“Heroes, Villains, and Me” is a weekly article on Geeky KOOL by Larry Litle about the world of comic books and my reaction to it. “Heroes, Villains, and Me” is not a comic book review article. I will write about current events, speculation and rumors, or my own wacky thoughts about the world of comic books.
Recently at a comic book convention, I heard a young lady refer to those of us in attendance as “her people”. This comment made me smile. I have actually thought the same thing when I have attended various conventions.
As I eavesdropped and listened to her, she explained to her friends that her mother didn’t really understand her. Her mother was trying to understand the geek culture but was having a hard time grasping what others like her daughter really liked. I could tell by listening that this young lady didn’t completely grasp that her mother was trying to understand and relate but just wasn’t connecting. I was proud that her mother was trying because it wasn’t always that way.
This overheard conversation caused me to start thinking. There is a kindred spirit when you meet someone as geeky or nerdy as yourself. There is something wonderful and encouraging to attend a convention and to freely express who we are. You feel the acceptance to be as passionate about Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, Godzilla, or even My Little Ponies. When you start up a conversation with someone about nerdy passions that you share, it is like talking to an old friend.
When you meet those geeks that have completely different interests, there is still a sense of respect and camaraderie. I may not be a Bronie and I may not understand the appeal of My Little Ponies but I understand that level of love and dedication to dress up and put yourself out there. I have a great deal of respect for Bronies even though it is not my thing. This is the reaction that I normally see at conventions.
For many of us, this feeling of acceptance is a wonderful change from our childhood. Historically there has been atmosphere of mocking geeks and nerds. I experienced this in Kindergarten. I have been a comic geek since I can remember. I took my “cape” (a towel and safety pin) to school with me. Many of the other kids ridiculed for me for years afterwards (I grew up in a very small school and nothing was ever forgotten by the popular kids). I learned not to care what others thought or said because I had to be true to what I loved. But others don’t always take the teasing as well as I did.
I recently attended my High School Reunion and found out the girl I had a crush on for many years in grade school had a son who also wore a cape to school (many years later). She confessed that she always loved super heroes and encouraged her son. It made me smile that she had encouraged her son to be different and wear his cape. On the other hand, I was a bit sad that she wasn’t encouraged to participate in wearing a cape herself when she was a little girl when I boldly wore mine to school. I am sure the teasing I took was a warning to her and the fact that being a geek girl was not acceptable. I hope that culture will continue to change.
Being a geek or a nerd has become a lot more accepted in society. I am constantly meeting people that had not previously fully embraced their inner geek but are now revealing it to others. These changes have come along slowly and could change back if we are not careful.
As a geek culture, we need to remember that newbie are exploring the geekiness and it okay that they don’t know everything about a character or movie or series. If we encourage them to explore their inner geek without making them pass some sort of mystical geek test, then our ranks will continue to grow because geeks and nerds are truly KOOL. We should be the group that encourages others and not the group that quickly judges others by the poor standards that many of us were previously judged.
Stay Geeky My Friends!
