Like what you like

VIEWPOINT

By RALPH HARDIN

Evening Times Editor

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but even at age 50 and even though I consider myself enough of an intellectual to carry on a discussion or debate on a wide array of philoophical or social discourse subjects, I still love professional wrestling.

My oldest son was valedictorian and a National Merit Scholar and now has a law degree. He won awards at the state level for Spanish Poetry and was an academic All-American.

He has also devoted countless hours of his life to learning everything there is to know about Pokemon. He can tell you anything you need to know about patent law but he can also tell you which Pokemon you would need to defeat a Level 100 Charizard. Why? Because it’s fun.

It’s fun to watch wrestling. It’s fun to play Pokemon. I hope you have something in your life that makes you as happy as my other son gets about video games or makes your eyes sparkle the way my daughter’s do when talking about her plants or her fish. I don’t care one little bit about the succulet currently sitting in my kitchen window, but she does…and I care about that.

Just because something is “weird” or “nerdy” or in some niche corner of the universe doesn’t make it not worth your while. If

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you like something, you like it. You’re not too old to play with Legos. So what if collecting bottle caps isn’t really a popular thing? Do you like to read romance novels about time-traveling werewolves who fall in love with sheelves who are secretly robots? Awesome! Like what you like and don’t worry about what other people think.

And speaking of what other people think… Do you think pro wrestling is stupid? Or that Pokemon is for nerds? Or that video games are trash? Or that plants and fish are for losers who don’t have any friends? Or that romance novels about time-traveling werewolves are a waste of time?

Well, I’ve got two words for you… So what?

Actually, I’ve got a lot more than two words for you. I don’t have it in front of me but I saw a quote on the interet once that said, “Don’t belittle something that other people find joy in simply because you lack the capacity to understand it.”

I think that’s great. I think NASCAR is stupid… they just drive around in a circle. But every NASCAR race draws 100,000 people to the track and millions watch it on TV, so obviously it has some appeal, right? Just because I don’t get it, that doesn’t mean it’s “stupid” — same for any other pastime, activity, fandom, etc. out there. Your opinion of my enjoyment of pro wrestling is irrelevant. My opinion on whatever you like is equally irrelevant. So, don’t let anyone steal your joy and like what you like…

…especially those sexy timetraveling werewolves.