It’s Bandwagon Season!

I like cult things. I like obscure things. I like “best kept secrets.”  I rarely jump on bandwagons. It’s Ok if you do (Miriam relishes hopping on bandwagons for the energy and camaraderie), and it’s Ok if the things you like happen to be the bandwagon du jour (such as my love for Downton Abbey).

Here’s how to recognize if you are prone to the bandwagons effect:

• Would you continue this activity/participate in it if you and your significant other parted ways? 
•  Have you ever enjoyed this activity sober? 
•  If you had some alone time (traveling for business, etc.), would you participate in this activity alone? 
• Is your enjoyment due to irony?

If you answered “no” to any of the above, you, my friend, are a bandwagoneer.

I actually dislike—to the point of dread—this, the bandwagon high season. I do not jump on the following bandwagons:

• Professional sports (including series, playoffs, or bowls) 
• Boston franchises (yes, “local” is its own category—Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins) 
• College sports (including bowls and madnesses) 
• Award shows (including Grammys, Emmys, Oscars) and their parties
• Television programs du jour (especially reality TV)

I admit I am fully susceptible to the bandwagon effect when it comes to:

• The Saint Louis Cardinals

I live in an artist loft building. In October, I hosted the building’s first ever LGBT gathering. I made the poster for the next one, which I am attending in support of the building’s community, and of course, irony.