The Rise of Nerd Culture

There was a time when comic books, anime, sci-fi, fantasy and many other things were considered things only socially inept nerds and geeks could like.

That was a long time ago and far away. It might even have been another galaxy. Here, now, on Earth it's nerd power and people living the geek life. How did it come to this? Is it a good thing? Should I be afraid?

As to how it happened, that's a long story and definitely worth a book. But I'm a little busy at the moment, so I'll just give the Cliffs Notes version. (Do they still make Cliffs Notes?)

The Beginning

Science fiction and fantasy have been around for hundreds of years. Heck, Cyrano de Bergerac (yeah, the guy with the big nose) wrote science fiction. (And yes, he was a real guy and pretty good with a sword). It was considered literature as important as anything out there. Postulating on the possible future or the fantastic has always been an integral part of being human. It's all about the idea of who we are and who we want to be. And that's as human as it gets.

Let's just say it's been around and leave it at that. What I really want to know is: When did it become such a big deal?

I would say the 60s had something to do with it. We had our first real brush with true science fiction becoming fact when we made it to the moon. It fired our collective imaginations and started to push us all into a new type of thinking. Let's also admit that drugs and the hippie culture had something to do with it, as well. I mean they were searching to expand their minds, and get laid. But sci-fi and fantasy and technogeekitry were still fringe elements.

Star Trek and comic books became the touchstones for that era and the start of the Nerdolution. Geekolution? I don't know; I'm working on a good name. Let's face it, there were no big fan conventions until Star Trek fans started to coalesce into a Borg-like consciousness. They rented out hotel ballrooms and put up enough cash to fly out the stars and create a happening. There were science fiction conventions before 1972, but the hardcore fandom hadn't really taken off. Just before Trekkies became a force, Comic-con opened it's doors in 1970.

They all quickly became a force to be reckoned with. (I do like a good cliche). Star Trek would have faded into memory without the Trekkies (Yes, I know they prefer Trekker now. Don't care). Their persistent, overwhelming love for the 23rd century made Paramount create a film, television, toy, etc. mega-franchise that continues going strong to this day. And Comic-con is the center of all nerddom. 

Why is this all important? Well, you need to understand this Awakening (hey, I kind of like that one) has been brewing for a long time.

The Explosion

So, things went along at a fairly decent clip. Star Wars added to the fervor and lots of other bits and pieces came and went to add to the canon. It was a solid base of nerdtatiousness and geektasticalness that still went along fairly standard lines. Lots of males, few females, many socially inept, but interesting and well-meaning.

So, what the hell happened? In short, the Interwebs. People could search for what the wanted to know about and be part of communities without sacrificing their street cred to the public at large. That allowed many closet nerds to break the shackles and chains that bound them. And as they became assimilated (enculturated ) into the geek way they began to realize that they could just be who they are. This happened for many people who felt alone and sidelined by the mainstream. Some good, some bad, but you get the idea.

Anyway, the geekitude continued to en-nerderate until it reached critical mass. And voila, suddenly, there are geeks and nerds everywhere. When they reached the point that they felt comfortable coming out (this all sounds suspiciously like the history of homosexuals in America) and realized that together they could change perceptions, they took to the streets.

True, they didn't exactly march for their rights and occasionally fight in the streets or go to the Supreme Court to get the right to be married, but go to Comic-con and tell me if that isn't the Castro District for nerds.

Should I be scared?

No. Next question. Oh, all right. I'll answer it properly. No. Let's move on.

Is it a good thing?

Now that's a real question. Thanks for asking. A qualified mmmmmmaybe yes. Like anything else, the Nerd Awakening is subject to perversion by corporations and others who view it as merely a money-making endeavor. And, we've seen lots of that already.

Once again, just look at Comic-con and the blatant comercialism that pervades the convention. Who among the attendees hasn't looked around and thought, "What the hell does (pick your poison) have to do with Comic-con." Or the introduction of hipsters (I don't have a better word for poseurs, oh wait, I guess I do) who wear comic book shirts and come to conventions to check out the scene, but refuse to be part of it. The people who haven't read a comic book since they were kids, etc, etc. You get the idea.

In the end, though, this is a golden age (well at least a silver age) for nerds and geeks. It's a time when we actually have some power over what we want and we have the ear of people with power. And if a few people wear comic book shirts to be nerd cool, that's OK. They just called us cool. Plus it just furthers the advancement of the nerd movement and the nerd culture.

So get out there and be loud and proud. Nerd is not a pejorative, Geek is not a death sentence. It's time to rejoice in what you love. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility. (come on, let me have this one)

I'm a jerk

This was the last thing I wrote a year ago, when I stopped posting. So my reasons for withdrawing should be clear. If no one can stand you why share?

This shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone

Here is a list of things I've been called lately:

1. Passive aggressive.
2  asshole
3. Close minded
4. Intolerant
5 negative.

And that's just in the past 48 hours from my friends.  I deny nothing and accept blame for my failures as a person. 

Randomness

Images

A hummingbird hovers in introspection
Suddenly it moves closer in inspection
Then it flitters away in trepidation

A white and pink varigated rose blooms in late season euphoria
In "Paradiso" Dante used you for the empyrean
I see your perfectly executed petals and think 'In excelsis gloria'

The air smells of fresh cut grass
Heady and green, it is slightly crass
Speaking of crass, it's off to the gym where I will surely encounter the odor of ass

Maggie the cat is orange and squirrely
She jumps and capers, catching cloth mice
It's a wonder to see her live each day so happily

On being creative.

People sometimes tell me that they want a creative job, and I know they mean a job like mine.
But honestly, I've known lots of editors and reporters who do their job with little or no creativeness. They view it as an assemblyline and their work is perfectly adequate and boring.
My point is, creative isn't about the job; it's about the attitude you have for the job.

An uncreative chef is called a cook, while a master of creativity is called a chef. It's about pushing the boundries and your attitude towards what you do.
 

Yummy recipes

Greek style chicken
I use less water than the recipe calls for because it gets a little soupy.

1 pound chicken breast tenders
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium green bell pepper cut into 1 inch strips
2 medium shallots
1 14.5 ounce can if diced tomatoes unsalted
1/4 cup low salt chicken broth
1/4 cup kalamata olives coarsely chopped
1 tsp oregano dried
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Directiins: Discard all fat from chicken. In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Stir in peppers and shallots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Apple pear walnut salad
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1 orange zested
1/2 cup raisins (I use golden raisins)
4 apples
2 pears
2/3 cup toasted walnuts coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directiins: In a large bowl whisk together vinegar, orange juice, zest and raisins. Core and cut apples and pears into chunks. Add fruit and nuts to the bowl. Add oil and toss. Season with pepper and salt. Refrigerate for an hour. 

The reality of self

You make yourself stupid with false imaginings, and so you do not see, what you would see, if you discarded them.  -- Dante Paradiso

This quote means something special to me. It's a quote about throwing aside your preconceived notions and looking at the reality around you. It's about not letting all of those beliefs you have about individuals blind you to their humanity.

I think it's something that we've lost sight of as a society. So many problems could be fixed if we all would just take these words to heart. The righteously arrogant hatemongers who would have us believe that the country and the world are broken and evil would fade if we would all just look around us and see that most people in this world are just trying to get by without hurting other people.

You can stop reading here. The rest is a personal revelation.

Now Beatrice in this passage is telling Dante to quit painting her as some angelic being when all she was was a human being just like hum. If he would truly love her he has to cast aside his purple prose and notions of what she was and deal with her as a person. Only then will he be a worthy man.

I mentioned this to a friend this weekend because I used it in a thesis and I think I mentioned it because I had forgotten what it's true meaning is and I need to remember it,

I have let my anger, frustration, and  feelings of inadequacy turn into a kind of self loathing. I need to see that people are good and they can be kind and I need to see that for every time I have been unworthy I have made up for it by being worthy. I know that's a run on sentence.

Several people have expressed concern over my attitude lately and they have every right to. I am sullen and self defeating. But I think I see something better ahead.

Is it something new or special? No. It's just remembering that I have to put aside my notions of who I am to build a better me.  I'm starting to see that everything will be ok if I just let it be ok. That's what I learned on my yaycation. 

Anger in America

Hate is a drug, and Americans like their drugs.

Pushers line the airwaves of various television and radio talk shows calling out to passersby for a free sample of vitriol and bile. They start you out with the tame stuff such as a visit by former politicians pushing their biographies and getting in digs about how no one really understands how bad the other party is. Then it moves on to the daily soundtokes of anger that spew from candidates or politicians on a daily basis in Washington,

But hey, it's OK. You can handle it. Then before you know it you're mainlining O'Reily and rubbing your gums with Madow residue. Oh, you're hooked now.

That's when you can't get enough hate, so you branch out and start watching anything you can use to get your dander up. You'll find yourself watching Hoarders just so you can look down on someone. You laugh with evil glee at Toddlers and Tiaras because you need to feel the hate of being superior to those awful parents and their messed up children.

Soon, the caring person you used to be is a burned out shell of hate and anger towards everyone around you. You are a wasted thing with red-rimmed eyes from the high blood pressure.

The real war in this country should be the war on hate. We spend so much of our time hating people, situations and supposed problems that it paralyzes us. More than anything, what's wrong in this country is that we spend our time finding new things to hate rather than fixing our problems. Hate ruins you when it gets into your soul. You become this purveyor of anger, infecting others with your hate.

Hate ruins love. I had a friend once who loved, just loved, the Star Wars franchise. When the new movies came out, he took each one of those movies and turned them inside out and upside down until he found something to hate about each and every scene and character. He still calls himself a fan, but in reality he has taken the films and embedded them with hate and loathing. This person does the same thing with friends, picking at them until he can't stand them anymore.

I find myself stuttering and stumbling out my Rodney King-like plea to stop hating. It sounds simplistic, but really, "Can't we all just get along?" 

Dance of the Masks preview

Dance of the Masks
By Kevin Lindsey

Mist. It always starts with mist. The world is fuzzy at the edges with the wet vapor.

Gossamer tendrils lick across the surface of the lake as he looks through the branches of a bush. It's fat green leaves brush his face as he pokes his head through a thin patch hoping to catch a glimpse of her. No word, no sound, he must be as quiet as the smoky wisps at the water's edge.

She stands alone in the water. Always the same she. Dark skin beads with water and her long chestnut hair clings to her wet body. The dripping shift she wears has turned translucent, and he can clearly see her large brown nipples standing erect against the fabric. The curve of her hips called to him. She turns her head and her dark green eyes star straight into the bush where he is hiding and he knows that the she can see him. The eyes pierce him, stir him with a small warm rush.

That's all there is to the dream. The dream never changes. He never changes. Qarl is 12 in the dream, thin as a reed, all arms and legs with an unruly mop of black hair. He is wearing nothing more than a breachclout. Yet he doesn't feel naked. He feels right.

Was it a truly a dream or a memory? Qarl doesn't know anymore. The fires of the masters had purged his memories and made him one with his masked brothers. That's what the priests of Jah'l told him and it was true. Besides his name, he did not remember anything about his life before the dance.