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Post by Reptisaurus! on Aug 21, 2017 15:47:51 GMT -5
But it's completely different if you read the article to the end.it's a fairly positive article overall. I've read the entire article a few times and sorry but I completely disagree with both these points. Over and over again she makes disparaging remarks about convention goers and she repeatedly makes fun of the people she's interviewing. Her poor choice of words like "saddos" and calling them "grotesque, ugly, exhibitionist" makes her seem like she intentionally trying to bully them. It may be her tongue-in-cheek sense of humor but if that's the case it's lost on anyone not familiar with her work. Yes she does admit that she's "the nutty one after all" at the end but if that's her point then she certainly could have been more tactful getting there. But the negative quotes are just used to illustrate her change in perspective, and overall the article is positive. It's certainly more negative toward the spray tanned fashionistas than to the convention goers. I dunno.. if I were her editor I'd probably reject the piece, though, just because I see nerds as being incredibly sensitive to the slightest perceived insult and quick to play the victim. And I wouldn't want to deal with the hassle. (Again, not you guys here at CCF. But have you been to the rest of the comics internet?) |
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Post by Outrajs on Aug 21, 2017 22:59:45 GMT -5
It's just another stereotype. My sister is big into it and all she ever hear about is that it's Japanese porn. I'm just mixing stereotypes here. If that's all she ever hears about then she can't be "big into it." From people who are not part of the world. Yes, it's possible. |
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Post by String on Aug 22, 2017 17:36:47 GMT -5
The stereotype does bother me somewhat. The people that matter in my life aren't the issue, it's more that I feel a need to keep my comics interests closeted as opposed to say being a golf enthusiast or rebuilding muscle cars or something that seems to hold more 'respect' with the general population. ^^^^This. Sure, a multi-billion dollar movie franchise has helped but it's the continuing stigmata that anyone who still reads and enjoys comics somehow never really grew up. That being able to name the roster of the Avengers is somehow less than being able to name the roster of the '74 Pittsburgh Steelers. But geek has such a broad scope of application. It can be applied to anyone whose passionate about their hobby(ies). Sports geek, car geeks, chess geeks, stamp geeks, beanie baby geeks, gun geeks, etc. Except in this case, the juvenile connotation that has always surrounded comics remains underlying within the general public. Love what you love and be more accepting of that about others. I love comics but I'm not defined by them. My life is much more than that. |
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Post by String on Aug 22, 2017 17:37:37 GMT -5
I think Im more annoyed that a TV show like Big Bang Theory wants to show everyone what nerds are realy like. Yet the only thing that in the writers' minds that makes them nerds is they read comics, watch Star wars, and once fought over a prop ring from Lord of the Rings, and try to make clever quips about comics or Sci Fi usually in front of their hot girlfriends so the girls can roll their eyes to show how unnerdy and clueless they are abour anything their men say. And this is where most if America gets its idea of what a collector/fan of comics and the whole sci fi fantasy genre are like. Not to mention its painfully unfunny? Completely agree with this. Completely disagree with this. |
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Post by hondobrode on Aug 23, 2017 2:14:07 GMT -5
I think Im more annoyed that a TV show like Big Bang Theory wants to show everyone what nerds are realy like. Yet the only thing that in the writers' minds that makes them nerds is they read comics, watch Star wars, and once fought over a prop ring from Lord of the Rings, and try to make clever quips about comics or Sci Fi usually in front of their hot girlfriends so the girls can roll their eyes to show how unnerdy and clueless they are abour anything their men say. And this is where most if America gets its idea of what a collector/fan of comics and the whole sci fi fantasy genre are like. Not to mention its painfully unfunny? QFT You've nailed exactly why I can't stand the Big Bang Theory. It's much the same way that the Batman tv show skewed ideas about superheroes and comics for an entire generation. Anyone that knows me knows that comics are a big part of my life, but so is my career, my family, and my involvement in political issues. Agree that I'd never wear a costume to a con as most look ridiculous. I'm glad they're having fun, but I wouldn't do it. The sad part is that there are nerds that are like this, but it's not just comics, it could be almost any person who refuses to grow up and is stuck in perpetual adolescence. |
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Post by String on Aug 23, 2017 13:16:25 GMT -5
The show is far from perfect but you should keep in mind that it is a TV sitcom and as such, it's meant to be an exaggeration. They give the characters the broadest appeal possible in order to entice the widest audience possible (which is why the gang loves mostly everything about pop geek culture with very few exclusions).
However I don't see them as a detriment. All four male leads have successful careers, well-respected in their chosen fields. Yes, they are socially awkward but who isn't at some point? Unlike the original female lead in the pilot episode, Penny may not understand their passion for pop culture but she's more tolerant of it since it is part of who they are. As the series has progressed, their behaviour and relationships have matured, from dating to marriage to starting families.
The attitudes, opinions, arguments they've had over the years, I can see reflections of that type of behaviour within myself and other friends. Judging by the response they've gotten over the years at San Diego, apparently a large portion of geek nation feels the same way.
But I've never seen the show as some direct absolute representation of being a geek fan. Their aim is to perform comedy mostly, not do a documentary. As such, they present a fairly humorous broad slice of that life.
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Post by Jesse on Aug 23, 2017 15:27:27 GMT -5
That being able to name the roster of the Avengers is somehow less than being able to name the roster of the '74 Pittsburgh Steelers. But what about those of us that can do both!  Love what you love and be more accepting of that about others. I think that's a great point. |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Aug 24, 2017 12:00:08 GMT -5
I think the "loser comic nerd" sterotype, while it certainly does exist, is the exception and not the rule and always was. Women, doctors, scientists, athletes, etc, have been comics fans since day one. I've read old letters pages that proves it. There has always been a fascinating diversity to comics readership, particularly during the newsstand era, that I don't think most hardcore comics readers know much about or have thought much about to be honest. I'd like to learn more about all those casual, impulse buyers since everything has always been seen through the lens of the comic shop regulars and hardcore fans turned pro/writers when it comes to books and articles on comic fandom.
There is still and extreme amount of ignorance in America when it comes to comics as an art for, so it doesn't surprise me that a guy like Bill Maher (I do agree with him on religion but I have little doubt that he has any idea that a comic once won a Pulitzer) and that shallow and snobby fashion reporter would take one look at an overweight dude in a Green Lantern costume at a convention and use such sights as a validation for their ignorance. I don't get the appeal of dressing up in superhero costumes as an adult either, but if adults have fun doing so, and aren't harming or harassing anyone in the process, that's all that matters. Many, perhaps even most, of these people have families, decent jobs and don't live in their parents basement. Sorry, you simply don't get to label these people losers. Because they're not.
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