D.I.Y.O.F.S. Culture
(Warning! Incoming rant! Warning! Explicit Language!)
So yesterday, the new 12th Doctor Who was revealed. A Scotsman named Peter Capaldi will replace Matt Smith, and by all rights Capaldi is a fine actor who will do credit to the job. However, this being the internet, what almost immediately followed was a cascade of whining.
He’s too old!
He’s too male!
He’s too white!
And infinite variations of the above.
To this, I have two responses. One, fuck you. He’s fine, and you’ll probably think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread after you’ve gotten used to him. Stop killing pixels for your self-indulgent pointless chatter.
Two, if you want to see your socio-ethnic-cultural group of choice become The Doctor- Do It Your Own Fucking Self! Make your own Stories, Videos, Movies, Comics, Audio Dramas, or whatever else, with the Doctor of your choice and stop being a lazy fucking consumer who expects to have anything they want handed to them.
You live in an amazing age, when the ability to produce quality media of all kinds, and get it out to literally the world, can be done at almost no cost. This wasn’t true even 20 years ago, and a lot of people still act like it’s the pre-internet age, but right now the only thing stopping you from making your dreams into reality and having your voice heard is YOU.
Now, you might whine- What do I know? I’m just some guy mouthing off on a blog, right? What have I done?
The answer is- plenty!
In 2006, I decided I wanted to create a full-cast Audio Drama Podcast (Audio Drama = Radio Plays in the old days.) because I wasn’t hearing the kind of shows I wanted to hear and I thought it would be cool. But, I had a few problems…
- I had almost no money.
- I had no microphone.
- I only had one aging laptop.
- I had no production software.
- I had no music and no musical talent.
- I had no sound effects.
- I had no idea how do make or post a Podcast.
- I had written exactly one script in my entire life.
- I had no contacts or connections online that could help me.
- Very few people had done this kind of thing at that time.
- I was sitting in the middle of Taipei, Taiwan. On the other side of the planet from all my friends and personal resources. (And people who spoke English.)
- My job took about 60 hours a week of my time.
All I had was a desire, a will to do it, and my own creativity.
- I studied scriptwriting and learned how to do it properly.
- I found a cheap iRiver MP3 player with a decent Mic on it.
- I found free audio editing software like Audacity.
- I found sites with Creative Commons Music and Sound Effects that others would let me use for free.
- I made contacts within the internet audio production and audio drama community.
- I found the Voice Acting Alliance forum where amateur voice actors would do recordings over the internet for free.
- I taught myself audio engineering.
- I learned how to work with and manage actors from across the planet.
- I taught myself how RSS worked and how to get a podcast out. (Now it’s super-simple, but then it was a little more tricky)
And I produced my first show, and it was total shit!
Then I produced my second one, and it was better.
In the end, between 2006-2011 Kung Fu Action Theatre would go on to produce 47 shows, averaging 20-25 minutes each, and has had around 400,000 downloads to date. I’ve made contacts, friends and fans. I’ve become part of many online communities. I developed skills I never thought I’d have and it’s helped me both personally and professionally.
And, I’ve made the shows I wanted to hear.
I didn’t whine online and ask someone else to change the world for me, I did it myself and then used the incredible tools this modern age offers to get my stuff out there. I Did It My Own Fucking Self, and it’s a badge of honor I’ll wear for the rest of my life.
So, in a time when you can make HD movies with a cell phone, when Youtube lets you reach millions of viewers (and get a better viewership than some TV stations!), when the software to produce and edit audio and video is free, when the knowledge to do anything you want is just a Google search away, and when you can get people to help you just by posting on Reddit- I have no sympathy for those who want to sit there and whine instead of trying to DO something and put their effort where their mouth is.
You want the world to be different? You think we need an epic tale of a Mixed-Race Lesbian Mormon Vampire Hunter? A Transgender Action Hero? A Native American Superspy? A female Doctor Who?
Do It Your Own Fucking Self.
You have more power and ability to change the world than anyone had had in the history of mankind. So stop whining in comments, get off your lazy ass, and use it!
Rob
Goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever “heard” you swear before.
I think he’ll be a good pick (as opposed to the last one who was god awful) but it is disappointing that BBC went for the “safe” choice instead of trying something truly novel and interesting to revive the character by bringing in a female actress.
I don’t need to remake Doctor Who (heaven knows there a gazillion out there) to express my disappointment in BBC protecting a franchise instead of creating innovative stories. 🙂
The whining aspect could get on one’s nerves, certainly. Guessing Dr. Who is one of your dearest. 😛
/incoherentkneejerkreaction
But once again not everyone can do everything they wanted. Those who complain about the government don’t all have what it takes to get into politics and change the government “for the better” (they’ll far more likely become part of the “problem”).
Same thing for “mass media.” Maybe they can create what they want to see, but their resources are much more limited and it’ll just burn them out. The easier alternative is to not spend money in the direction they don’t want (I quit one particular series cold turkey); instead, support someone else. If we all become starving creators, who’s going to help us financially? 😛
I started making another DIYOFS thing for myself, but I also got back to a desk job due to dwindling savings. First day and I’m already wearing out a bit. Whereas I see so many talented creators in the entertainment field, who are making awesome stuff… just slightly not to my liking. Bad analogy: It’s like parents wanting their kids to be someone they couldn’t be. XD
But yes, entitlement culture is problematic.
>Guessing Dr. Who is one of your dearest
Actually, for Rob it’s more the issue of people complaining about stuff without stepping up. We were just discussing this.
>not everyone can do everything they wanted.
Maybe, but they should at least do SOMETHING before getting all wrapped around the axle.
>Those who complain about the government don’t all have what it takes to get into politics and change the government “for the better”
Maybe not; but they can vote. And maybe they CAN change things. History is full of examples (for better and worse) of the “little guy” changing the big picture.
>Same thing for “mass media.” Maybe they can create what they want to see, but their resources are much more limited and it’ll just burn them out.
Or not. There’s a weird tendency in N. America to only consider the top when it comes to stuff like this. People want their project to become the next Star Wars, or Game of Thrones, or Honey Boo Boo; and if it doesn’t, then it’s not worth doing. It’s not just a question of wanting the fame without paying the dues; it’s a complete blindness to the potential that can happen from not being at the top.
It’s also a great excuse not to bother.
>The easier alternative is to not spend money in the direction they don’t want
I don’t think that’s the easier alternative; I think that’s the ONLY one. Too often I see entertainment choices become crusades; everyone SHOULD read this, everyone SHOULDN’T read that…. ultimately you SHOULD be partaking of what you like because you like it, and when you no longer like it move on. No fuss, no muss. It’s also what Rob was getting at, from the other way around: if you don’t like what’s out there, then ensure there’s an alternative for the OTHER folks who don’t like it. Complaining does nothing. Complaining so loudly that something gets banned limits options, which is worse. Making something different increases options, which is good.
>I started making another DIYOFS thing for myself, but I also got back to a desk job due to dwindling savings.
It becomes a question of how bad do you want it. It’s NEVER easy to come across with a finished product. (If you want a good example I recommend the movie “Anvil: The Story of Anvil.”)
>Goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever “heard” you swear before.
Get him drunk and see what happens.
>it is disappointing that BBC went for the “safe” choice instead of trying something truly novel and interesting to revive the character by bringing in a female actress.
Hmmmm…. Considering how popular the show is, I don’t know if it NEEDS reviving. I don’t know if making the lead female all of a sudden is that novel, either. Didn’t Marvel do that with their characters back in the 90’s? ‘Course…. we ARE creeping up on the 90’s again; hence the whole “white men is evil!” schtick.
I think with something like this, and the overall sense of entitlement of fandom these days ANY change is gonna be met with incessant wailing and gnashing of teeth.
>I don’t need to remake Doctor Who (heaven knows there a gazillion out there) to express my disappointment in BBC protecting a franchise instead of creating innovative stories
I hear this sort of thing from the Marvel and DC crowd a lot. Remember: the Doctor is a corporate property. He’s not the product of a single mind, intended to express a certain idea or tell a specific story. He exists to sell. Period. Not that this means corporate licenses NEVER produce good stuff (by any criteria) but it’s not why they exist. They’re not gonna suddenly make some big statement or take some wild twist unless it’s perfectly safe to do so. (Like a younger, hipper, MORE TWILIGHTY Doctor. Hell; Tennant even sparkled….)
And that’s something you HAVE to accept if you’re going to enjoy the show. Sometimes it’ll be awesome, sometimes it’ll suck, and always it’ll change.
>I Did It My Own Fucking Self, and it’s a badge of honor I’ll wear for the rest of my life.
Since we’re swearing now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhLxeM9TjsI
Don C.
> It becomes a question of how bad do you want it.
Really thinking about the progress I’ve made on anything, I probably don’t want any of it that badly. :\
> There’s a weird tendency in N. America to only consider the top when it comes to stuff like this.
In China too. 😛