Simon Pegg Says Sci-Fi Is Making Us Childish

[dascoyne]

Simon Pegg simply doesn’t like superhero movies. He doesn’t get them and thinks they’re ridiculous and adolescent.

He’s not wrong. The premise of comic book superheroes is inherently silly. He is entitled his opinion and I don’t fault him for that. But he also tries to rationalize his dislike by associating their popularity to social pathology. Dress it up any way you like, but Pegg's basic message is that adults shouldn’t enjoy watching superhero movies unless there’s something inherently wrong with them.

So we have Pegg, a Scottsman, citing a French sociologist to teach Americans about our own culture. What the hell does he know? His personal experience with the US is confined to Los Angeles. Enough said.

Being a geek is about being unashamedly dedicated to something irrational and, if you’re an OG geek like myself, knowing the feeling of being marginalized or even persecuted for those passions as a kid. Geek “culture” is about appreciating diversity and finding communion with others also dedicated to irrational things and, in that community, finding comfort in your eccentricities.

Pegg is an elitist sci-fi fan ... I wouldn't even call him a geek.

Recently he's tried to "apologize" for the way his comments have been received. No doubt this is in fear that his interview with The Radio Times may put his Hollywood career in jeopardy. With that quick retreat from his own bombastic diatribe I have even less respect for the guy than ever.

 

[Cephus]

I know a lot of adults who unashamedly enjoy superhero movies and comics. I don't know a single person who "takes them seriously." Is this an epidemic because this is news to me.

I don't even know what "taking them seriously" would mean. Are these adults thinking that there are real superheroes? Do they think that there are mutants and meta-humans flying around in the sky? What does this even mean?

 

[Cephus]

I get what he was trying to say. I think a lot of us have questioned whether we're wasting our time with this stuff, but it comes back to it being something that we really like and it makes you happy. It's not hurting anyone (unless you're neglecting your life, family, kids, etc.) so who cares? I disagree when he says scifi has nothing to inspire, etc. because if you talk to a lot of scientists and engineers they will tell you that Star Trek, SW, etc. inspired them to become what they are today. I think scifi can do all of the things he said the other movies do. There's quite a few ST and Babylon 5 episodes that made you question society, relationships, your place in the world, etc. I don't think scifi has to be seen as childish.

It all depends on how much time is wasted, I suppose. You can have a healthy interest and you can have an unhealthy, fanatical interest. There are plenty of people who spend all of their spare time focused on sci-fi or fantasy or comic books or whatever. There are plenty of people who neglect important things in their lives because they have to see that latest movie or buy that latest toy or whatever. It's the same thing that happened when people gave up everything to play World of Warcraft or Evercrack every second of the day. Some things are unhealthy in excess... no, EVERYTHING is unhealthy in excess. But that doesn't make these things wrong in moderation, nor a waste of time.

 

[CutThumb]

Lets draw a breath here. I think this whole thing , like everything else on the internet is being blown wayyyy out of proportion. As a life long reader of sci fi I agree with alot of his statement about the loss of deeper and interesting themes but thats more to due to the fact that sci fi ,like many genres, uses up all its ideas very rapidly and constantly has to upgrade and reinvent its self to remain relevant.
The best stories I ever read are decades ago, in fact I think "Neuromancer" was the last really brilliant novel that totally changed the way I thought about sci fi but there is still good recent stuff out there, for example "All You need is Kill" ("Edge of Tomorrow") and "The Expanse" novels, which are nothing new at all, but they manage to combine old ideas and themes into a very effective modern sci fi space opera and I'm delighted they are filming them as a series!
He's no elitist either (nor a Scot, he hails from near Gloucester ,not very far from where I lived for few years). Half the joy of watching "Spaced" is the cultural references that are scattered through out it, like "Thunderbirds", "X files", "Terminator", "Matrix", video games, robot wars etc. He's absolutely right about extended "childhoods" but he's using the wrong term really.
What he means is we are no longer forced to give up the things we loved about our childhoods, like sci fi movies , comics, super heros, video games and such like in away we may have been culturally forced to years ago. Yes, I get some still get some perculiar looks when I show a few people my Star Wars stuff or DVD collections, but I'm in no way ridiculed like many used to be for their fandom. Some people used to be a bit sniffy about the fact I'd rather play a great video game than go out and get pissed in a pub, but hey guess what, all the local bars are shutting down because everyones at home these days watching "Game of Thrones on their wide screen TVs.
"Geek" culture is hugely mainstream and the billions of dollars it brings in confers respect these days, particularly after the success of "Harry Potter", "Twilight" , "The Hunger Games", not to mentionthe Marvel Comic Universe, Nolans Batman series,and the "Lord of the Rings" . The list is enormous and growing and the fact it is so deeply woven into the cultural event fabric of a twenty four hour on line society does rob it of its "mystique" a bit ,certainly in comparison to a few decades ago, but I think thats a good thing. We aren't forced to "grow up " any more , and conform to all the boring norms like washing the car ,cutting the lawns and playing golf every Sunday.
So I get what he says when he says he really wants to be thrilled again by newer things in sci fi but it just ain't going to happen, its all been used up. What we are left with is a lot of ways to tell old stories freshly and an aching nostalgia for our first thrilling experiences of it, which is why the new "Star Wars" series is just about the best news I've had this century.

 

[dascoyne]

^ I stand corrected. He's from Gloucester.

Unqualified characterization of social infantilism serves no purpose. His argument might have some merit had he actually referenced some evidence that the popularity of superhero films is a symptom of psychosocial retreat from "real world" issues. But his statement entirely unqualified. It's just as valid if I comment that Pegg's fondness for wearing sneakers without socks to a red carpet event demonstrates his own infantile proclivities and retreat from "real world" issues.

At best he might even cite anecdotal data that folks are taking the material "too seriously", but even then anecdotal data is scientifically worthless. Without data Pegg only lays bare his personal subjective beliefs. And, in that, he comes across as elitist.

Other parts of his statements I've addressed in previous posts so I won't repeat them here.

 

[Bigdaddy]

It's just an opinion, and not one really worth a whole paragraph.

 

[AJTaliesen]

Not to be harsh, but if you're the one writing it....find a mirror, find the cause.

The genre has historically not only been topical, but it's actually lead the way on many major issues, when in the right hands.

Also...anyone who thinks they didn't geek out over old movies or air idiotic content just wasn't alive back then. It's true that they didn't have cons, but they did have fan clubs that collected all manner of nonsense, threw their actual underwear at stars, and unlike todays audience actually believed in MUCH greater numbers that the personas of their favorite stars was actual reality. Back in the day the LAPD used to get dozens of calls every week asking to speak to Sgt. Friday. I may watch the Simpsons, but at least I've never called a powerplant in Illinois (or Vermont, or Virginia. Mass, Oregon...etc.) to ask if Homer was working today.

In the end, I think they probably just caught him on an off day and he put his foot in it. Happens to us all.