The Myth of All Things Geeky

I've been meaning to post about Realm Makers, but haven't gotten around to it until now. There have been a couple posts that have called to mind a commercial from a few years.

Mike Duran noticed a lack of something, what he calls "Geek street cred;"

Sometimes I don’t think I fit in with geeks...

That realization first struck me during breakfast my second day at Realm Makers 2017. For the record, I had a fantastic time there! But I must admit feeling a little awkward on some occasions. Mainly because I lack geek cred. In that case, we were enjoying our coffee, fruit, and pastries, discussing books, writing, and our day jobs, when I happened to mention the film Batman v. Superman. I should have known. What followed was a lengthy, impassioned debate about DC comics, the DC v. Marvel Universe, the true character of Superman, and how dark is too dark for a comic book hero. Most of that conversation, I remained a spectator. Why? I’m just not THAT invested in either Batman or Superman.

Don’t get me wrong — I like both characters. In fact, I like a lot of the same characters and stories my fellow writers like. Star Wars. Star Trek. X-Men. Captain America. The Flash. Harry Potter. Vampires. Werewolves. I’m into all that stuff....

I’m just not SO into them that I want to dress up as a Jedi Knight, a Transformer, or a zombie and memorize the canonical histories of said characters.

This can a all make for some uncomfortable situations. Like the Friday night gala where I wore some Dockers and a polo shirt. The first person I walked up to that evening, I did not recognize the character they were dressed as. So I asked. And felt quite stupid afterwards.

This calls to mind a commercial I saw on Hulu a few years back where a man in his twenties declared he was into "all things geeky."

The phrase annoyed me because it was utterly impossible. All things geeky is a huge, almost, unfathomable amount of territory. It's like saying, "I like books, all books."

That's such an obscenely large and impossible amount of territory to cover. Its fatuous. Even if you are the stereotypical doesn't go to work and lives in parents basement eating junk food sort of geek, you can't be into "all things geeky."

I'm certainly not into "all things geeky." Like most geeky people (particularly those who practice the ancient art of employment,") I'm a specialist. I know quite a bit about Doctor Who, both Classic and New series. I know a a lot more than most about comics history, both DC and Marvel, and there has to be some geek points out there for having watched Star Trek: The Animated Series.

For my costume, I dressed as the Second Doctor's Companion Jamie McCrimmon who flew in the TARDIS from 1966-69 with more appearances than any other companion. Jamie was a McCrimmon, and the show stated McCrimmons were pipers for the Klan McLaren, but they were actually pipers for the Clan Macleod which is why I got a Macleod kilt. And I made sure I was wearing the right sporran, an ascot tie, and even a wrist watch as Jamie came to accessorize his 18th Century kilt with modern items

But beyond my wheelhouse...eh, my geek credentials could be summed up: as follows

I've never watched Last Airbender.,
I have never as a Jedi myself rendered,
I don't have an X-box, a wii, or a playstation At all,
I've never watched Stargate,
IMHO, Harry Potter's not that great,
And I've never been to Boston in the Fall*

*Veggie Tales Reference.(aside: Is that geeky or nerdy?)

Obviously, there are other franchises I've enjoyed such as the Star Wars films and Star Trek, Firefly, and the Lord of the Rings movies. But, my ignorance of "all things geeky" is a vast and unfathomable ocean.

Now, I don't want to invalidate Mike's thoughts or his point to the geeky folks at the of his article, but I want to suggest that one thing that seems to be coloring perception is that there's a geeky set of skills/knowledge that most of the room has and the non-geeky lack. truth is that you could probably find every geek stereotype trope and fandom in the room, but no one person embodied them all.

I saw many costumes where I had no clue who they were representing. All I could think was, "Cool costume, whoever you are." However, I made one Realmie very happy by recognizing him as, "The Greatest American Hero" (i.e. Ralph Hinkley) from the 1980s TV show of the same name. And I was delighted that I ran into someone who actually knew about the classic era of Doctor Who.

So, while there are very specific geek events based on a single franchise (such as Star Trek Conventions or the Chicago TARDIS Con,) in a room full of general geeks, there is no set of required curriculum, just folks who like what they like and have really enjoyed it. There's no shame in not knowing something. Something you don't know is something you can learn about---or not. Again, our human brains can only contain so much geeky knowledge.

Mike offers a sage bit of advice:

Memo to geek culture — don’t forget the strangers in your midst.

That's just good manners. I've been at many tables where the dinner conversation goes around me and over my head, leaving me with nothing to contribute. That's not fun.

Also, in the context of a writer's conference, people should have a care. It's a great if a book or movie becomes a franchise that inspires people and causes them to plumb all sorts of depths within it, but all successful franchises also depend on those fans who just buy their movie tickets or books, enjoy it, and walk away.