Ranting On...Jesse Eisenberg and Comic-Con

I sometimes pity public figures.  As a general rule, they tend to have to watch their mouths in a way that normal human beings like you and I don't.  I can say something a bit over-the-top and outlandish about an event, and provided it isn't egregiously offensive, things just keep moving.  As a result, I am not going to be victim to the sort of massive backlash Oscar-nominee Jesse Eisenberg received after comparing Comic-Con to a genocide.  While this use of provocative language is not really something I'm going to disparage Eisenberg for (though I will admit that this does lend to his stodgy public image-he might be a strong actor but he is not a good celebrity), I am going to condemn his attacks on Comic-Con.

Admittedly Eisenberg's point may have been about the way that he was treated at Comic-Con, but that's a stretch, particularly considering that he voluntarily signed up for a franchise that he knew for a fact would result in events like this, and forewent doing something "actorly" like leading The Bacchae in some park in Brooklyn to instead sign on to a major cinematic franchise, with the 7-digit paychecks that come along with that decision.  Eisenberg is paid that exorbitant amount of money not just for his acting ability, but also for his commitment to promote and discuss the film and its place in the world of comic books, and he knows this.  He didn't have to be Lex Luthor (there are literally thousands of actors who would have jumped at such a chance), and he knows that, and is being an ass.

However, I feel like the comment isn't just dismissive of his treatment, but also of the festival itself, and to this I give a massive raise of the eyebrow.  People at Comic-Con are, yes, occasionally ridiculous and sometimes more devoted to a subject than you are to knowing your own children's names, but that's kind of the point.  The reality is that cinema, art, and pretty much anything that isn't at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy doesn't exist without passion for a subject or for learning about something that isn't "essential."  The reality is that Comic-Con has people who have kept alive the myths of Spider-Man, Superman, Gandalf, Dumbledore, the Black Widow, and Princess Leia for all of these decades.  Without them we wouldn't have the multi-billion dollar industry of fantasy and creative outlets that we have today.  The face of movies may not exist today if it weren't for the nerds who kept alive such lore, and certainly not in the way that we see it today.  Star Trek, generally considered one of the great TV/film franchises, only exists today because a cult of fans carried on that tradition for years and years, knowing every fact about every episode by heart.  The same goes for everything from Lord of the Rings to Family Guy.  Pursuing your passions and wanting to share them with the world is partially why Facebook initially became a thing, so Jesse Eisenberg owes quite a bit of his career to this sort of fandom as well.

It's also sad because passion and a need to want to know about the world and about history and literature and cinema is something not everyone can achieve.  Now I have few doubts that Eisenberg, who seems to be a pretty well-read individual in interviews, is one of those people lacking a passion or a creative outlet.  But it's something most people, quite frankly, don't have.  I was discussing with a friend earlier this week about classic literature and film, and how he wished he had the ability to appreciate classical music the way some people do.  He then followed up with the very apt point of "most people don't even wish they could appreciate it though," and he was absolutely right.  People dismiss culture and passion as they get older because it's something that requires a level of work that isn't mandated.  After getting your job done, and having those socially-enforced moments with children, the gym, and your significant other, it's difficult to realize that you also have that next responsibility to interact with the world at-large.  This is something society has largely dismissed, though, in hopes of having less mandatory classes on the syllabus.  People don't make this time, and as a result if you ask someone what their passion is or what they like to do, it will oftentimes take the form not of a hobby, but instead of something that is mandatory (ie spending time with friends/kids or traveling, which is essentially spending time with friends/kids in a different place).  Hobbies are frequently solitary, something like art, comic books, film, sports, fashion, or history, something that is unique to your personage and that drives you spiritually and creatively.  It requires work, and people are naturally dismissive of things they don't do but inwardly feel they probably should.

Hobbies are something that I love to do, and am always flummoxed when I meet people who don't have hobbies (I have many of them, and have since I was young), though I shouldn't be because most people don't carry-on with hobbies.  And it's one of the reasons that I cheer the fandom of Comic-Con, even if I don't quite understand all of its allure (who wants all of those spoilers before the movie?!?).  These people are going outside what they "have" to do and are instead celebrating something they choose to do.  That's thrilling to me, and as an artist and actor it should be thrilling to Jesse Eisenberg.  And it's absolutely not a genocide.