Nerds should embrace popularity
About a week or so ago, I did something that I promised myself I would never do: I watched The Big Bang Theory.
My stigma with shows like The Big Bang Theory and King of the Nerds was always that they depicted people with my set of interests as total social invalids. If you’re a fan of gaming, comic books, fantasy, or anything that doesn’t involve a football, television executives think you’re a recluse with no ability to speak to the opposite sex. Oh, and good luck if you have good grades or a little schooling under your belt, that puts you in the running for hyper-eccentric king of the losers.
Further fueling my blood frenzy: the popularity of these shows brought about the merchandised “nerd-chic” culture. Thick rimmed glasses and pre-faded superhero shirts are all the rage now. If you have to wear a shirt that tells the world how nerdy you are, you aren’t. For that matter, if you’re wearing a shirt with the Blue Lantern Corps symbol on it, but can’t tell me the difference between the Green and Blue Lanterns, why are you wearing the shirt in the first place?
Or at least, that’s how I used to think.
People like me (notice how I said people, not just guys) took our fair share of tumbles for our interests when we were younger. We fought, sometimes literally for what we loved. I can not count how many times I was told to ‘get a haircut’ in passing by high school kids in their barely-running vehicles. Even now, here in Chadron, being a self-proclaimed heavy metal fan gets you scoffed at by select students and faculty alike. This constant berating by others makes us strong, but it also makes us exclusionary. You think you’re a fan of Dungeons & Dragons? Prove it.
That mentality is how my fellow social invalids believe they are protecting their tight-knit circles and their egos, and it doesn’t just apply to geekdom. If you don’t pass the entrance exam, you’re not in. If you didn’t know who Groot and Rocket were before Guardians of the Galaxy hit theaters, you have no business being fans now. Back of the line with you. Oh, you’re wearing a band t-shirt? Name me all of their albums in chronological order or you’re a poser.
What my nerd kin don’t realize is that by doing this, they are perpetuating the cycle of ignorance and malice that made them have to develop their thick skins in the first place.
You shouldn’t be angry that people like Groot now, you should be happy that people even know who the Guardians of the Galaxy are.
These people are so passionate about their interests that they feel offended and threatened when said interests make it to the limelight. Without popularity, how else are these shows, movies, games or what have you going to continue to grow and expand?
If you’re the person purposely avoiding something because it’s popular, nothing will pull you from your hipster mind set except curiosity. If you’re the person who abandons ship when your passion becomes popular, you are part of the problem, not the solution. I can’t say all the aggression is misplaced, however.
When a group is represented in pop culture by characters like Sheldon Cooper, I can see why they cry foul. Society has to know that ‘true nerds’ are not like that.
‘True nerds’ know there is no such thing. With geekdom becoming cool in society, all eyes are turning to us. Why not embrace the new blood and set them on the right path? Acceptance isn’t as hard as we all try to make it.