Comic-CON or how Mindlessness has Influenced Geek Culture

Preface: I began this article over a year ago, and of course I was busy at that time as well.  I feel like this is an important topic, so I'm going to develop it a bit more.

It's been a while, I know.  Predominantly I've gotten caught up in school, work, exams, etc..  However, underlying this has been what I guess we could refer to as a crisis of faith.
In order to understand how fall I have fallen, let's first establish where I was three years ago as a geek.  I'm pretty confident that when I left America for Poland I was at the top of what was and is considered the hierarchy of the typical pop culture geekdom.  I had believed unquestioningly that Joss Whedon was brilliant, Doctor Who was great, and that I would believe this for my entire life.
Kind of funnily, my foreign classmates initially couldn't believe that I actually existed.  International schools are not such a breeding ground for geek culture for the most part.
The problem back then was that I was unquestioningly accepting everything that the "Geek Machine" of culture was throwing out.  If I'm told to like The Dark Knight Rises, I will like it.  If I'm told to like The Avengers, I will like it.  This blind acceptance of film, comics, television has resulted in the opposite of the foundation of a geek.  Geeks were (and still are) those who discover what they love, and usually for personal reasons.
Having left Poland, I feel more of a geek than when I came.  I collect stamps for example.  It's not something that everyone can love.  It's about a particular love for something because you find it interesting, not because the 130,000 people who  attended comic-con loved it.  It's something that I discovered that I loved, not something that I tried because everyone else was doing it.
Studying psychology for two years in IB we learned about conformism and the need to feel part of the in-group.  Because one of the selling points of being a geek is this individualism it's become a marketable commodity.  (Just step into Hot Topic for two seconds)  It's an easy way to feel accepted with a larger group of people.
My challenge to you is to look at what you love, and then evaluate why you love it.  If you can come up with 5 concrete and well-thought-out reasons why it holds up, then I think you can continue endorsing your show.
We need to move away from being a society of mindless consumers of marketable culture and instead start evaluating the reasons why we like the particular television show or movie.

A New Life

Life has recently snuck out of nowhere and smacked me right in the face.  I've been pretty busy lately, what with school and work, so the posts haven't really been coming along.  However, I'm on a vacation of sorts now, so I might as well honor that with some writing.
As this will now be my primary blog, I'm introducing some new topics and focuses.  This is also because my interests have vastly changed from last summer.  My challenge is to find interesting ways to make these hobbies seem interesting a fun!

1. Postcards and Stamps
• A small confession, I've recently taken to carrying around my stamp collection, just in case someone wants to read it.  This is a self-enforced intervention of sorts - I'm reaching out to all of you humans with some interesting facts, tidbits, and samples from my collection.  Enjoy!
2. Must Read Books
• Lately I've been reading a bunch of academic articles and journals, so it might be refreshing to process some of that information into a more palatable form.
3. Places to Be Seen
• I've recently become rather ambulatory, so I will be writing more about great places to visit where I travel, or places I have been while travelling.  I've travelled to almost all corners of Europe, so I'll try to write a piece about all of them.
4. Knitting
• Perhaps carpal tunnel syndrome is a high price to pay for socks, but I've recently been bitten by the knitting bug with a diagnosis of fatal.  Perhaps I'll put in a good plug for Ravelry and post some photos.