Question about whether gatekeeping in comics is actually helpful or just toxic

I heard a guy at my local shop this weekend say policing new readers keeps the culture from getting watered down, but then I thought about how my own nephew almost quit because someone mocked him for not knowing who the original Captain Marvel was, so which side actually wins out in the end?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa3689d ago

Ugh, that breaks my heart for your nephew. Policing people over what they should know is exactly how you kill the hobby instead of growing it.

jones.brooke8d ago

@tessa368 you put it perfectly. My sister got into gardening last year and some old timer at the nursery basically laughed at her for asking what "hardy" meant. She almost quit right there. It's like people forget that everyone starts somewhere and nobody comes out of the womb knowing everything. That kind of attitude just makes beginners feel stupid and unwelcome. We should be thrilled when new people show interest, not making them feel bad for not knowing the lingo yet.

harper_wright9d agoTop Commenter

I read somewhere that the whole "gatekeeping" thing in hobbies usually comes from people who forget what it felt like being new. Your nephew didn't need a lecture, he needed someone to say "cool, let me show you what I know about that." It does more harm than good when we shame people for not knowing stuff they haven't learned yet.