In 1998, The Coen Brothers released what is now the cult classic The Big Lebowski. Upon its initial theatrical release, it was considered a flop and was critically panned for being too confusing. Now in 2016, there is a religion called Dudeism (Dude-ISM) based on the main character of that film simply named The Dude. Dudeism now has 350,000 members worldwide, enough to be classified as a legitimate religion protected by constitutional freedoms. All you have to do is ask to be a Dudeist Priest online, and they’ll send you your certifications, which include a signed letter by the Church of the Latter Day Dude and a certificate of ordination to hang on your wall. Dudeism has had such a positive impact on my friends that two of them got married in my apartment under a Dudeist ceremony. Needless to say, it was pretty laid back and hilarious, but also one of the most touching moments in my life.
Dudeism is inspired by several non theistic religions, such as Taoism and Buddhism. It encourages meditation through unconventional means, and teaches one how to ‘Take it easy’ under the most stressful of circumstances. I can speak from experience that it has changed my life in many positive ways, despite it being basically a really big joke. Therein lies the beauty of Dudeism: it is a joke. How can you begin to take a religion based off of a fictional, hippie movie character named The Dude, seriously? When practicing Dudeism, one has to be lighthearted and easygoing. No intense yoga exercises required! A little Tai-chi, bowling, long candle-lit baths, and white Russians to take the edge off can go a long way in improving your personality and your mood. After all, life is probably one big joke anyway, right?
The Big Lebowski is certainly the most glaring example of why the term “cult following” was coined, but it’s not the only example. Recently Cult Followings have become somewhat of a phenomenon. Perhaps the earliest example of it was in 1966 when the television show Star Trek was on being aired. The show was considered too cranial, complicated, and liberal. After all, the Enterprise crew featured a black woman, an Asian man, and a Russian guy all in positions of authority and working together with aliens, like Mr. Spock.
The show even featured the first interracial kiss to be aired on television in the United States. CBS received concerned letters from religious groups in regards to its contents and Spock’s “Satan-like” appearance. The show was cancelled after only 3 seasons. However, the show created a deep connection with some truly devoted fans who wrote in and demanded that another season be made. Instead, they were treated to a feature film 11 years after the shows cancellation in the late 1970’s. Paramount pictures felt that the dormant franchise had gained enough popularity during its re-runs to warrant a big-budget movie. Since then, there have been 12 other Star Trek films. A reboot of the television show happened in the 1980’s when Star Trek movies were at the height of their popularity.It was called The Next Generation, and aside from lasting 7 strong seasons, it spawned three more Trek shows: Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. The latest film in the franchise, Star Trek Beyond, is currently in theaters, and a new show, “Discovery” is set to air next year.
Star Trek has always relied on the support of its fans to survive in a world where Wars are far trendier than Treks of exploration. Since then, nerds like myself have been devoting themselves wholeheartedly to fandoms that they feel might go away if they don’t.There’s a sense in these communities that if we don’t support the things we love, they will go away. In this age of Michael Bay, who has actually calculated the attention span of the average moviegoer and timed the length of his shots accordingly, movies and tv shows that offer smarter and more thoughtful or artistic stories require a loyal fan base to keep them afloat. Many of these shows and movies don’t receive proper recognition until far after their inception. A show called ‘Firefly’ was cancelled after only one season. There were so many devoted fans who enjoyed its creative blend of sci-fi, western, and Asian influences that a film was made to tie up loose ends and give fans a new story to enjoy. There have been talks of bringing the show back as a Netflix Original Series because of the growing popularity of this cancelled show. Netflix has been aware of cult followings for a while too. In the early 2000’s, an extremely well written Comedy series, created and narrated by Ron Howard, called Arrested Development had a 3 season run. Again, as with Star Trek and Firefly, fans demanded more. Years later, Netflix produced and released a much anticipated fourth season.David Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’ is getting a re-boot on Showtime next year as well. So why are fans so devoted? Why do some stories seem to be released in the wrong generation? There’s a sense that some stories weren’t given the chance to be fully realized or appreciated; especially when some films or shows that are huge financial successes aren’t as good or well constructed. We are simply saying that the things that make us happy to be part of the human race should at least receive the light of day.We are artists, creators, and fans that understand and appreciate the effort put into complex story arcs and narratives. We don’t want to be mindlessly entertained for a couple of hours only to forget what we saw the next day. We don’t play movies as background noise for texting sessions. We pay attention and we care. We want the tales that have made us laugh, cry, and think deeply to be shared with others and respected in this Fast-Food society.We’re tired of junk, and when something original and thoughtful appears, it’s precious and rare. Those of us who care, the nerds, will continue to stand for truth, justice, and creativity.
