How to trick you friends and family into loving science fiction
Like most science fiction fans I was indoctrinated from a young age. My cousin, much to his credit, introduced me to Star Wars, 2000 A.D. and Bio of Space Tyrant before I hit double digits. This was the beginning of my education and after a few years of splashing around in the shallow end my father presented me with tattered copies of The Demolished Man, Tiger Tiger and Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy. I am entrenched. I have become the pusher. Am I now the kind of person who forces their significant other to watch the latest episode of Doctor Who with fish fingers and custard? Yes, I am.
Why do we even set out on this endeavor? Are we spreading the good word? Do we hope that their new found appreciation will build a strong foundation for our relationship? Personally I'm thickening the ranks for when the vote is cast for what film we are going to see.
How do we go about the mammoth task of tricking, deluding and crushing someone into sharing your personal tastes. The secret ingredient is stealth. Choose something funny and popular. Don't strap them to the sofa and have an alien visitation marathon of Stalker, The Thing and Solaris. Odds are they won't be your friends or family much longer if you adopt this approach.
My girlfriend was easily converted in the suggested manner. I lent her a copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the second season of the revised Doctor Who, relying heavily on David Tennant to do most of my work for me. Now she is hooked on the Doctor and is most of the way through Futurama and Firefly. She doesn't know it yet, but there is a long term plan that involves William Gibson, the Macross Saga and the collected works of Edmond Hamilton. Affection takes many strange forms.
My mother was a different story. A hold-out even after religiously watching the X-Files for its first six years. It's taken years of on and off prodding and inundation. Surprisingly, Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis marked a softening of her resolve. Eventually resorting to her love of literature by tricking her into reading Philip K. Dick's Beyond Lies the Wub. It wasn't until 2009, when she sat beside me in Star Trek, that I felt I had finally been victorious. Maybe we both won.
It's important to understand your target. Try and meet them on their own interests. Science fiction is interbreeding more and more these days. There is a sci-fi mongrel in every section of the video store waiting to assist you in your journey. Once you have a foothold, be persistent, organised and above all, covert. Then before you know it she has agreed to dress as Romana II on your wedding day and Zapp Brangian on your wedding night.
Thank me later.
Why do we even set out on this endeavor? Are we spreading the good word? Do we hope that their new found appreciation will build a strong foundation for our relationship? Personally I'm thickening the ranks for when the vote is cast for what film we are going to see.
How do we go about the mammoth task of tricking, deluding and crushing someone into sharing your personal tastes. The secret ingredient is stealth. Choose something funny and popular. Don't strap them to the sofa and have an alien visitation marathon of Stalker, The Thing and Solaris. Odds are they won't be your friends or family much longer if you adopt this approach.
My girlfriend was easily converted in the suggested manner. I lent her a copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the second season of the revised Doctor Who, relying heavily on David Tennant to do most of my work for me. Now she is hooked on the Doctor and is most of the way through Futurama and Firefly. She doesn't know it yet, but there is a long term plan that involves William Gibson, the Macross Saga and the collected works of Edmond Hamilton. Affection takes many strange forms.
My mother was a different story. A hold-out even after religiously watching the X-Files for its first six years. It's taken years of on and off prodding and inundation. Surprisingly, Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis marked a softening of her resolve. Eventually resorting to her love of literature by tricking her into reading Philip K. Dick's Beyond Lies the Wub. It wasn't until 2009, when she sat beside me in Star Trek, that I felt I had finally been victorious. Maybe we both won.
It's important to understand your target. Try and meet them on their own interests. Science fiction is interbreeding more and more these days. There is a sci-fi mongrel in every section of the video store waiting to assist you in your journey. Once you have a foothold, be persistent, organised and above all, covert. Then before you know it she has agreed to dress as Romana II on your wedding day and Zapp Brangian on your wedding night.
Thank me later.
