I loved this article from the AV Club on contemporary pop culture obsessions that make you a big, fat nerd. While in the past outcasts recognized one another by quoting lines from Monty Python, modern geeks have a variety of options to choose from. Along with the classics like role playing games, Renaissance fairs and Star Trek, the 21st century nerd can also pledge their allegiance to MMORPG's like World of Warcraft, online social networking (facebook, myspace), fantasy sports leagues, and re-vamped versions of classic scifi TV shows a la Battlestar Gallactica and Dr. Who.
My own personal nerdiness pops up at #8 on the list. For anyone that doesn't know, I am a total devotee of all things Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, Angel and Firefly for those of you who've lived under a rock for the past few years). I've been guilty of reading a lot of fanfic, watching episodes of his shows over and over, and dressing up as Buffy for Halloween. I'm currently reading the Buffy season 8 and Angel season 6 comic books. Within the world of fandom these are all pretty tame activities. One I make it to a convention dressed up in character I will have crossed over to the dark side.
One thing not discussed in the AV Club article, is how being a pop culture geek is now actually seen as "cool." The mere fact that a website like AV Club exists and runs articles about all these fandoms, I think, demonstrates how mainstream being into with some "geekish" pop culture topic has become. In some circles you're almost not considered cool if you don't obsess over every detail on a show like Lost or Heroes, or if you don't remember collecting all the variations of Luke Skywalker action figures that Mattel put out. (I personally was very proud of the three Boba Fett figures I had, since you could only get a Boba Fett by sending in three proofs of purchase from other Star Wars action figures.)
So when did being a nerd become cool? Did the nerds revolt and take over or have all the frat boys and cheerleaders just become us?
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No one commented on this entry? This entry is brilliant! I am proud of my geek status, proud of my fangirl history, and proud of the fact that I now TiVo old episodes of Doctor Who because the new ones are so awesome. The geeks shall truly inherit the earth.
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