Noobs

Being new to a hobby, any hobby, can come with its fair share of hardships. From making financial blunders when collecting, to being on the receiving end of scrutiny from long time knowledgeable hardcore hobby hipsters, it can be overwhelming. Learning the ins and outs of a collecting hobby can mean long hours of research. For people with jobs, family, and other commitments, this can be very hard to accomplish. So sometimes, as a newbie, you may ask stupid questions. You may be trying to establish yourself in a community, yet finding yourself knowing less and less than you thought you did at every attempt at sounding smart. I'm not throwing a pity party for myself, but I am tired of hardcore fans in any hobby who feel the need to put down those less knowledgeable than themselves rather than lend a hand.

I have been known to be a part of many different hobbies, from Herpetoculture (the care and breeding of reptiles), Music, Pokemon Cards, Gaming, to my most recent addition, Comic Book Collecting. All of these hobbies patrons consist of three types of people. Those more-hardcore-than-thou who believe if you don't know as much as they do, you are not a real fan. They laugh at noobs. Although they are knowledgeable, they are full of themselves. They are my least favourite part of any hobby. There are those who have been in the business for so long, they know so much, and all they really want is to pass what they know on to the next generation. They see noobs and want to help them along their way. These are my favourite people to associate with, although they make up the minority of the hobbies population. Lastly, there are the people who are in the hobby for themselves, and keep to themselves. Any politics, dilemmas, or controversies are of no concern to them. These people are fine, too. I have respect for the ones who just want to enjoy their hobby and keep to themselves.

I pretty much just told you what you already knew. But nonetheless I felt the need to vent my frustrations here. Hell, as I'm addressing you, you may not even exist. All I know is, I want to know more about comic books. I love the lore involved. I love how writers have created worlds that, when jumping in halfway, make you feel welcome, but also drive home a desire to read every issue prior, and probably every issue after. I know one cannot simply read every comic series ever, but it is a tempting idea if your wallet allows it.

Back to point, don;t be a hipster douchebag. Don't be the person who needs to belittle newcomers and those less in-the-know. Be the wise one, who passes on knowledge without condescending. Or be the one who keeps to themselves. Either way, don;t be "that" guy. Thanks. Tommy out.