EL PASO — Dr. Who, a british television show that has been broadcast since 1963, is currently
booming in popularity in the United States and across the world.
April 23rd marks the second anniversary of “The Impossible Astronaut,” an episode that aired on the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC).
To commemorate this anniversary, Dr. Who fans or “Whovians” as they refer to themselves, have been marking themselves with magic markers or pens or anything that leaves an indelible line on their bodies in the same way that the show’s main character does to remind himself of each time that he saw an alien being called “The Silence.”
Neli Krasimirova, Istanbul. (Facebook Impossible Astronaut Day)
Social media was abuzz with pictures of people from all countries and walks of life with tally marks representing the number of times they saw “The Silence,” which removes itself from the memory of any person who saw it, but then stops seeing it. In other words, if you stop looking at it, you can’t remember it.
I too, am a Whovian, and I marked my arm with these ominous tallies this past Wednesday. I know, for me, the reason why I was willing to do this was because I wanted to show my support for Dr. Who. As I walked across campus and went about my day, I was stunned to see the number of others with marks on their arms and even their faces.
As I looked through a Facebook page dedicated to April 23rd as the Impossible Astronaut Day, I noticed pictures from people in El Paso and around the world. This prompted me to question exactly why I and others like me, are willing to walk around bearing admittedly strange marks.
Joshua Rayner, El Paso. Photo credit: Christy Ruby
While considering this, I was reminded of devotion to shows in the past that reached ridiculous heights. Trekkies (fans of Star Trek), cosplay — costume play that crosses genres — and anime fans have all been somewhat ostracised in the past. However, I have started to notice people’s general acceptance of Whovians and other types of fan devotion.
When I think of fan devotion in the past, I am reminded of the media frenzy surrounding the first Twilight movie back in 2008. Even though I cringe at the comparison of Whovians and Twilight fans, the fans are not so far removed from each other in terms of the lengths to which they are willing to go.
Twilight fans camped out for hours at the movie theater, some even dressed as characters. Whovians waited for the Dr. Who 50th anniversary episode to be showed in theaters, many carrying fan pariphenalia.
Perhaps the internet connecting the entire world lets people like me, who normally would be somewhat ostracized for devotion to a television show, become connected to others fans around the world. Conversely, perhaps it is possible that the world is finally beginning to accept people for who they are, fanatic devotion to sci-fi television and all.
João Amancio, Brazil. (Facebook Impossible Astronaut Day)
