wombat_socho

My thought is that the sf fan's canon is something additional and different than what should be expected out of a general educated person. So I'm not sure if bits of the Bible, or Shakespeare -- both of which I think are reasonable for people to hear references to at an SF convention -- are something I'd especially flag.

And we all know that The West Wing is a liberal fantasy... so of course it counts. Not a show I watch though, and I really wouldn't count it on the true essentials -- though it might be valuable in some circles, and there was a time where it was a reasonable show to have a panel on. I'd say something like Veronica Mars occupies that sort of slot today. (I don't watch either show, btw.)

It's an interesting point -- I think some of it matters what the shorthand is. I wouldn't be surprised if some anime-themed costumes that suffer in the CONvergence masquerade because they reference something that goes over a judges head -- I know that I miss a few. Or perhaps a video game reference that I miss.

It's especially difficult when I think one of the joys of fandom is the shared inside joke.