Being part of the crowd..

[The Curmudgeon]

It was about this time a year ago when I first got thinking about this. I was in Gran Canaria at the time, and the whole resort was talking about the boxing match that was on TV that night (Calzaghe vs Roy Jones Jr, fight fans). Now, I'm no big boxing fan or anything, but I always enjoy watching it - so when me and Mrs C got invited to a closed bar (invite only) to watch it live on the big screen - hell yeah we were there.

Anyway, the place was PACKED with Brits screaming at the screen for Calzaghe to win, and the atmosphere, from waiting for the fight, talking about the fight beforehand, to the fight itself, was fantastic. And I remember thinking - "I've.. I've NEVER had this before."

It made me realise that I've never really been part of the crowd, that I've never had one of those defining "group" moments; one of those times where you're talking about and getting excited about what everyone else is. The closest I've ever come, I suppose, is going to a gig. But even then I haven't talked to anyone else about it beforehand or afterwards - with the Calzaghe fight it was THE topic of conversation amongst the Brits in Gran Canaria.

Any of the major "water cooler" TV shows like Big Brother/X Factor etc I don't watch, so I'm never in on the whole "who you voting for/who do you like" conversations, and when the final comes and the media are going nuts and everyone is talking about the final, I'm always left in the dark. Not that I'm complaining of course.

Anything I'm into is always a very.. private.. kind of anticipation. Like, the only "sport" I watch is wrestling, and I watch it alone. There's a few people I can talk to that watch it, but they're not as, and I hate to sound like this, as "clued-up" as I am about it so its always a fairly tedious conversation. In short - I talk about it on the net and its far better. And any of the TV shows I do watch don't have the mass mainstream "everyone's talking about.." appeal than the Big Brothers/Britain's Got Talent shows. So while I love watching them its never really with anyone other than Mrs C.

So what I'm asking is - are you ever part of the crowd? Are you ever part of the "did you watch..." or do you ever get with a huge bunch of people and route for the one guy/team/whatever? 'Cos it's something I would really love to be able to do more - it's just not possible with what I'm interested in.

Thoughts?

[Benjamin Haines]

This past year at college, during the new season of South Park, my main group of friends and I would meet at this one guy's apartment every Wednesday at 10:00pm to catch it. The great thing about that show is how it mixes ribald humor with intelligent social commentary in such a way that not only does everybody like it and want to watch it, it's genuinely worth watching.

These past two years of college have both ended the spring semesters in early May, and each year the beginning of May has brought the release of a big-time superhero event picture (Iron Man last year, Wolverine this year). I tell you, the anticipation for the end of the school year really lends itself to the lead-up to flicks like that, making them a sort of light at the end of the tunnel. For both flicks, my friends and I were able to get blazed and head out to the theater opening weekend. Both flicks had long ass lines to wait in for tickets, something that only happens with event pictures like those, and that only adds to the anticipation. Sitting in a theater full of people who were just as enthusiastic about the proceedings made it all the better. And let me tell you, Iron Man is a great flick, and that was a hell of an experience seeing it opening weekend, but it was these circumstances in which I saw Wolverine that actually made it fun. Were it not for the anticipation, the fact that I was with a bunch of friends, the fact that I was high as hell, and the fact that people all around us in the theater were cracking MST3K-style jokes and laughing the entire time, I probably would have hated watching that movie. The atmosphere of the crowd, so to speak, really made the experience.

Right now, I and three of my friends have tickets to the Mayhem Fest in Atlanta, Georgia for July 24th. A full day of outdoor hard rock and heavy metal with Slayer, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Marilyn Manson and a shit-ton of other bands. I can't wait. Even more exciting, for me, is that we also have pit-level tickets to see Metallica in Charlotte, North Carolina this October 18th, with Lamb of God and probably another yet-to-be-announced band opening for them. The prospect of seeing all of those bands is exciting as it is, but having a group of friends to talk about the anticipation with beforehand really adds to it.

[trashcanman]

Whenever I'm off on a Sunday night, I get together with my brother-in-law and his peeps to play Halo and Left 4 Dead the way they were meant to be played: in a loud, vulgar group of friends. That is all. Any other time, I'm the lone guy at work in the break room playing DS or reading with my table all to myself or who can't stop sniggering at the 20-somethings talking about Twilight or the 30-somethings getting way too excited about Transformers (it always boils down to "Megan Fox is soooo HAWT!") or making sarcastic remarks to some numbnuts making racist statements and I just end up bringing the conversation to an uncomfortable dead stop. I just was not built for socializing with the mainstream types. When I find one other person who likes what I like adn engage in conversation about it I get glares and suspicious glances from everybody in the room who has no idea what I'm on about. It's a nerd's life.

[mackshere]

At my work the conversation mainly revolves around the job. Bitching about the job, who did what-why-how, union contract violations, talking shit on other employees...it's so fucking irritating.
I sit alone quietly most of the time, reading or browsing the net on my cell.
The talk ALWAYS (I kid you not ALWAYS, at least on day shift) involves eating pussy. Every goddamn day. The sarcasm knows no bounds. We have only one woman that works even near my department in the warehouse, and she unknowingly dominates the conversation at some point. She is overweight and not especially attractive, but she might as well be Salma Hayek.
And then the talk goes to DANCING WITH THE STARS or LOST or some other bullshit tv show I know nothing about. Yep, I'm the weird quite guy in the corner. I so need to order one of those pedaphile beards and stalker glasses, heh-heh...

[Ben]

Football. The American kind. I'm always watching with other guys on Sundays during the season. We make nachos and tons of junk food and watch football all day.