Some people just don't get it. They raise their eyebrows when you walk down a street in a black pointed hat and robes with a finely sanded stick in your hand. They shake their heads at the lighting shaped magic marker scars or Dark Mark's we scrawl on our forearms. Some of them have even read the books, and don't think that JK Rowling's series is that much better than any other book out there.
It's not actually about the quality of the book, or the magical v. muggle world. I've read plenty of books that are just as good as Harry Potter, but I haven't dressed up as those characters. It's not really about the story. It's about the community of people who have found something that they all enjoy. I love to get involved in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and other such obsession-ridden stories largely because so many people are obsessed.
The obsession itself is half the fun. Getting involved in the same book, TV show or movie can connect people over large distances who have never, ever met face to face. You can relate through characters, scenes and themes laid out in the book. Just look at the huge online networks, groups and chatrooms which spring up around fantasy or sci-fi. The story the author created is the bridge that draws people together.
It's not nearly so much fun to dress up as a Vorkosigan, because hardly anybody knows what that is. I don't have a standby costume for Cimorene or Morwen, even though I enjoy them just as much as Hermione and Ginny. It's just not as fun if there's no one else around, no one to discuss story with, no one to reenact scenes with, no one to be a foil to my chosen character.
Yesterday I attended an opening weekend showing of the Deathly Hallows part one. The church youth group leader organized the event for youth and their families. He thought four or five people might show. We filled up three rows, with just as many adults as youth. We wore our Harry Potter t-shirts and spent at nearly an hour in discussion afterwards. We would have gone on longer, but an empty stomach called me away to dinner. It wasn't just about the story we saw unfold onscreen, but rather about coming together to share the experience.
I have always had a hard time fitting in with people, being part of a group, finding common interests to keep a conversation going. When a story that I enjoy is the central part of the discussion or activity, my inhibitions fall away and I can feel comfortable in situations that usually set my teeth on edge. Stories have this power.
So next time you're getting ready to roll your eyes at an adult in full Klingon armor, green face paint and plastic ears, or black robes and a wand, remember. We feel the same away about your sports, your shopping and shoe fetishes, your real-world lives and obsessions. Fundamentally, we're not doing anything different, weird or outlandish. We're just reaching out to kindred spirits to make friends and form community through the language of fiction.
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