Obsession is an interesting thing. It makes you unable to see anything outside of the object of your obsession. It consumes your life. It is everything you see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. And to you, anyone who is not just as obsessed with it as you cannot possibly be right in the head. In fact, you may even go as far as to say that they're in denial, despite all logic. And that's just it, there is no logic in obsession. There is only the object of your obsession.

That is where the title of this entry comes in. You gather a group of people who also enjoy the thing you are obsessed with, perhaps assume they share your level of obsession, when in reality the level varies between each of them. Then, you try to assimilate outsiders into your little group. Make them conform to the odd little subculture you've built around the object of your obsession. Make them one of you.

But, because of the diversity of the group, someone is bound to do something really stupid, and really loudly. Because people are so simple, many of them assume that what is true of this one person is therefor true of the entire group. It creates a bad name for the group, turns their very name into a curse. This negative reaction to your group's existence results in many members becoming suspicious of outsiders, and have a knee-jerk reaction to any and all insults. You stop being able to take a joke, you are no longer able to just brush off a little childish insult here and there. You start to blow it all out of proportion, make your plight seem to be just as big a deal as any of the other out-of-proportion things I mentioned in my last journal entry. Some of you may even start to go mad.

Then, for one reason or another, you encounter someone who you thing should be one of your group, but only enjoys one or two things in common with you. While your obsession encompasses an entire genre or style, their interest lies in just one thing that happens to be within those boundaries. So, you should be able to get along with them just fine, right? That's what anyone with any sense would do. But, you lack that sense. You simply cannot comprehend how someone can like one but not all, so you try to justify in your mind how they could possibly accomplish this. Maybe it isn't really part of the genre or style you enjoy. Perhaps it's flawed, and therefor not worthy of your approval. Or, maybe, the person is in denial.

Now, it doesn't matter if people outside of your group have liked similar things before. It doesn't matter if other things have been well-recieved by a mainstream audience, or have gathered a cult following of their own. Hell, perhaps entire generations have grown up with something that technically falls within your favorite genre, but only a small fraction actually joined your group later in life. No, all that matters is that this one thing happens to be part of the genre you like so much, and that all who enjoy it must be assimilated. They can deny their interest in your group all they like, because clearly they're in denial. So, you call them names, make assumptions, put up banners, do everything to make them "admit" they're what you want them to be, because you're too insecure about yourself and your identity to let anyone else be.

And, to all those people out there, who think that it's their holy mission to make everyone be like them, tell people who they must be, and try to convert total strangers to the mindset and fandom you religiously follow: please, for the love of whatever deity you worship, if any, get a life.

You can like what you like, that's perfectly fine. But, you also need to respect what other people like or dislike. But, to the main point, you will get nowhere trying to get people invested in a genre or style they probably aren't interested in, even if they do already enjoy a couple things that fall within the lines of that particular genre or style. There isn't anything inherently wrong in liking particular things, but there is everything wrong with trying to force your opinions onto other people. Yes, genre fandom, there are people who just like one show that's technically within that genre. No, you shouldn't try and assimilate them. You're not the Borg. Stop acting like them.