The denial is always the worst.

The words "Sherlockian politics" turned up in my Facebook feed today.

That phrase never means that happy things are afoot, and a lot of us have had the hobby ruined for years at a time by certain aspects of Sherlockiana that fall under that heading. I won't be getting into those aspects today, as there are definitely others out there that recognize those problems and the way the negatively impact our fellow fans.

The thing that gets me every time, though, are the people who just want to pretend problems don't exist. And that's their right. But when they try to get someone else to ignore something that is obviously upsetting them?

That is where it gets very selfish. "I'm having a good time, so it's all good." "I got mine, so things are okay the way they are." "Don't kill my buzz, man!"

And the problems that trouble us go on to trouble others in years to come.

I've met Sherlockians who happily isolate themselves for the most part, and thus don't have to deal with "Sherlockian politics." But the whole point of having this mutual interest is that we get to communicate, socialize, and share a common joy. It's the non-isolation that makes the hobby.

So we have to pay the price of those troubles if we want to fully experience this hobby of ours. But it doesn't mean they don't exist. And pretending they don't exist doesn't help anyone.

And here's the part that many of the old school Sherlockiana don't see. Change is coming. If we can't be honest and deal with the old troubles, we're not going to be ready for the new rough patches that are coming down the line.

I'm not getting into any of that today, as I'm focussing on that damned denial that comes up every time certain topics are mentioned. You know the ones. And if we admit they exist, the quicker we can all come to a place where we can get back to enjoying this amazing hobby.