Letting the Geek Flag Fly

By ScottDS

A few weekends ago, some friends and I went to MegaCon, Central Florida’s largest celebration of pop culture, sci-fi, horror, comics, anime, and assorted nerdery. This was my fourth visit in ten years and the crowd was as big as ever. Looking back on the trip, a few thoughts have occurred to me... social, political, and otherwise.

One event was Sci-Fi Speed Dating. Yes, really! (I was pressured into it.) There were 53 guys and 50 girls, all of various shapes, sizes, and complexions. We sat with a girl, traded pleasantries for three minutes, then rotated. Multiply that by 50. At the end, we anonymously exchanged phone numbers and I’m proud to say I got two! Some people got bupkes. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t expect anything to happen but I would’ve felt worse getting nothing. How damaging to the self-esteem it must be not to receive any positive attention from the opposite sex at a sci-fi convention! If not here, then where? After chatting with 50 girls, there seems to be a clear dividing line in fandom. Imagine a Venn diagram: on the left are games, comics, and anime; on the right are sci-fi and filmed entertainment; in the middle are Dr. Who and all things Whedon. 98% of the girls in attendance belonged exclusively to one side or the other, with only a few in the middle.

I can’t explain it. Not only that, I’m guilty of it as well, with my tuches firmly placed in the right side of the diagram. I don’t hate videogames or anime – they’re just not on my radar but who am I to question someone else’s esoteric hobbies? Most of the girls were into anime and videogames. A handful were into Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, etc. Only one woman understood my T-shirt! One girl, when asked, said she was a fan of anything that had a good story and interesting characters. "You’d make a horrible Hollywood executive!" I thought to myself. No one mentioned anything resembling classic science fiction or any entertainment more than 20 years old (Dr. Who being an exception). We all decry the speed at which pop culture operates in the 21st century: nothing is allowed to settle and we’re always onto the next thing before the current thing has been given a chance. I had a small sample size to work with but it would seem that this thinking even permeates geek culture, at least to a small extent – the very people who you’d think would ponder the future while treasuring the best of the past.

Others may imply that there’s an element of sexism on display: in other words, that females can’t be "real geeks." I’m the last person on the planet qualified to write about the battle of the sexes but in my experience, anyone – male or female – can be a poser. Anyone can claim to know more about a subject than they actually do. And I hate to think us male geeks are so close-minded that we wouldn’t let females into the clubhouse! Are female geeks held to a higher "standard" because many of these things are seen as strictly male interests? Trust me, I’d be nervous if I were asked to go head to head with a hardcore Trekkie. Believe it or not, I don’t know everything there is to know about Star Trek! But in any subculture, there will always be arguments and a competitive streak. Sadly, it’s human nature. (As an aside, just because someone is a geek doesn’t mean they’re on the prowl for a geek companion – some of us have learned this the hard way. Even 30 Rock’s Liz Lemon fantasized about alpha male "astronaut Mike Dexter.")

There’s also a danger in geek culture being "co-opted." We’re seeing this already, with studios peddling their wares at the San Diego Comic-Con – a fun event that, in my opinion, has sold out – hoping for those coveted geek dollars. While some are easily swayed, others know when they’re being sold a bill of goods. PC Magazine’s Will Greenwald stated that, "Geek culture requires not just enthusiasm, but depth and scope. Those latter two characteristics are why geekdom will never be truly co-opted by popular culture." There’s a reason why Star Trek fans have conventions but viewers of Keeping Up with the Kardashians don’t. (If they do, call in a drone strike!) On the other hand, one can argue that conventions are celebrations of the best of pop culture, period. Breaking Bad and Dexter aren't exactly Comic-Con fodder but there's no shortage of merchandise or people dressed up like the characters. No one’s dressing up like Honey Boo Boo!

(They are, however, dressing up like characters from The Big Bang Theory, which drives me nuts. It’s nice to have smart characters on TV but their social awkwardness doesn’t help the stereotype. As one comedy writer put it, "Geeks who watch The Big Bang Theory are like black people who watched Amos ’n’ Andy!")

Then there’s the political angle. These things are 99.9% apolitical and can be enjoyed by anyone of any persuasion. It’s funny that MegaCon took place on the same weekend as CPAC, which might was well be MegaCon for conservatives. I’ve said it before but if a hack like Steve Crowder really wanted to make a difference, he’d stop preaching to the choir on Fox News and start working on his own comic book, or short film, or e-book, etc. Nothing that has to be exclusive to geekdom, mind you, and nothing political... just an interesting story well told, with conservative-friendly themes in the background. Sci-fi/comic conventions are the perfect place to interact with fans and sell your own work – capitalism in action! And geeks are early adopters – if they like something, they make sure the world knows it. And if they like you, they’ll support you through thick and thin.

I’m not saying folks on the right should cater to the geek demographic in order to win elections... then again, who do you think devised Obama’s election technology plans? It would also help if certain conservative bloggers (paging Mr. Schlichter) stopped making fun of geeks, nerds, etc. every chance they got. Sadly, in this economy a lot of people are living in their parents’ basements, and they’re not all geeks! Also, and this goes for the media in toto, it’d be wise to stop putting so much emphasis on box-office numbers. (Yeah, when pigs fly...) Money is no guarantee of quality. In most industries, that’s not true, but it is in this one and that requires a change of thinking that some people – especially market-friendly folks on the right – may not feel comfortable with. If Apple sells millions of iPhones, then it must be a good product, right? Right. If a movie like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World bombs, then it must be a bad movie, right? Wrong. So many variables are involved that it’s a miracle any movie gets released, let alone a good one. Filmmakers can try their best but no one knows what they want until it’s given to them.

And consider this when it comes to elections. Jim Geraghty of the National Review recently discussed how politicians could possibly hope to spread their message in such a fragmented culture. I’ve mentioned pop culture in this article but it might be fair to say that there is no pop culture anymore: only a variety of niche interests. In the 80s, The Cosby Show was watched regularly by 30 million people in a country of 240 million. Today, the aforementioned Big Bang Theory is watched by half that number in a country with an additional 80 million people in it. HBO’s Girls is a water cooler show in maybe three offices that have water coolers, yet it’s liked by "the right people" so it’s considered a hit with less than one million viewers! And the problem with a niche is that it can end up an "acquired taste," i.e., intimidating to newcomers. Star Trek certainly has this problem. Dr. Who’s history intimidates me. And, oh yes, a certain political party that seems to repel as many people as it attracts (such is my observation).

This brings me to a larger non-geek point. Conservatives need to pick an option: either culture is a trifle, in which case it’s not worth analyzing; or it’s important, and it’s worth taking seriously. And if it’s worth taking seriously, then realize that, behind every actor, there are thousands of talented artists and craftspeople, some of whom might be sympathetic to other points of view! And I'm all for the DIY approach but let's stop pretending that anyone can make a movie or write a book. Anyone can not do that, but they’re welcome to give it their best shot and hopefully the cream will rise to the top. I realize that many in the creative community don’t do themselves any favors when they say things like, "So and so was so brave for doing XYZ" where XYZ = putting on a prosthetic nose and saying someone else’s lines. I get that. But many conservatives do themselves no favors when they say things like, "Sure, XYZ might be a great actor but have they fought for their country? Can they plow the fields or perform open heart surgery?" It’s apples and oranges!

(You guys are good, though. Every time Andrew mentions his love of John Barry music or Tennessee Jed gives a shout-out to Douglas Trumbull when discussing visual effects, it warms this geek’s heart!)

[sigh] Well... my first semi-political article spawned from a trip to a sci-fi convention. Amazing! I suppose my point – if any – is that geek culture is like any culture; it’s a microcosm – one that Hollywood claims to love yet many of their films imply otherwise. But we’re a loyal and passionate audience... and as far as politics go, I’d like to think some of us are open-minded. So whaddya got? [smile]

(Special thanks to Orlando Attractions Magazine for the wide shot.)