I thought I’d get a few disgruntled replies and some likes but this is something else. Gotta admit that I’m pretty impressed for what it’s worth. I would like to respond to each and every one of these, erm, passionate responses but we’d be hear all century if we’re lucky.
What I would like to touch on is a sort of commonality among a good chunk of them. This narrative, so to speak, about how those vocally advocating for feminism, LGBT+ and racial representation are somehow not part of the larger geek culture period.
To clarify, it’s how these people in particular are seeking to “take over” geek culture by “making it all for them” supposedly without actually caring about what they’re criticizing at best or attacking at worst. The way some describe it, you’d think this was an alien invasion.
Am I denying that these sorts of people aren’t out there? Um, no. There have always been “outsiders” trying to cast geeks and nerds as responsible for everything awful ever. Soccer Mom, Politicians, college students with half-baked ideas for their barely drafted essays.
The thing is… none of these would actually gain any traction period if there weren’t those among geeks and nerds who could relate, those who have had genuine grievances for quite sometime but felt compelled to keep to themselves. So what changed?
Social Media. Specifically Twitter and, you guessed it, Tumblr. More people can forward about their experiences and feelings in regards to things society would much prefer to sweep under the rug, practically coming out in droves. Among those were feelings of alienation in, that’s right, Geek Culture.
Like society, geeks and nerds have grown to be more accepting of those who aren’t white or straight or male. Also like society, there is still massive room for improvement whether we like to acknowledge it or not and plenty of people want them acknowledged.
Where I’m going with this is that casting those advocating for diversity as largely being “outsiders” or “fake geeks” creates an all too familiar “Us vs. Them” scenario when a great chunk of the “bitching” and “whiny” is coming from inside the house.
Plenty of geeks of various genders and races don’t hold their tongue when it comes to Social Justice while also indulging in things like Star Wars, Anime and other things filled to the bring with things they rally against. People are free to critique what they’re passionate about.
What matters is HOW they go about and, YES, plenty go about it poorly. The RWDE of RWBY seem to have this toxic relationship with the web series itself and I don’t even need to bring up how the Steven Universe or Voltron fandom are redefining the art of discourse.
Many will put others on the spot in regards to, say, diversity in fiction and presume the worse of those who speak ill of it however small or big. Yet to act like this is because we’re being invaded by those outside of Geek Culture seems to ignore the bigger picture here.
I don’t blame anybody for wanting to indulge in nerdy stuff and escape the dumpster fire that is our world. However, blaming so much of this one those who are “not one of us” barely solves the problem and ignores so many others. We are better than this. Far better.
Dude, you’re missing the part where people who mocked and bullied us years before are now pretending to be experts in our passions despite their ignorance being abundantly clear, and anyone who says otherwise or corrects them on their bullshit is labeled a bigot.
Don’t forget the part where they actively erase the past history of minority acceptance within geek culture to wrongfully take credit for making things more “inclusive” (while not-so-secretly abusing minorities who call them out on their false narrative).
And the best of all, shippers and fetishists who fool themselves and other idiots into thinking they’re activists when they doxx and harass fans and content creators for not validating their ships and headcanons, no matter how blatantly off base and never-ever-going-to-happen they are.
It’s called “Hobby Gentrification” for a reason dude. And the PoC and LGBT people who were here before are pissed off more than anyone else, because these douchebags speak over us and act like they speak FOR US and use as shields to hide from criticism while dropping all pretense to shit on us as hard as any Alt Rightist once we say shit they don’t like.
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