Note To Future Politicians: Being A Geek Can Only Hurt You If You Let It
This isn't the first time in recent memory someone's gaming habit has been used against them. In 2012, Maine Republicans attempted to derail the State Senate campaign of Democrat Colleen Lachowicz by turning attention to her World of Warcraft hobby. That effort failed, and Lachowicz won her election [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120540-World-of-Warcraft-Candidate-Wins-Election]. Of course, Central Florida is a far different place from Maine. The region is far more conservative, and Yoho, a Tea Party Republican who himself unseated an incumbent in 2012, is now talked about as a potential Gubernatorial candidate. He's also secured the endorsement of Rand Paul and appears to be popular with constituents. Rush may yet lose his bid to unseat the man. But even if he fails, Rush's refusal to act as though there's anything wrong with Cosplay and LARPing is heartening.
If nothing else, it's evidence that much like with serious social issues such as gay rights and sexual freedom, the world is changing far faster than the get-off-my-lawn crowd can process. After rock and roll, comic books, rap music and That New Sex The Teens Are Having were all exhausted as reliable sources of unhinged moral outrage, gaming reliably filled the void for almost two decades. But now it looks official: gaming is a mainstream pastime to the point that even conservative Republicans are willing to proudly declare their enjoyment of it.
This is a nice change from the usual conversation, which assumes that putting on full body paint before getting rip-roaring drunk at a sporting event is an appropriate activity for fully-grown adults, but expressing creativity by making elaborate costumes and role-playing is just strange and creepy. It's also an important lesson for people with political aspirations: The day will soon come when the people trying to make hay out of your pastimes will look weirder than they're hoping you do. So go crazy.
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This isn't the first time in recent memory someone's gaming habit has been used against them. In 2012, Maine Republicans attempted to derail the State Senate campaign of Democrat Colleen Lachowicz by turning attention to her World of Warcraft hobby. That effort failed, and Lachowicz won her election [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120540-World-of-Warcraft-Candidate-Wins-Election]. Of course, Central Florida is a far different place from Maine. The region is far more conservative, and Yoho, a Tea Party Republican who himself unseated an incumbent in 2012, is now talked about as a potential Gubernatorial candidate. He's also secured the endorsement of Rand Paul and appears to be popular with constituents. Rush may yet lose his bid to unseat the man. But even if he fails, Rush's refusal to act as though there's anything wrong with Cosplay and LARPing is heartening.
If nothing else, it's evidence that much like with serious social issues such as gay rights and sexual freedom, the world is changing far faster than the get-off-my-lawn crowd can process. After rock and roll, comic books, rap music and That New Sex The Teens Are Having were all exhausted as reliable sources of unhinged moral outrage, gaming reliably filled the void for almost two decades. But now it looks official: gaming is a mainstream pastime to the point that even conservative Republicans are willing to proudly declare their enjoyment of it.
This is a nice change from the usual conversation, which assumes that putting on full body paint before getting rip-roaring drunk at a sporting event is an appropriate activity for fully-grown adults, but expressing creativity by making elaborate costumes and role-playing is just strange and creepy. It's also an important lesson for people with political aspirations: The day will soon come when the people trying to make hay out of your pastimes will look weirder than they're hoping you do. So go crazy.
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