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[DiscoJon]

Portlandia - Nerd PSA

 

[hateradio]

Portlandia - Nerd PSA

I remember watching that. Anyone can call themselves a nerd, but only real nerds feel sad inside. 😢

 

[Dastardly Jerks]

The overall emotional maturity of 'geek culture' will always leave it in the bottom of the barrel.

 

[ReiGun]

It never fails. Every time there's some dust up due to fanboys getting mad at a reviewer disliking this or that, I go to read a review and it comes across as the most even handed and inoffensive thing.

Ugh, shit like this is why I find myself more and more disinterested in discussing superhero movies. It feels like there's no space to actually have discussion and debate about these things because everybody comes ready to catch feelings when you don't like something. (Yes, I am aware this is in no way exclusive to the superhero movie crowd.)

As for the article's larger point, there's not really much I can add that hasn't already been said in this here thread. The "mainstreaming" of geek culture has been nothing but a positive in my eyes, since it took new types of people coming in to illuminate some of the very real problems with the subculture. Namely the racism, sexism, and homophobia embedded into the community and all the unhealthy behaviors that accompany it.

For myself, growing up as an awkward introverted black kid in Baltimore, I was lucky to find anyone who shared my interests. So the whole being mad that others want to climb in the sandbox will never make sense to me. Well, it makes sense to me, but it's so sad I kind of wish it didn't.

 

[Zeus Molecules]

No, the point of the article is that the mainstream writers/commenters are actually more accepting and more open, and often have something insightful to say, and that the long-standing members of "nerd culture" are being the assholes in increasing numbers.

Basically, Geeks reclaimed the word geek from negativity, and as such the culture grew, spread, and was accepted on a much wider basis than before. And now there are those who don't like the idea of that happening, who are reclaiming the word Geek back into the negative, and in doing so are shifting the term "Geek" into "someone who is into pop-culture who is shortsighted, sexist, homophobic, and angry about the concept of change in general"

"Geek Culture" didn't get co-opted by anyone that wasn't already providing Geeks their culture in the first place. Punks made their own music. Same with Hip-Hop. They made their own art out of what they had. But being a geek is absolutely defined by buying something some larger company has been selling you. It's almost impossible to be a geek without being tied up in the consuming of mass-produced product of one sort or another, be it comics, or TV shows, or movies, or video games, etc. etc.

So railing against "the mainstream" will always ring false to some extent because of that.



There we go.

First the idea that consumption alone makes somebody a geek is false. The time and energy invested into Memorizing and in many cases organizing geek paraphernalia to be representable to other geeks was what constituted being a geek. Even then its not fair to say that by being based on consumption geeks are different than any other Sub cultural group. America (and most of western society) is a consumer culture and it shows even in its subcultures. its hard to think of any social group based on activity that doesn't require the consumption of goods. Punks and Rappers 9 times out of 10 follow their cultural aesthetic which requires they consume certain goods and wear certain things as well. When you look at those cultures only a select few are producing anything of noted creative value. A no-name rappers mixtape is in many ways the equivalent of a Doctor Who fan fiction.

with that said

The difference between geek (or nerd) culture now to say 10-20 years ago was that it was a niche interest back then. Usually it was followed by a group a people who were in no position to be "shortsighted, sexist, homophobic, and angry about the concept of change in general" because they were looked down upon as being "nerds or geeks". If you think the people who were geeks 10-20 years ago are the same demographic that are now becoming "shortsighted, sexist, homophobic, and angry about the concept of change in general" you haven't been hanging out with them long enough. Right now assholes who wouldn't even know what an avenger was 10-20 years ago now seem to be pissed off by a female Thor and a black captain america because the ideas of Thor and Captain America have entered the mainstream. Its the same mainstream majority assholes who normally are "shortsighted, sexist, homophobic, and angry about the concept of change in general" who are the ones complaining now because they've gotten into geek culture because geek culture is mainstream.

If you really want to see "someone who is into pop-culture who is shortsighted, sexist, homophobic, and angry about the concept of change in general" go to the yahoo comment section or youtube comment section and read what the majority thinks about every topic that involves damn near anything.

 

[matrix-cat]

This is the problem with basing your entire identity on some one-note stereotype from an '80s movie. Nerds are supposed to lose, so people who self-identify as those dumb tropes develop inferiority complexes.

The solution? Just be a person and like the things you like.

 

[Messofanego]

It never fails. Every time there's some dust up due to fanboys getting mad at a reviewer disliking this or that, I go to read a review and it comes across as the most even handed and inoffensive thing.

Ugh, shit like this is why I find myself more and more disinterested in discussing superhero movies. It feels like there's no space to actually have discussion and debate about these things because everybody comes ready to catch feelings when you don't like something. (Yes, I am aware this is in no way exclusive to the superhero movie crowd.)

As for the article's larger point, there's not really much I can add that hasn't already been said in this here thread. The "mainstreaming" of geek culture has been nothing but a positive in my eyes, since it took new types of people coming in to illuminate some of the very real problems with the subculture. Namely the racism, sexism, and homophobia embedded into the community and all the unhealthy behaviors that accompany it.

For myself, growing up as an awkward introverted black kid in Baltimore, I was lucky to find anyone who shared my interests. So the whole being mad that others want to climb in the sandbox will never make sense to me. Well, it makes sense to me, but it's so sad I kind of wish it didn't.

Hair triggers on some of these people. As the article points out, most of them didn't argue on the fine points of the content of the review but just went to derogatory ad hominem. Pretty much the same for game reviews. It's delusional, because why defend the movie/game you haven't even seen as if the creators or the franchise need these kind of people to stick up for them. There's nothing constructive about any of this.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Assimilation and dilution isn't winning.

 

[TitusGroan]

Me and my flatmate discussed this a little while back. From where I'm sitting, the problem stems from the fact that too many geeks don't identify being a geek as a hobby, or even a lifestyle choice, they've turned it into a cross to bear. They had to labour under the weight of their geekdom for years in high school, they had to suffer for their love of nerdy things, and so because of that, they feel like they should look down on everyone else from their crucifix.

It's fucking stupid, as bad (if not worse) than the exclusionary behaviour of large parts of the Metal community. When mainstream culture is now bending over backwards to throw as much money as possible at your chosen interests, there's no reason for you to still feel like you're part of some persecuted minority. And there's no reason for the hostility and pretentious bigoted exclusion that goes on with large numbers of geeks. It's just embarrassing.

EDIT

Assimilation and dilution isn't winning.

Erm... yes it is. That's exactly what it is.

 

[BumblebeeCody]

You'd think it would be that simple. Bendis also put it nicely:



http://www.vulture.com/2014/04/comi...-man-guardians-x-men.html?mid=twitter_vulture

Bendis is a wise legend. Love that dude.

"geek culture" is too broad to lump them (us) all together.

A lot of people online are dicks.

A lot of people online are geeks.

A lot of geeks are dicks.

"Don't Be a Dick" day was only a few days ago. I wish more people followed Wheaton's Law.

YEAH BUT I WAS HERE FIRST BEFORE IT WAS COOL!!!

 

[TitusGroan]

I don't know if this video is meant to be tongue in cheek or not (the main guy seems awfully sincere in his nerdiness), but it kind of sums up every attitude I hate about modern nerd culture. Elitist hipsterism, self-loathing and some underlying misogyny thrown in. The fact I'm not entirely certain whether it's satire or not is worrying to me, as that tells me all I need to know about how prevalent these sorts of arguments are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR6CY3pFjYM

 

[Village]

It never fails. Every time there's some dust up due to fanboys getting mad at a reviewer disliking this or that, I go to read a review and it comes across as the most even handed and inoffensive thing.

Ugh, shit like this is why I find myself more and more disinterested in discussing superhero movies. It feels like there's no space to actually have discussion and debate about these things because everybody comes ready to catch feelings when you don't like something. (Yes, I am aware this is in no way exclusive to the superhero movie crowd.)

As for the article's larger point, there's not really much I can add that hasn't already been said in this here thread. The "mainstreaming" of geek culture has been nothing but a positive in my eyes, since it took new types of people coming in to illuminate some of the very real problems with the subculture. Namely the racism, sexism, and homophobia embedded into the community and all the unhealthy behaviors that accompany it.

For myself, growing up as an awkward introverted black kid in Baltimore, I was lucky to find anyone who shared my interests. So the whole being mad that others want to climb in the sandbox will never make sense to me. Well, it makes sense to me, but it's so sad I kind of wish it didn't.

I agree with you young superman, I don't think understanding their gripes necessarily bad, because their gripes didn't Arise out of a vacuum. I can't say I was exactly like you, while yes I am in man yways an introvert, I never really had issues finding friends, school made that easy,College doing the same.

I don't think understanding why upsets people is the problem, I think its a good thing, I think can use that to help people. I'm the type of guy who wants to everyone to enjoy my turbo nerd shit, because I like it and if someone else likes it that's great because they know about it now and we can enjoy it together. On the other hand I do understand ( do not agree with ) that kind of got fucked over by life for being " nerds" and nothing became of it. Some of em got bullied, some of em scarred ect ect ect. I feel like those people aren't angry at these people getting into their stuff, I feel like they angry because They may feel society as a whole has brushed them aside. And while a therapist would fantastic it might not be in the cards now for multiple reasons.

I'm not gonna sit here and say every excursionist on the internet is some one who got screwed over as a kid. Some of em don't have the dark back story, some of em are jerks. I will say for those that do, maybe finding where that ire lies would benifit them greatly, maybe they can get help. Probably bunch a peeps with depression and shit falling into that category.

What I am saying in all this rambling is, This isn't just this. This is like bunch of fucked up society issues rolled into one burrito that really likes The flash.