I don't dislike popularity because it's popular.

As a kid I'd hop on to fads like nobodies business. Yo-Yo's, Tops, Pogs, Any variant of trading cards, etc. You could probably name most things from the 90's that were a fad and I either had it or really wanted it. Most kids want to fit in or have what their friends have, to brag, gloat or share it. Fads weren't just with toys, but also with fashion, specific sports teams or players, movies, etc.

As much as I did this as a kid, I have grown to hate it now. I just don't want to be a part of it most of the time. I mean I will still see a movie regardless of popularity if I find the premise interesting. Or if I enjoy a specific song and it is popular it won't stop me from listening to it. What happens is that because these things becoming popular, radio stations, television, video games just become completely over saturated.

One example: Zombies. The over saturation with them has only drained the life out of them even more and I find myself having a hard time mustering any interest to them now. They have been pretty popular in horror films forever, but I feel like it's been taken to a new level when it comes to the general public. Like "zombie walks", books about zombie survival, tv shows. You see it or hear it everywhere now. It lost it's touch it once had on me.

Video games are something else that has grown in popularity. It isn't a problem to me that video games have gotten as big as they have because I want a hobby that I love to survive. I've always liked video games since I was a kid. I owned several consoles such as Sega Genesis, SNES, Nintendo, Playstation, N64, etc. There were a lot of times that I'd leave for school way earlier than I needed to just to play an arcade cabinet I really liked at the corner store. The price is that this is a new medium that can be abused by over saturation for quick cash.

It just became a lot more accepting now than it has when I was a kid. Which I think is one of my other issues. I feel like that there are people now that play video games that would have made fun of me for doing it then. People in general look at the hobby completely different than they did before. And I think a part of that has to do with technology becoming a "vital" part in our every day life.

The acceptance of  "Geek Culture" also plays a part. This is something else that makes me cringe. Something that has become a fad that was previously unacceptable to most people in general. What makes me hate it is these people are self proclaimed "geeks". Before this "culture" took off, people who were considered geeks were being made fun of and put down. It wasn't a term of endearment. I guess you could look at this "culture" as a way of changing the way think about "geeks" but I really think it's just more of a fad.

Kind of reminds me of where I grew up, which was right off of Kensington ave in Philadelphia. There was a term that was generally used to describe the 'white trash' of the neighborhood and that was "Kenzo". There have been times I've told people that I grew up in Kensington and I'd get "Oh, my dad was a Kenzo!". I tend to roll my eyes cause this person clearly doesn't realize that was an insult. I take it that this person thinks this was a respectable place to grow up in and just wanted to be apart of that.

Now after steering off topic a little bit. I don't want anyone to get the idea that I think I am better or cooler than someone else just because I am ranting on "popular" things. I'm not. I think that there is a point where something being popular is good and benefits itself. Then there is a point where the popularity crosses the line and becomes over saturated to the point where I begin to despise it.

I like movies, games, tv shows ideas that are popular but I wish some subject matter was toned down a bit. Instead of it becoming the most obvious cash grab for companies.