The Geeky Ties That Bind

SO I went to Dragon Con in Atlanta this past weekend :)  I could go on and on about what a great time we had, but what I really want to express can pretty much be summed up in this one story:  I was at a panel with Lee Majors and Lindsey Wagoner - that's right the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman - pretty geeky, I know.  Well, at one point this lady went to the mic to ask a question. As soon as she started to talk you could hear a quiver in her voice. She told them both how happy she was to see them (they don't do many Con appearances) and how she watched them both growing up. She then told Lee Majors how from the days of the Big Valley and The Virginian to the "Six Mill" (as Majors calls it), to the Fall Guy - he was her mom's "top guy." Her voice got even shakier. Then she said that her mom had passed away just last month and how she wished she could have brought her to Dragon Con, but how happy she was to be able to be there herself and tell them how much they meant to her and her mom. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Everyone clapped when she was done and both the stars said some lovely things. That show, though - with the track suits and Oscar Goldman and Steve Austin - that was part of the connective tissue between that lady and her mom. 

The reason there wasn't a dry eye in the house was because everyone was sitting there (picture the courtroom in Big Daddy) thinking about the geeky things they had done and seen with their mom, dad, brother, sister or best friend. They were thinking about the shows, the comic books, the cartoons, the action figures, the movies, the games (the pop culture energy that binds us all together) that were the impetus for many very special shared moments in their lives. That's the reason I love Cons.

I grew up watching The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman and I wanted to share that with my son and all that it meant to me.  Lindsey Wagoner was one of the first women on T.V. that I identified with that was strong and independent and made her own decisions.  The show did an exceptional job of using Lindsey’s femininity and intelligence as a part of her strength and not just constantly relying on her bionics to solve every situation.  She was a superwoman without being a comic book character.  She was someone who could be real.  She embodied a woman’s strength at a time that coincided with the women’s movement.  I was only in grade school when the show was on, but my sister, who came to a couple of days of the Con with us, was a young woman.  And yet, for both of us, Lindsey Wagoner embodied the women we wanted to be, and it was a nostalgic and exciting moment for us to share.

My son introduced me to Dr. Who this past fall.  I was hooked after one episode. We then, introduced my husband to the show, and soon the whole family became pretty devoted Whovians. We spent last fall as a family working our way through all the current Doctors (9, 10 and 11) and are now selectively watching “Classic Doctors” as we await the start of the new season.  It was no surprise that my son wanted to see as much Doctor Who as the Con had to offer, and my husband and I enthusiastically agreed.  At Dragon Con we got to meet the 5^th Doctor (Peter Davison; who, for non-Whovians out there, also happens to be the 10^th Doctor’s Father in Law ;)).  He was friendly and personable and told personal stories and jokes and was everything we hoped he would be.

We also attended Wizard World in Philadelphia this year. As a smaller Con it offers easier access to celebrities and more intimate venues for panels, etc.  We went to panels on Whovian history and cosplay and we managed to attend several other panels, at both Cons, from Star Trek TNG to William Shatner to Stan Lee to The Walking Dead.  I wasn’t sure how much my son would “get” or be interested in some of the panels, but it turned out that he surprised me.  Not only did he stay engaged and asked some really smart questions afterwards, he enjoyed them so much, he wanted to see more. His enthusiasm remained un-dampened by crowds or lines (something rarely encountered in this 13 year old). Both Michael Rooker from The Walking Dead and William Shatner kept him laughing until I thought he would bust a gut!  His favorite parts, of course, are when the actors tell stories about being on set and playing pranks on each other or rib each other.  In the past couple of years he has become engrossed in his middle school theater group, so I think he not only relates to the stories, but is surprised and happy to hear that his experiences are not that different from adults in theater, particularly celebrities.

My point here is that, whatever your particular “fandom”, it really is so much more than just a T.V. show, book, movie, comic, celebrity, game, etc.  Pop culture and the Conventions that celebrate it mean so much more than just getting to see your favorite celebrity up close or an opportunity to dress up as your favorite comic book hero. It is an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding, and a place where fans can come together and let their “geek flags” fly with pride.  But most of all, for everyone there, and especially for this little family, it is a place where we can connect. It is the energy, the conversations that are sparked, and the memories made, that are one of the important ties that bind us.