Even then, do we find the greatest pitfall of aging into a saner world. Upon completion, upon attending events, upon mingling with our peers in this hobby of ours, we find the general population to be far less mature than we remember. The screaming, the glomping, the paddling, the pulling and tearing of people who haven't developed their skills, it all becomes so overwhelming that you can barely see the opposite. An overall sense of frustration is not only felt but cultivated by constantly being surrounded by this level of inane behavior while doing something that, at one point, brought us so much joy.
Of course, the first response to all the moaning could be, "well aren't you just getting older?" That, unfortunately, is true. Though when I was growing up, I don't remember being that rambunctious, I don't remember acting without class or tact. I originally thought that my memories may have been skewed, that I simply couldn't remember what I was really like in my old age; My memory is not the best out of those that I have come to associate with. Upon a quick trip home to my parents' house in central mass, I took the time to have a conversation with my mother about this very topic. She always said I was a rather muted child, to the point where it worried her at certain points. But even in my infant stages, I was always calmer than those around me.
A particular philosophy I've always tried to hold myself to is, "do it until it's not fun anymore, then stop". I'm sure the reader is contemplating to themselves, "well if the surrounding atmosphere has gotten to the point where you can't stand it, why don't you quit?" Well, the answer is quite simple; Cosplaying isn't any less fun for me now than it was when I first started. If anything, it's become quite a bit more enjoyable as I now have substantially more skill when it comes to actually creating costumes. I don't claim to be as good as some of my peers, but from the work I've done, I think I can be pleased with my cosplaying portfolio (at least with most of it, we all our train wrecks here and there).
No, what I don't enjoy are the people that I'm surrounded by when I attend conventions or, more recently, cosplay gatherings. I have, in the past, been described as a very patience person. That patience wears very thin, however, when the gleeful squealing of those around me is the only thing I hear for a belated amount of time. The constant shouting, the talking over other people, the acting out, the constant attention drawing, it's all too ridiculous for words. These are not the people I want to associate with, and yet in many cases they are the ones who are by and large the most active individuals in the field.
"But Chris!" you might ask, "Cosplay in itself is a hobby not only founded upon but bolstered by pure vanity! Aren't these outrageous and unruly attitudes only to be expected?" Well, no. In my 5 years of cosplaying, those that I've gravitated towards have had a more level head. They didn't find their pleasures in simply running about like so much decapitated poultry. They found pride in their costumes, both making and showing off, but not acting, for lack of a better word, idiotic for the sake of being different. We are all people, we are inherently different and the fact that we subscribe to a more unorthodox hobby does not make us better or worse. We are the same as those who engage in stamp collecting, stat memorization, automotive enthusiasm, or leading armies from one's armchair. We take the time to study what we find interesting and apply it. On the surface dressing up as foreign cartoon characters may seem odd, but it's no odder than the brightly painted Camero that may noisily creep upon your rear bumper while driving down the highway. What makes it odd is how those engaged in the hobby conduct themselves, and from the events I've been attending, especially lately, these attitudes warrant contempt.
Which surely brings the reader to the somewhat obvious ideal of, "well if these people are so horrible, why don't you just ignore them?" A very valid point indeed and ignoring them would be quite prudent. The only problem with engaging that in practice is that these people are everywhere. They are young, and they are foolish, but they see those who are calm and collected, those who know what they are doing and like most young people, try to associate with that which they see as admirable. They certainly can't be blamed for that, it's the way that young people have worked for eons. Even saying that it is our responsibility as the adults to correct their behavior is astute. However, while we are the adults of the equation, we are not old. Furthermore, we are not kindred or brethren. Though perhaps selfish of us in some eyes, it is our responsibility to give these child the rap on the nose they deserve whenever they do something wrong and ill-fitting towards the rest of us. They give us a bad name, but that does not mean we should have to be the paternal figure and scold them when they are bad. Doing so would only add to the wide spread drama of which there is already too much of around the country.
And thus we find ourselves at an impasse of what to do with these people, if anything at all. Such a prospect wouldn't be hard to tolerate if our hobby didn't consist primarily of those described and as problematic as it seems, staying in what is steadily becoming more age-centric groups seems to be the only true solution, if only serving as a temporary one. But then, at the end of the day, when the hobby and the venues and the events are all tailored to the more overwhelming younger demographic, will we be forgotten? Will our ideals simply drop away in lieu of catering to the masses? Is there truly no country for old cosplayers?
Only time will tell. The most unfortunate thing about the answer, unlike so many others, is that we will more than likely see said answer in our lifetime.
~Chris Byrd |