The difference between a Stan and a fan: The Three traits to watch.

I missed a crap ton of super hero movies while I was in Japan. Green Lantern, Thor, X-men, etc. I am a big comic book reader, so I had to play catch up. I am a bit critical when it comes to...well...everything, but for the sake of the topic, I am way critical of comic book movies. Rest assured, I don't complain about movies and comic story lines being different. You're safe here. But I digress. One thing I am careful of, or try to be, is who I chose to tell my criticism to. Know why? Because they might be a STAN!

"Stan" is not a term I coined. It came from a popular Eminem song called "Stan." The song is a story about a fan who loves Eminem so much that he wants to be with him. When he can't, he kills his wife for not understanding his love for Eminem and drives them both into a river where they drown to death.

The term was mostly popularized in Hip-hop forums when a someone was a fan of someone to the degree of romanticizing the rapper.  What usually happens on these boards is someone will post that Jay-z's verse on Song A was really good. That's a fan. A Stan will say, "Damn kid, that's the dopest verse I have ever heard in my life...and F*** lil  Wayne." That is definitely a Stan.  This is not limited to hip-hop but also to video games, comics, politicians and movies.

So folks. X-men was an awesome movie. It was. I loved it. But, I still make fun of it because there are some things in that movie that are just unintentionally flat out hilarious. bad lines, acting etc. Like the one scene when the camera zooms in on Darwin (y'know, that black X-men) when Shaw asks if they would rather be enslaved by humans. C'mon, that's funny folks. But if you mention that to an X-man Stan, he or she will probably defend the scene as if you are taking quality away from the movie.

With that said, I thought it would be a fun/interesting to make a list of the characteristics of a Stan.

Stan trait #1: "You just don't understand it."

I made this...hope it catches on

No matter what your opinion is, your friend believes the reason you don't enjoy Quentin Tarantino movies is because you simply don't understand the artistic quality of it. Also, you missed the important themes Tarantino was bringing to the foreground. I love Tarantino. I do. But I have heard so many arguments between a Tarantino-Stan and someone else who just did not like Inglorious Basterds. I often times find myself fighting the inner Tarantino Stan. But if someone doesn't like his movies, they might just not like his movies. Does not knowing EVERYTHING about some obscure element Tarantino throws your way mean you have no taste in film? No. It just means you just weren't feeling it. However, if you diss any of his movies then come prancing out of the latest sequel to Transformers, talking about its deepness or clever, elaborate plot, I may question your judgement....

Stan Trait #2: Getting Emotional

Really, are you gonna cry?

Getting emotional over nothing is super easy to do because we are all human. But there are times were we become a little more human than other times. When that happens, we should just take a step back and chill. Stans occasionally make something more personal than it needs to be. After you have stated that you not only hated Coldplay's 2000 hit "yellow," but have a hard time differentiating their music from sounds two cats in heat make in the alley outside your window, a Stan could tell you that you have offended them because their music inspired the Stan to quit heroine in his/her adulthood. I mean, that's great. It really is, but don't expect the world to appreciate what you love or to stop having fun on your behalf. And now that you have just revealed to the world that Coldplay is your Kryptonite, you can expect a surprise visit from Lex Luthor. Oh and Don't cry. Then you just lose. If you feel like you are getting emotional or are going to get emotional, remember, Piccolo died man... He died for you not to be a big ol' baby. There are more serious things to cry about.

BTW I like Coldplay by the way. I am just picking things at random.

Stan Trait #3: The Pretender

Oh you know the ones. It's hard for them. Their identity has been revealed as a Stan and now, no matter what they say, it will be biased. So, they overcompensate. Kinda similar to the way the one homosexual hating football player that is secretly homosexual does. When he sees his chance to prove that he is definitely not gay, he takes initiative by slapping a girl's ass, or punching a homosexual. Prime example: Obama Stan. You can't admit it. You have too much to lose. For some reason you cannot disagree with a single thing he has done. Last week someone called you on it. So you began pretending. "Nah, Obama gets on my nerves. I can't stand that policy that I don't like....(yes I think there buying it)." We aren't. We see you. This Stan is a tricky one, because usually he really is not a Stan. In fact, he is probably just the football player the people think is gay, but actually isn't, but is still stupid enough to throw himself under the bus to prove his heterosexual point. 

Tip: only use Stan loosely. Use phrases like "you are being a Stan right now" or "thats a bit Stanish, ya think?" Because calling someone a Stan might make lead to more trouble down the road. Such as making a valid point about something and it being completely disregarded because he or she has been marked as a Stan of something. And that is just more trouble.

Villainy. Stan Villainy.

What they don't tell you about reverse culture shock...

In all honesty, it has not happened for me. Never once since I returned to the US have I experienced culture shock  while readjusting to American culture.  I don't even know what would be so shocking.  I mean, I could imagine being re-exposed to your own countries' food being the core of the shock. Maybe politics, and even transportation. For me personally, it was a little strange not being around a convenient way of travel like trains and Shinkansens. But after the first two days, I was already used to my good ol 96 Mazda. On a national level, culture shock has yet to occur due to my Internet sources keeping me up to date on politics, pop culture etc. While Skype and Facebook helped me keep in contact with friends. Although I tried not to keep too many tabs on what was going on at home out of fear that it would rob me of my experience abroad. I tried to steer away from American TV shows, movies etc.


However, if at all, culture shock did occur on a more personal level, which is what they don't tell ya. For example, readjusting to old personalities and habits. For example, if you are not so loud and all your friends are, and you have been away from them for awhile, then you might be a little slow on getting used to them, and vice versa. This kind of thing happened with me a few times. References to old jokes that I have forgotten, elaborate jokes flying over my head, etc. are the kinds of culture shocks I had. That ranges from being the butt of a joke and not really even realizing it and being annoyed quicker than I should have over something I shouldn't have.

Example #1: Smash Bros.

I have seen this game turn tiny voices into Aretha Franklins

Anything competitive can quickly turn into a hollering match when playing with the right folks. Monopoly, Risk, even chess can turn in to a battle of who did what to someones mama the night before. For my group of friends its Smash Bros, Marvel vs Capcom and various board games. When I first got back, I played Smash Bros, the game above, and Marvel vs Capcom 3. Both games I have either not played in about a year or haven't played at all. And it Showed. Hard. Believe me, there were quite a few hollering matches. Something that I will learn to re-love.

The other thing:

I cannot begin to tell you how many times someone has sat me down to watch some video I "missed out on" while I was in Japan. Sometimes its used to show music, other times its used to show songs. But most of the time its used to blow through an hour of your time. Don't get on your high horse just yet, because WE ALL DO IT....sit down. What people fail to realize is that the Internet is a world-wide thing so if "Hide ya kids, hide ya wife" is famous in the states, it is probably popular on the Youtube front page when I go abroad on my computer.

Also, no one else show me the cat on the keyboard because that's just old all together.


Villainy.

From Japan to Washington D.C.: Oh the Crazies

Back Up In the States....Doesn't sound as good as "all up in japan." Therefore, I decided to name the blog after something I mentioned in the last post of allupinjapan.com. Go read it.


After being in Tennesse for three days, I went to North Carolina and then to Washington D.C. with some friends of mine. In my hometown, they got a new bus system called "The Megabus." It takes your places far away for really cheap. So my Jet lag would be cured by my Bus lag.

D.C. is an interesting place, filled with diverse people. So much race and religious backgrounds...

and so many crazies.

In most cases, people I interacted with were really really nice. 

However... The first person I came across was so nuts and its F-ing hilarious. My friend, Mark, his father, Mark Sr., and I waited at a station for our hotel reservations to start. My cell phone was dying because I kept playing Angry Birds on my way to D.C. that night. In the station I was going to charge my phone, but the only free plug was behind this one ladies' chair. I asked the lady if I could use the plug and she smiled and let me plug my charger into the wall behind her. Suddenly, she slammed the newspaper down on the table and shouted, "Fuck, we should just shoot 'em in the fuckin' head! The Pentagon is keeping secrets. Just shoot 'em in the fuckin' head!" She stormed out promptly. For a second I thought I Was a dead man.

Later that night, something even funnier--slightly more pathetic happened. After a long day of walking, and being sick, we went to a convenient store to buy some tissue and medicine. When we walked in a man approached and asked me--as if reading off a teleprompter-- "Excuse me sir, may I borrow a dollar." I was in a giving mood and  gave him 4 quarters. He said thanks then asked my friend and his father for a dollar too, which was successful. Immediately after getting around 3 dollars, he turns around and says "May I please have a black and mild, please?" 

It was so bad, but so funny that Mark, Mark's dad, and both store clerks laughed. But silently. We all just opened our mouths and laughed without making no noise. It is incredible sharing laughs with a stranger. Its just one extra thing you have in common with someone else: all parties find the same thing funny.

Fun Luggage Forever.