Admittedly, I am somewhat immersed in my fandoms (ok, more than somewhat at times). But it still surprises me when there’s something being released mainstream that I feel is getting a lot of “press” (in whatever form that may be), yet norms that I mention it to are all “what’s that?”.

The most recent instance of this is Luke Cage on Netflix. Now, prior to a few weeks ago I wouldn’t have thought most norms would have any idea what I meant if I said “Luke Cage” – there was a bit of buzz about the series, but not much mainstream press. And, of course, there’s no way norms paid any attention to comics anyway, so a reference in that regard would get no play. But the weekend after it was released, I mentioned binging it to my coworker (who does watch a few geek shows and keeps up on some entertainment news) and she gave me a blank look. So I explained what I was talking about, but I was still surprised.

Norms seldom pay any attention to geek properties unless they are thrown in their faces and make some news. It’s why they really know little about fandoms beyond what’s showing at the movies or on their local tv stations. I don’t expect them to know everything that’s out there (and I’m glad they don’t), but I feel they often miss out on genuinely great storytelling because they have their blinders on. (These are, after all, the same type of people who think Big Bang Theory is an accurate representation of geeks… and a good tv show to boot!)

I’m not saying I want fandoms to be so mainstream that norms can be part of the conversation. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m saying about the state of things. I guess it’s more a matter of moving beyond comfort zones, discovering what’s out there, trying something new. You know, the kind of thing geeks do all the time.