Being a fan is an interesting experience that I have a lot of conflicting feelings about. As a pious kid, I had my share of transferring this feeling of fanhood over many different larger-than-life figures. But as I grew older, there was a sense of disenchantment with this kind of adoration.
I come from the land of hero-worship, where posters of action heroes are bathed in milk and the death of a celebrity causes nationwide mourning and subsequent fan deaths like an aftershock. A relevant idiom back then was “Never meet your heroes”. But this proverb became less and less relevant as I started growing into the Big Brother Tech(BBT) era.
As I was confronted by the excesses of fame and fortune, I started to embody more of the “No heroes, no gods” mindset. This changed the way that I consume media.
A youngin Micah brought as much reverence to good music and movies as the process of self-flagellation and “repentance” that my ex-religion required. It made me develop a taste for things that were foundational in the person I am today.
