So this popped up on the socials today . . .
It didn't specify which hobby, but I know at least one person out there associated it with our very own Sherlockiana. As an older hobbyist who has occasionally been an asshole myself, I have to say, yes, there is some truth in that. Probably moreso in fandoms with more consistent content flows -- I mean nobody hates Star Wars so much as a Star Wars fan. And the thing about Sherlockiana as well, is that I have always theorized we have more baby fans in their sixties than any other fandom. People come here after retirement, when they're returning to the things of their youth. Which does make it look like the hobby is consistently aging out.
But the truth of that meme, as far as I'm seeing it, is that so many of our older fans look at themselves as more connected to Sherlockians of the 1930s and 1940s than the Sherlockians of the 2010s, when ... had they the chance to hang out with those smelly old gentlemen of that bygone era, might not have gotten on as well as they imagine they would have. (Don't tell me they weren't smelly. I lived in the 1960s. People were smellier then, and wasn't the hippies. So much stale, clinging cigarette smoke, above all the rest.)
And here's the other thing. Your personal Sherlockiana may be dying. Mine has had to be reincarnated several times. I mean, the pastiches of the 1970s will only carry one so far. And Without A Clue is only funny so long. BBC Sherlock was like an adrenalin injection. Sherlock & Co. has been a steady infusion of glucose. The bones of one's fandom may stick around, but the body must regenerate to stay healthy. Some of us like staying in our comfort zone of the old, comfy, and familiar, 'tis true. But not all, and especially those who grew up in a different era of Holmes.
Just as we can't expect new fans from the Rathbone movies any more, there's probably an expiration date on Granada and Jeremy Brett. So it's good to pay attention to what's bonding folks to Sherlock Holmes now, what's going to inspire them to look at the source material, and what will bring them back in thirty, forty, or even fifty years when they're retiring, slowing down a bit, and ready to read those sixty Victorian tales they always meant to get to because they loved CBS's Elementary so much when they were young. (Okay, maybe Moriarty the Patriot. Sorry, I'm occasionally an asshole. I warned you.)
Yes, the hobby is constantly dying and being reborn, just as the generations pass. And you might not like everything the kids are up to, just like grandparents aren't fond of everything little Rickster is doing. But ya gotta love that somehow, even with a fresh new face, the line goes on.
And we must trust that it will, even if it doesn't look exactly like it used to. The house has new owners eventually, and they get to paint and decorate as they wish. But it's still a pretty cool house.
Or House. I kinda miss that guy. But here comes Morris Chestnut . . .
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