"Your silence will not protect you." --Audre Lorde
I'm an activist at heart.
I've learned, throughout the years, that if I don't speak up - don't do something - about the things I believe in, they won't change on their own. I write letters to my elected officials and business leaders, I vote, I march, I protest, I speak up and I try my best to put my money where my mouth is.
I won't get into my politics, here, but I think that activist thinking can go part of the way towards making the comic industry better and encourage those outside of the industry to take comic books more seriously.
I believe that one of the reasons comics are not taken seriously is because too many of us act ashamed of our hobby or passion. We've been taught, mostly by well-meaning people, that comics are something to be embarassed about. Until recently, friends I had known for years didn't know about my love of comics. I bought comics week-in and week-out and never shared that fact with the people I hung out with. I was afraid of being judged, laughed at and looked down upon.
My family had discounted my interest in comics and scoffed at the idea that I might one day make a living being a part of what makes me happy. Today, having grown wiser with experience, my mom apologizes for throwing out my comics while I was growing up and for discouraging me from pursuing my dreams. It is because of her newfound support, and the support of my friends, that I have been able to "come out" of the comic book closet and start pursuing my desires.
When I sheepishly started telling my friends about my hobby, I was pleased with how they reacted. None of them laughed at me. The worst I got was, "I've never thought about comic books." Coming out as a comic book reader has allowed me to engage my friends in a new and different way. All of them are art lovers, of one form or another, and I talk about the artistic attributes of comics. They are suprised to find out that comics deal with mature subjects and become more interested in them. A couple have even borrowed some of my graphic novels.
Why am I telling you all this, you ask?
Because I want you to "come out" to your friends and family about your love of comics (if you haven't already). I want you to share your interests, engage those around you and bring new comic readers into the community. I want to grow the industry that has provided me with so much joy, entertainment, food for thought and education throughout the years. I want you to start changing the world so that comics become a more respected artform and so that those who come after us never have to be ashamed of what brings them joy.
So, to steal a phrase from another counter-culture group, "Come out! Come out, wherever you are!"
Cross posted at http://www.comicbookscoop.com/ .