What the heck AM I doing, anyway??

Last night, as I was sitting right here at this very keyboard checking in with my friends at "I'm With Coco" and seeing what was new in the always awesome world o' Conan O'Brien fandom, my mother approached me with a concerned look on her face. In her hand she held the latest copy of TV Guide (or as she refers to it, The Bible) and she tossed in front of me with disgust. "If you really want to do some good on that computer, do something to fix this!" she told me before stomping away. The magazine was turned to an article about how the CBS show "Numbers" was most likely not returning after this season. I had such a mix of feelings at that point....confusion as to how a show being canceled had something to do with ME, further concern that if my mother keeps getting worked up over the "doings" on television that she is going to fracture something, a little sadness because I am also a fan of the show and won't like to see it leave the airwaves....but mostly I was irritated that even though this woman gave birth to me, she seems to have absolutely no clue what the heck "I'm With Coco" is about.
She seemed to indicate that by coming online and chatting with other Coco fans that I am trying to accomplish something finite....and that I can just switch up loyalties if some other show is in danger and needs my "help." It is true that I feel I am part of a movement that is accomplishing things - by showing that Conan has a strong fan base and is therefore a good investment to interested networks, and by supporting other fans as we wait the next few months to unfold. But a lot of what "I am doing" is coming to share laughs and ideas with people I have come to think of as good friends, and find enjoyment in our common admiration for our amazing Coco. It is peculiar to me that my mom sees it is as a flash-in-the-pan show support group....particularly since there is no show to support, at least not yet.
Later on, I asked my mom exactly what she thought I could do about "Numbers." She gestured toward the computer, as if to say "You know, on-line stuff." I smiled sadly, and tried to explain to her how TV really works - how it ultimately isn't about the fans but the advertisers, how it takes momentum to get anyone's attention and even then it may not do any good, how even though it is unfair, that is how it is. But then I remembered Conan's words about not being cynical, and how a lot of what we are doing on our Coco page is a stand against "show business as usual." People probably think we are crazy for continuing this "fight" which seems to the the uneducated to be a done deal. Sure, it is a whole different situation, but as I looked into my mother's sad, cop-TV loving eyes, I promised her I would do what I could. I guess if you can't have the belief that the things you love are worth fighting for, then you are just as bad as the bastards who don't love in the first place.