You can tell a thing or two about a person not just by the shows they watch, but by the shows they love. For example, when I meet a Firefly fan, I know I’ve met a friend. I know I’ve met someone who just gets it (whatever it is). That’s not to say that we can’t be friends if you’re not a Browncoat.
My own beloved gay boyfriend refuses to watch Firefly on the grounds that he doesn’t like sci-fi and likes Westerns even less, despite all my fangirl gushing.He is, however, responsible for introducing me to gems like Little Britain, and he can spend hours watching and re-watching This American Life with me, so it’s all gravy. That said, it would probably not surprise you to learn that he is a total hipster from the top of his indie-pop-rock moptop to the soles of his techno-geek shoes.
My predilection for Battlestar Galactica and Stargate (SG-1 and Atlantis) as well as any and everything ever birthed from the Great Womb of Genius that is Joss Whedon’s brain leaves no doubt as to my Geek Girl status. But my Geek Girl self is only one of a handful of my selves. And that’s the beauty of a really good show -- not only can you tap into a particular facet of yourself that you may or may not get to express in your everyday life, you have an entire ‘verse in which to let it run free.
Why else would we spend so much of our time investing in these shows, these characters, these fictional universes? When you find a show you love, that you can really get invested in, you’re exposing a part of yourself whether you realize it or not--in the characters you align yourself with, in the way you react to the situations they find themselves in.
Yes, television can be a way to relax and not have to think about anything more pressing than who should get booted off of Project Runway this week, (I’m looking at you, Daniel. My girl Kelli was straight up wronged!), and that is totally fine. But it can also provide a forum for learning about who you are and how you view the world, whether you’re debating Cylon-human relations or find yourself (like my deeply Christian mother) praying that Dexter never gets caught.
And like a carefully-planned outfit, a favorite TV show can be a way of expressing yourself. A way of letting the world know where you stand...for that hour, anyway.