Hooray for the Modern Age!

What's up, my friends?  Today's post has been a long time coming.  Not for any good reason, mind you.  It's not that this post took a long time for me to crank out because it's some kind of masterpiece, but rather because I've been lazy and occupied with other things.  C'est la vie.  Anyway, today I was thinking about writing a response to my good friend Juan del Lobo's old post about the Victorian Age.  I had been wanting to post a rebuttal for a while now, but I was too lazy to do so.  But here I am now.

It should be no surprise to people who know me that I (respectfully) disagree with El Lobo's viewpoints.  I honestly believe that there has never been a better a time to be alive than the here and now.  I could explain my viewpoint by citing benefits of the modern age such as advanced scientific knowledge or civil rights, but since this is a pop culture blog first and foremost I'd like to make my case that there has never before been a time when it was easier or more pleasurable to pursue one's geeky passions to the nth degree.  And yes, this is a good thing.

The Internet has clearly been instrumental in breaking down the barriers that previously prevented people from achieving geeky bliss.  I remember as a child in the nineties dreaming of the far off day when I could watch the original Gojira in its original uncut Japanese-language glory.  Actually at that time the idea of watching any Godzilla film subtitled in its original language seemed pretty far off (granted I was 11 at the time and lacked imagination, but still) and now you can pick up both the Japanese and American cuts of the film on DVD in one package.  I bring up this story not to simply illustrate the joys of being a Godzilla fan in the 2000's and beyond, but as a symbol of how accessible the Internet has made various forms of culture.  With the vast information available on the Internet it has now become easier than ever to immerse oneself in whatever niche catches one's fancy.  Now that a plethora of music, videos, texts, and lectures have become available on the Web, the only real excuse for long term intellectual boredom is an inability to access a computer.

Some might argue that the our access to this unprecedented crap-load of media goodness can be paralyzing.  The consumer, they might argue, becomes overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices on display and simply shuts down.  While I agree that this can be an issue, and while I have previously grappled with the idea of "wasting time on the Internet" (see my last post for more on this), I ultimately believe that the vast quantity of choices available to the modern geek is a good thing as it allows him/her to be exposed to a greater quantity of stuff, thereby increasing the likelihood that they are exposed to really niche stuff that they love, but wouldn't have otherwise discovered through a more limited or conventional media diet.  Another example from my life: when I first got Netflix I would paw through the DVD listings at random and add stuff to my queue that simply sounded cool.  Sure, such a method increases my likelihood of being exposed to irredeemable cinematic shit, but it also simultaneously means that I have a greater chance of finding that diamond in the rough.  As it happened I was able to use this method to discover the awesome Japanese zombie comedy Wild Zero as well as some "so bad they're good" gems such as The Apple and Blood Freak.  Now I'm not saying I couldn't have made these discoveries outside of the Internet, online retailers do have an undeniable advantage in that they can simply carry a bigger stock than the brick and mortar stores of yore (I wrote about this on my Tumblr awhile back).

Oh, and one last thing that we have that the Victorians did not is TAB.  You of all people Juan should appreciate the significance of this.