Fanboys please: Stop with the fronting

I see your sideways glances at my Batman carrier bag, riddled with condescension. I've suffered the looks of disapproval when I jog past you on a Sunday afternoon: me in my Superman shirt, you in your Connor Kent Superboy hoodie. I'm sick and tired of reading a trade paper back in a class and getting asked in mock interest if I've read anything other than Joe Michael Straczynski's and John Romita Jr.'s first arc on Spider-Man or the look on your faces in the "V for Vendetta" box office line where the rest of those standing around are "obviously poseurs." \nI realize I may be putting this is terms that are hard for others to relate to for you non comic savvy readers, so let me broaden the playing field to allow others to join in. And to be honest, maybe I'm pointing a wrongful finger at a subculture whose fans have suffered greatly in part to the cinematic acceptance and exploitation of our passion. Overall, this seems like a problem that stems from larger issues within our society. In terms more relatable to today's pop culture I offer this question for debate: Is it fair for a person to represent and claim allegiance to an idea, a theme, a moral, a person, or a team for reasons that are strictly fashionable? Are their certain rules of conduct and guidelines for someone to be able to where a certain t-shirt, ball cap, backpack, or patch?\nHow many times have you seen somebody in a Beatles t-shirt and wondered: Can they identify members of the Fab Four? Or seen a Rolling Stones bumper sticker and questioned if the person who placed it there has ever even listened to Sticky Fingers, Let it Bleed, Exile on Main St. or Beggars Banquet to name a few. And since when were Guns N' Roses belt buckles, jackets, ties, and wallets considered accessories? How are we as a society allowing this sort of thing to come to pass? \nWhen these bands, movies, literary icons, etc become pop culture icons, are fans of the source material expected to except that wearing a t-shirt may mean the model is more fashion conscientious then supportive of the icon, be it Danzig, Spider-Man, Snoopy, or the New York Yankees. The New York Yankee's that's a real interesting one there.\nFred Durst, you rat bastard. At some point both Yankee and Mets ball caps in no way, shape, or form meant the person wearing the hat supported either ball club. So why wear it? Why! WHY!\nWhite Sox fan's you can relate. The only thing I can accept is a sense of representing your roots. Can the wearing of a sports team hat show the support of a region and not a team? "Oh are you a 49ers fan?" "No, why would you think that? I am from San Francisco, but I root for the Raiders…"\nMy problem with the unmotivated wearing of these pop icons mostly stems from the desire for organization. Like a gang member wearing colors, a Spider-Man shirt means a potential friend, whereas Dave Matthews means an enemy. My girlfriend disagrees with this concept. "It's just a shirt, Tristan. People can wear what they want." It's this mentality that continues to allow this perversion to continue. For those of you who are unreasonably siding with Anna on this one, allow me a little more time to try to win you over.\nWhat would the reaction be if I were to start wearing a shirt with a swastika? Completely inappropriate right? "What the hell!" "Oh this old thing? I just like the way it fits…" Now, I realize that we are talking about completely different ideologies here. One: pop culture icons that have no (for the most part) direct effect on modern standards of living. The other really needs no explanation. A more modern, far less loaded concept might revolve around a pin exclaiming "No War for Oil!" Would a person who disagrees with this pin The sentiment is similar. I am using an extreme example to illustrate a point. Why advertise something for free? Why pay to wear the representation of an idea that you can't back up or support?\nTo be honest, I am ecstatic with the larger acceptance of my favorite medium. I think it's very healthy, and if one person out of every thousand who goes to see "X3" this summer actually goes to their local comic shop and picks up a book then mission accomplished. It's the others that bother me. It's the disregard of another person's passion to an extent that seems to cheapen and take away from it.\nIt might be that not everyone is such a pop culture whore as I am, but either way Anna, you are wrong.