We Gladly Feast Upon Those Who Would Subdue Us - Wargamers as a persecute minority
Recently I was reading about my favourite television show, The Addams Family. Of the family characters Morticia and Gomez were my favourites. Morticia would have to be the most sensual, attractive TV character ever. With her clinging, octopus tailed black outfit, high cheek bones, controlled, deadpan delivery and continual enticement to her husband, Gomez, she out-did the usual female TV genies and witches, although she did have a rival in The Munster's Lily. Morticia's supernatural nature was not clear, although in one episode she asked a visitor if she minded if she smoked and proceeded to blow smoke from her ears!
Gomez Addams, I always regarded as a kindred spirit, although I envied his obscene amount of wealth and the fact that he lived in a museum-like mansion. Gomez loved to play around with his gadgets, and especially his toy train layout, which he regularly blew up. ( In earlier episodes he constructed a large model house which he would destroy with a wrecking ball).
Charles Addams, the cartoonist who the family is named after, had a black sense of humour, nourished by his childhood fascination with the local decrepit old mansions and the ornate old graveyards in his neighbourhood. Some journalists suggested that he sounded like he was writing from a lunatic asylum or a jail or that he belonged in one!
In the TV show neighbours and other visitors to the Adams family were always shocked by their weird decorations of a stuffed polar bear and worse. Their pet Lion, Kitty and bodiless hand called Thing were other interesting touches. Yet the Adams were basically friendly family oriented people with some very eccentric touches.
Whilst my own eccentricity does not stretch that far I can identify with the situation. We often hear about persecuted minorities but what about the persecution of eccentrics? More particularly, how often do we hear of wargamers and toy soldier collectors hiding their hobbies from the uninitiated or of being regarded as peculiar r childish by the ignorant? I personally do not hesitate to 'confess' to my obsession if only to gauge the nature of the reaction. Generally I find it a good way to assess a person's intelligence; the more intelligent will know that it is possible to be interested in things other than the latest wide screen television, celebrity gossip, football score or fashion accessory. In addition, an unusual hobby will often indicate intelligence and creativity. An intelligent, non collector/wargamer person might even be vaguely aware of the intricacies of wargaming and the artistic skills of painting figurines.
These thoughts especially occurred to me when my thirteen year old daughter, on three occasions was told by friends mothers that they could not visit her house because her dad was weird or creepy because he played with toy soldiers! Alexi was quick to point out to them that it was her father's hobby and not weird at all. What I found weird was that these people must be so narrow in their own definition of normalcy and legitimate activities.
Gomez Addams, I always regarded as a kindred spirit, although I envied his obscene amount of wealth and the fact that he lived in a museum-like mansion. Gomez loved to play around with his gadgets, and especially his toy train layout, which he regularly blew up. ( In earlier episodes he constructed a large model house which he would destroy with a wrecking ball).
Charles Addams, the cartoonist who the family is named after, had a black sense of humour, nourished by his childhood fascination with the local decrepit old mansions and the ornate old graveyards in his neighbourhood. Some journalists suggested that he sounded like he was writing from a lunatic asylum or a jail or that he belonged in one!
In the TV show neighbours and other visitors to the Adams family were always shocked by their weird decorations of a stuffed polar bear and worse. Their pet Lion, Kitty and bodiless hand called Thing were other interesting touches. Yet the Adams were basically friendly family oriented people with some very eccentric touches.
Whilst my own eccentricity does not stretch that far I can identify with the situation. We often hear about persecuted minorities but what about the persecution of eccentrics? More particularly, how often do we hear of wargamers and toy soldier collectors hiding their hobbies from the uninitiated or of being regarded as peculiar r childish by the ignorant? I personally do not hesitate to 'confess' to my obsession if only to gauge the nature of the reaction. Generally I find it a good way to assess a person's intelligence; the more intelligent will know that it is possible to be interested in things other than the latest wide screen television, celebrity gossip, football score or fashion accessory. In addition, an unusual hobby will often indicate intelligence and creativity. An intelligent, non collector/wargamer person might even be vaguely aware of the intricacies of wargaming and the artistic skills of painting figurines.
These thoughts especially occurred to me when my thirteen year old daughter, on three occasions was told by friends mothers that they could not visit her house because her dad was weird or creepy because he played with toy soldiers! Alexi was quick to point out to them that it was her father's hobby and not weird at all. What I found weird was that these people must be so narrow in their own definition of normalcy and legitimate activities.
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