There is a unique bond between most Titanic buffs

[Tarn Stephanos]

Granted some of the Titanic groups are mired with squabbles and age old feuds, but by and large there is a unique bond between buffs in the Titanic community. We all share a special bond- a powerful attraction to the lore of Titanic, which non Titanic buffs will never understand, that has gripped many of us since childhood, and has brought many of us together, sparking great friendships..
Titanic buffs bend over backwards to share with other buffs what they know about the ship and her passengers- Particularly here- I am amazed at how generous most Titanic buffs are with each other...
But for some Titanic buffs, Titanic is a very personal thing, not to be shared with anyone, and such people get very insecure when they meet other buffs who have bigger collections or know more about the ship than they do- But such people I think are rare in the titanic community.........
I'm just glad I found groups like THS, TI, BTS, the Titanic lists, ET, the Titanic modeler's site and Andrew Clarkson's site..

As a tot, I languished as the only titanic buff in my community- Now i know dozens- and all of you- i feel really lucky ....
I didn't meet another Titanic buff until 1987, when i was 19.

Has anyone else been struck by the unique Titanic bond we all share?

There is a sense of community here that I really cherish...

 

[Jason Schleisman]

quote:

I languished as the only titanic buff in my community

I often felt the same way growing up ~ especially in the pre-1997 Titanic movie days when you'd say "Titanic" and people would look at you as if you had contracted some rare disease and should be avoided.

ET is a fine site, and works toward the betterment of Titanic knowledge just as long as we all remember to lay down our 'arms' and share.

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

"often felt the same way growing up ~ especially in the pre-1997 Titanic movie days when you'd say "Titanic" and people would look at you as if you had contracted some rare disease and should be avoided."




Tell me about it....In jr high, in the early 1980s, one teacher of mine felt my interest in the Titanic was 'unhealthy', 'sick', and a sign I was a potential serial killer- why else would I be interested in an event where so many people died? His logic left my parents to conclude that teacher was a total nutcase..of course that teacher was obsessed with WW2, so he was a bit of a hippocrite...

 

[Tracy Smith]

I first became interested in the Titanic in the sixties when I was a little kid. First, I saw the 1953 movie on TV and a few years later, I bought A Night to Remember at a book fair at my school. Then my father brought back Peter Padfield's Titanic and Californian book for me from a business trip. For years, these two were the only Titanic books I had until I encountered Geoffrey Marcus' book when I was in college in 1977. I'm not sure, but I'm thinking Wyn Craig Wade's book was my fourth Titanic book.

Over that space of years, I met plenty of people mildly interested in the Titanic -- such as my brother who got me started in the first place -- but never any rabid buffs.

 

[Andrea Cranford]

I'm sorry to hear of the horrors of the pre-1997 movie era. I had always had a keen interest in the Titanic even when I first read about it in a third-grade textbook, but the movie came out when I was 9 so I didn't have to wait long before everyone was talking about the Titanic. My general problem at that time was trying to turn my friends attention away form Leonardo DiCaprio to what actually happen on the ship!!!!
But you are right about being the only Titanic buff around. Just try to talk to a non-Titanic buff about whether the Titanic broke up from the bottom or the top! Friends really give me strange looks when I tell them I have conducted experiment with ice in my bathtub--then again maybe you would give me a strange look for that one!
Andrea
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They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters: These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep."

 

[Mark Robert Hopkins]

When I was in college, none of my friends or acquaintances were into the Titanic. As a matter of fact, they couldn't understand why I was or the grip it had on me. One or two even [respectfully] commented on how weird I was, hehe. That's okay, though. Many people see it as a tragedy that happened so long ago and should be forgotten because of that. Still, the gap in time closes with the bond I have with the ship and its legend. I feel the same way with the 1960s, and I was alive at that time.

 

[Julie Goebel]

Here, Here, Tarn...Very well said! I lift my 1st class replica tea cup and sip on Earl Grey in your honor. I feel the same way. In most cases If I were to meet someone a handshake would do, but I were to meet any of you anything less than a hug would make me feel sad. My collection and constant Titanic research puts many people off, they just don't get it...and secretly neither do I. But there is so much to learn. About the era, the ships (not just this one I like all kinds) Edwardian customs, Engineering, salvaging...the list is endless.....

quote:

"often felt the same way growing up ~ especially in the pre-1997 Titanic movie days when you'd say "Titanic" and people would look at you as if you had contracted some rare disease and should be avoided."

Wow does that sound familiar! But everyone assumes it's because of that damn movie...and then they make a snide comment about Leo, (I like Leo, and Titanic 1997) but it started so much sooner than that.

The sickness has spread to my kids...is that good or bad, I think it's good.​

 

[Jason Schleisman]

quote:

The sickness has spread to my kids

You mean they got 'Leo fever' too? Ha! (Just kidding ~ I assume you meant 'Titanic fever'.)

 

[George L. Lorton]

I was lucky in that our class watched SOS Titanic in school and Mrs Sweeny in encouraged us in our Titanic enthusiasm. Also the fact that we did a recess in playground production of Titanic Who's Gonna Die. The 8 year olds played the Crew and Good parts and The Little Kids played non speaking roles. A lotta screaming went on. I think some of the teachers didn't like it but it was regarded as educational by the Principle so we were set.

 

[George L. Lorton]

The Mad Hatter states

quote:

I often felt the same way growing up ~ especially in the pre-1997 Titanic movie days when you'd say "Titanic" and people would look at you as if you had contracted some rare disease and should be avoided.

That must be from your Iowa days, huh Jason. I was lucky that we were living in Colorado when I started on my Titanic fascination craze.​

 

[Jason Schleisman]

quote:

That must be from your Iowa days, huh Jason.

Actually, I was referring to my earlier days spent in southern Oregon.

I lived in Iowa right AFTER the film came out, and that was when it suddenly became "cool" to have Titanic posters, prints, and ephemera around.

When I lived in Oregon, Titanic was discovered and there was a 'blip' of general public Titanic interest, but a year or two later, most people were still unaware of any factual info about the Titanic. I was 'the odd child', who enjoyed dressing up in Edwardian era clothing as best I could, and pretending that I was on the ship. I convinced my siblings to play along too, so I wasn't completely alone, but they didn't understand why it should be so fascinating.

We had a huge deck on the outside of our house which naturally became the deck of the Titanic. There was an opening on the long side of the deck where I placed a large garden cart (lifeboat) so that my siblings and I could escape our sinking house to the front lawn (ocean) just in the nick of time

 

[George L. Lorton]

Lucky you! All I had was cement in the Playground.

My Brother hated playing Titanic at home. His son loves Titanic though. My Nephew also loves the fact that he was at the Theater when the movie came out even though he hadn't. Still a work in progress.

Although he was well on the way. So he didn't get to see it but he heard it.

 

[Andrea Cranford]

I just finished getting one of those 'weird looks' and from my own family at that.! She had the nerve to ask me what is so interesting about the Titanic! I couldn't think of anything uninteresting (although I'm not the biggest fan of some of the technical aspects) I think I went into an hour long diatribe about the human experience, the fact that the Titanic constituted a mini diagram of the western world at that time etc... Ever have that problem? Perhaps being older makes researching the Titanic seem more distinguished. But I am extremely weird to my friends in their late teens and early twenties.
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They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters: These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep."

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

Some people just don't understand titanic buffdom....Anyone ever have their collection vandalized by another person who didn't appreciate your interest in Titanic?
Years ago I had quite a few titanic books in storage in my old room at my father's house, and his 2nd wife threw them away, as in her words 'they were old morbid books'.
Needless to say, she and I aren't exactly close...

 

[Deborah Russes]

No one ever thought I was weird for having a fascination in the Titanic. To them it is something I am just interested and curious about.
I'm also interested in the paranormal and hauntings.

Perhaps the people who think someone is weird for being interested in the Titanic don't have anything in their lives that they are curious about. Just because one person could care less about the Titanic doesn't make it a strange thing to be interested in.

I have a friend who is interested in the life, times, and political career of Abraham Lincoln and I find him fascinating to talk to. While I don't study Lincoln myself the way he does, I understand how he feels.

 

[Mark Robert Hopkins]

quote:

No one ever thought I was weird for having a fascination in the Titanic. To them it is something I am just interested and curious about.
I'm also interested in the paranormal and hauntings.

Hello Deborah -

Ditto on both of these! I have always been interested in Titanic and ghosts, but the latter especially after I had a rather ghostly experience way back when I was 25. I have a library consisting of books on both Titanic and ghost accounts/paranormal experiences.

I haven't encountered awkwardness toward my interest in ghosts and the paranormal, but I have received a bit of skepticism here, as I realize that not everybody believes in such things. When one has [profound] experiences with certain things, one tends to develop beliefs in them.​

 

[Jason Schleisman]

Well now Mark, now that you've made comments about your personal "paranormal" experiences, would you mind sharing?

I neither believe, nor disbelieve, in paranormal activities myself, but I find the study of paranormal activities interesting and entertaining.

 

[Jason Schleisman]

quote:

I had quite a few titanic books.....2nd wife threw them away

Mean old stepmother!! I hope you had some singing mice and birds to cheer you up and help you on your way to find new books.

(Tarn, I wouldn't have said these things if you had not mentioned you weren't close to your father's second wife - no offense meant.)​

 

[Mark Robert Hopkins]

quote:

Well now Mark, now that you've made comments about your personal "paranormal" experiences, would you mind sharing?

I'd much rather not go into it. Somehow I sense that you'd probably not believe it anyway and try to explain it away. Sorry, Jason. No offense toward you, but as I said: When one has had certain experiences, one tends to believe in them. If you find paranormal entertaining, I presume that you have never had such an experience. My apologies if I'm wrong.

Many accounts are, however, very entertaining, especially those so easy to explain that cause people to jump. I don't believe that all stories are true hauntings, BUT there are some that have gone unexplained.

In any case, that's not the topic of this thread, and I'd rather not get into a debate over it. If you really want to discuss it, please feel free to drop me an email.

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

"(Tarn, I wouldn't have said these things if you had not mentioned you weren't close to your father's second wife - no offense meant.)"



She's crazy, to put it mildly, and I want nothing to do with her ... oh well, at least I'm very close with my mother, and she has always been very supportive of my Titanic obsession....