Who Gets To Be a Geek? Anyone Who Wants to Be

[Starry Messenger]

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/07/26/who-gets-to-be-a-geek-anyone-who-wants-to-be/

Geek-rage like Joe Peacock's is one of those things that keeps me from delving too deeply into fandom/cons anymore, but I just saw this on tumblr and it spoke to me.

The other day CNN let some dude named Joe Peacock vomit up an embarrassing piece on its Web site, about how how awful it is that geekdom is in the process of being overrun by attractive women dressing up in costumes (“cosplaying,” for the uninitiated) when they haven’t displayed their geek cred to Mr. Peacock’s personal satisfaction. They weren’t real geeks, Mr. Peacock maintains — he makes a great show of supporting real geek women, the definition of which, presumably, are those who have passed his stringent entrance requirements, which I am sure he’s posted some place other than the inside of his skull — and because they’re not real geeks, they offend people like him, who are real geeks:

<snip>

Let’s take these women cosplayers, who Mr. Peacock is so hand-flappingly disgusted with and dismissive of. Let’s leave aside, for now, the idea that for those of this group attending ComicCon, spending literally hundreds and perhaps even thousands of dollars on ComicCon passes, hotels, transportation, food, not to mention the money and time required to put together an excellent costume, is not in itself a signal indication of geek commitment. Let’s say that, in fact, the only reason the women cosplayers are there is to get their cosplay on, in front of what is likely to be an appreciative audience.

So what?

As in, so what if their only geekdom is cosplay? What if it is? Who does it harm? Who is materially injured by the fact? Who, upon seeing a woman cosplaying without an accompanying curriculum vitae posted above her head on a stick, laying out her geek bona fides, says to him or herself “Everything I loved about my geekdom has turned to ashes in my mouth,” and then flees to from the San Diego Convention Center, weeping? If there is such an unfortunate soul, should the fragile pathology of their own geekdom be the concern of the cosplaying woman? It seems highly doubtful that woman spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars to show up in San Diego just to ruin some random, overly-sensitive geek’s day. It’s rather more likely she came to enjoy herself in a place where her expression of her own geekiness would be appreciated.

So what if her geekiness is not your own? So what if she isn’t into the geek life as deeply as you believe you are, or that you think she should be? So what if she doesn’t have a geek love of the things you have a geek love for? Is the appropriate response to those facts to call her gross, and a poacher, and maintain that she’s only in it to be slavered over by dudes who (in your unwarranted condescension) you judge to be not nearly as enlightened to the ways of geek women as you? Or would a more appropriate response be to say “great costume,” and maybe welcome her into the parts of geekdom that you love, so that she might possibly grow to love them too? What do you gain from complaining about her fakey fake fakeness, except a momentary and entirely erroneous feeling of geek superiority, coupled with a permanent record of your sexism against women who you don’t see being the right kind of geek?

[Neoma]

1. I prefer the word nerd.

[Starry Messenger]

2. :D I present to you this shiny Venn Diagram!

[Neoma]

3. Here's the thing.

When it comes to cultural references, history, blah blah... I'm all over the place. I can pretty much guarantee you that I know more random crap than most people my age. Simply because it fits no mold. After 3rd grade, I was taken out of school. I taught myself. But, all that is a very long story.

Suffice to say, I'm nerdy without even trying. My background pretty much covers it.

Edit: Doesn't help that both my dad and husband are computer programmers.

[kdmorris]

5. OMG... I'm a nerd!!!

I always preferred "geek", but well, I resemble that spot in the middle

[Starry Messenger]

6. Same here, really.

I love that someone was nerdy enough to plot it out too!

[Zorra]

7. Not sure if I'm a dwerd, or a neeb.

Social ineptitude is probably my strongest point; it is, apparently, endearing at times to some.

I'm actually a (harmless, creative, off the charts) freak, but my all my friends keep trying to PC me into the "unique" mold.

"Sweetie, you're not a freak, you're 'unique'"! Think of yourself as "unique. Freak is so just so negative..." (Actual quote)

Meh.

&feature=related

[DonCoquixote]

4. Of behalf of real geeks

Please do not let Peacock speak for all of us. Many of the best geeks are indeed female, some of them attractive females who can still dispatch geek posers with all the skill of Sith Assassins.

Granted, there is a fear that, now that Comic books and Video games and Sci-Fi have become Cash Machines, that a sort of "gentrification" will occur, where the sort of people that used to beat us up and shred our resumes will walk in and start calling shots. However, I do not think Peacock was concerned about that, he seemed angry that he was no longer a big fish in a small pond, and that he will have to compete with people who frankly, might be better at his own game than he is.