
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