On Edgar Allan Poe and the Super Bowl Playoffs
It's not that I have anything against sports. I really do not. If people want to like sports, so be it. I'm sure it can be a healthy, fun hobby. What I have a problem with is the idea that everyone must love sports because it's a socially-acceptable hobby. It's socially acceptable to don the colors of one's favorite teams, berate the opponent, hold a football, and yell at the television screen if those judging the legality of plays disagree with the fanatic holding the football and watching the game. Again, I truly have no problem if that is what football fans want to do, but those same fans should be okay with other people's amusements.
Take mine, for instance. I'm a history lover, a literature lover, a sociology lover, a theology lover. And I get stuck with the stereotype "nerd." If individuals are into Star Wars or Dr. Who or comic books, they are considered geeks who need to get out of their childhood stage. What if we nerds and geeks applied these same assumptions to society that sports lovers do? What if we just assumed everyone loved celebrating, oh say, the birthday of a favorite author, for instance.
For example, today, is the 211th birthday of one of my favorite authors - Edgar Allan Poe. It is also yet another Superbowl playoff. So I have decided that each time I see a reference to football on social media today, I am going to post something exciting about the Master of the Macabre. Each time I see a sports fan disagree with a call, I can post my disagreement with Rufus Griswold's opinions about Poe. Each time a fan posts a cheer for their favorite team's (or the team's that is playing against the team the fan hates) touchdown, I can post one of Poe's poems or short stories. It's just a bit of harmless fun.
But, really, why do so many people care about a sport and so few about other areas of life - like literature? Why do even schools (centers of education) promote wearing a color for a football team but never promote wearing clothing that promotes an author, scientist, or other historical figure? Why are we, as a society, bombarded with sports images, but stereotypes abound for fans of other (supposedly unnecessary, less socially-acceptable) interests?
I will do my part to remedy this. I will continue sharing my loves of literature, history, and all the ologies. I will celebrate and promote my people with the same fervor of the most ardent sports fanatics. So today, here's to Edgar Allan Poe and his literary genius.
Take mine, for instance. I'm a history lover, a literature lover, a sociology lover, a theology lover. And I get stuck with the stereotype "nerd." If individuals are into Star Wars or Dr. Who or comic books, they are considered geeks who need to get out of their childhood stage. What if we nerds and geeks applied these same assumptions to society that sports lovers do? What if we just assumed everyone loved celebrating, oh say, the birthday of a favorite author, for instance.
For example, today, is the 211th birthday of one of my favorite authors - Edgar Allan Poe. It is also yet another Superbowl playoff. So I have decided that each time I see a reference to football on social media today, I am going to post something exciting about the Master of the Macabre. Each time I see a sports fan disagree with a call, I can post my disagreement with Rufus Griswold's opinions about Poe. Each time a fan posts a cheer for their favorite team's (or the team's that is playing against the team the fan hates) touchdown, I can post one of Poe's poems or short stories. It's just a bit of harmless fun.
But, really, why do so many people care about a sport and so few about other areas of life - like literature? Why do even schools (centers of education) promote wearing a color for a football team but never promote wearing clothing that promotes an author, scientist, or other historical figure? Why are we, as a society, bombarded with sports images, but stereotypes abound for fans of other (supposedly unnecessary, less socially-acceptable) interests?
I will do my part to remedy this. I will continue sharing my loves of literature, history, and all the ologies. I will celebrate and promote my people with the same fervor of the most ardent sports fanatics. So today, here's to Edgar Allan Poe and his literary genius.
Comments
Post a Comment