Earlier today, I wrote a review of William Shatner’s The Captains on Geeky Pleasures. The following happened:

Clipped from: twitter.com (share this clip)

To say I SQUEE’d and wanted to die is a bit of an understatement. I’ve been an insufferable sod every since. My behaviour may even be bordering on douchenozzle territory. But it isn’t every day that someone you’ve had a huge respect and admiration for, since pretty much they day you were born, tells you something you’ve written is wonderful. Especially when that person is so famous, they couldn’t possibly keep up with every thing that is said to them or about them.

So how do you share your joy with the world when someone like William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) decides to take a few minutes out of their extremely busy day to read what you’ve written and pay you compliment, without coming off as a complete douchenozzle and asshat name-dropper?

I’m not sure that it is completely possible. Especially when you won’t shut up about it on Twitter and post about it on Google+. Especially when you grew-up in a culture that discourages such behaviour and, at the same time, navigate another culture where that sort of behavior is almost expected. I think it is expected that, or at least I expect, one person is going to think I’m a douchenozzle, instead of thinking that I am beyond grateful and gobsmacked because shit like this is not suppose to happen to someone who grow-up in small town/city Canada.

So what do you do? Well, you could do what I do and retweet said complement by adding a ‘Thank you! *dies*’ before it. Because I don’t care who you are, when you write something without any expectation that the subject of said article is going to read it, never mind comment on it, you will be excited and become obnoxiously stupid with giddy. You share with the people who have chosen to support you on other platforms, such as Google+. You apologise profusely for being insufferable but try and keep in mind how others, especially those who’d consider themselves fans and not simple admirers, would react under similar circumstances. You remind yourself that even Wil Wheaton became giddy when Bill sent him a tweet. But I think, most importantly, you never forget that you are not entitled to any sort of feedback from these people.

Yes, they are just ordinary people who just happen to have extraordinary careers. And because I view them as ordinary people, I feel like such an asshat when I get stupid with giddy about such things. I feel as if I have done the thing that annoys me about others; I feel I have placed them on some pedestal. On the other hand, these people are bombarded, on a daily basis, by others who feel entitled to some sort of acknowledgment. They are bombarded by people who write articles with the sole hope and purpose that it will get a mention or an acknowledgement. These people write articles in an effort to get ahead on the backs of other people’s talents instead of through their own hard work and dedication.

So when someone like William Shatner takes the time to respond to something I wrote, something I wrote with honesty and integrity, only because I want to share with others the things that I enjoy, I can’t help but to feel a certain sense of head nod, if you will, that why I do what I do for my own sense of self-satisfaction, has been acknowledged. I can’t help but to feel that I am succeeding based on my own talents and not because of who I may or may not know. I can’t help but to feel that others recognise that I’m not doing this for my own personal gain. And that feels fucking awesome!

I also recognise that at least one person is going to think I’m a douchenozzle for pointing out the fact that William Shatner paid me a mighty huge compliment. But that is how this business work.

So, I suppose to TL;DR version of this is, it is okay to name drop now and then. It is okay to be publicly grateful when those with bigger footprints take time out of their busy schedules, filled with people who feel entitled to such compliments, pay you a compliment. Just don’t make it a habit. Apologise in advance for anything that may come off as asshatery. Be okay with the fact that others will be happy for you, and some may even think you are cooler than you are simply because someone ridonkulously famous paid you a compliment. Learn to live with the fact it may boost your own career a bit. But don’t ever mention these things with a career boost in mind. People can see through that, and that is how you will appear to be a douchenozzle, cos guess what, you would be.