Five points to anyone who gets the above reference, which I’m sure will be a few of you as I’m assuming that you – like me – are a Geek.
The face of geekdom is changing, whether we want it to or not, and I for one applaud the transformation. The time was that liking Star Trek, Doctor Who, or Star Wars would define who you were to the rest of society. I used to say “I like sci-fi, but I’m not a Trekkie,” as if that were some invisible line in my head that if I crossed I’d be bundled in with society’s image of a geek. And we all know what that is, it’s not very flattering so I don’t need to describe it. But now I proudly call myself a geek and have committed myself to watching all these great shows that I’d missed out on in the past.
This time society’s different.
There’s still a stigma, to be sure, but the lines between a geek and normal person (and I’m using that term very loosely) are definitely starting to blur around the edges. Mainstream movies and TV shows like the revamped Doctor Who, Battlestar, new series’ like Heroes, and the multitudes of comics-come-movies have brought sci-fi to a wider audience, shown that it’s okay to like this genre, it’s not infectious. Well, it is, but in a good way. You’re not going to be branded a geek – with all that entails – just for liking these shows anymore, but by enjoying them it opens up a whole world of new material that you’re likely to become much more interested in.
But which came first, the sci-fi chicken or egg? I’m speaking about this as if these shows and movies are solely responsible for society’s turnaround, and while they’ve certainly helped there must have been something the networks saw to make them believe this was the way to go. Or is it just that the original generation of geeks – those who can remember the first airing of ‘The Unearthly Child’ at the end of the 60s, or who were affected by the UFO hype of the 50s onwards – have now grown up into producers and directors? Personally I think it’s a whole conglomerate of reasons, coupled with geeks finally standing up and saying, ‘Damn it, we deserve to be treated better!’
What, after all, is the difference between someone who is fanatical about sci-fi and someone who is fanatical with sport? Both watch their respective shows religiously, go out of their way to learn periphery information (that they can usually quote off the top of their heads), decorate their home accordingly, and even dress up in costumes relating to their obsession. Why is a football jersey so much more acceptable than a Farscape T-shirt? Because society says so? That’s just not good enough anymore.
Does ‘society’ believe geeks are a new breed? Something strange and unknown that they have to be wary of? I can guarantee you the motivations which make a geek today have existed as long as there have been humans, as long as there has been self-awareness. There would have been Neanderthals who showed obsessive interest in assorted subjects, who were driven to imagine a different and better life than that which was around them. Throughout history they were the specialists, the inventors, the soul of social evolution. What the hell happened?! Look at one of the greatest geeks of all time, Leonardo Da Vinci, with his fantastical creations and imaginations of future ages. What is different from his visions of helicopters and ours of jump drives and teleportation?
Because, believe it or not, a great percentage of modern sci-fi has roots in genuine scientific principle – it IS theoretically possible. Gone are the days when we were expected to suspend disbelief simply because it was sci-fi, we are too educated for that now. If a show pulls a dues ex machina it’s instantly deemed sloppy writing and they’ll hear about it from the fans. We want more than just a happy ending, we want to know what’s possible. Look up quantum physics if you haven’t already and see that we have sound theoretical (and in some cases, practical) working knowledge for things such as wormholes, teleportation, anti-gravity, and different dimensions. Geeks aren’t escaping into fantasy-lands, we’re imagining and even creating the future.
In a way things like the internet have been very good for geeks, but also very very bad. Suddenly all this information is immediately accessible with a click – anything at any time of the day, and we never have to leave our desks. That’s the problem. Stereotypically, geeks have always tended towards being reclusive, in large part this is due to society’s ridicule which leads to lack of experience in social settings, and a resultant compounding nervousness that turns the whole thing into a vicious cycle. It takes a very brave person to even attempt to break out of that, especially when the internet is so close, so easy, and so non-threatening. But humans are social creatures, it’s a fact of our biology and we can’t get the most out of life stuck behind a computer screen. A sci-fi group I’ve joined since moving to London has the slogan, “The real life chatroom,” emphasis on real life. Very little of our interaction is over the internet – usually just reminders of upcoming meets – and we are much the better for it. Large numbers of members, often up to forty or fifty, meet up in a pub every two weeks to socialise. The funny thing is we don’t even spend that much time talking about what originally brought us together, it’s more about being among a group of friends who both understand and accept us, where we can be as geeky as we want without fear of ridicule. It’s amazingly liberating and has drawn a range of ‘closet geeks’ that in no way fit the stereotype. One of the original creators of the group often mock-jokes that he’s a disgrace to the sci-fi community because his group is filled with pretty women rather than middle aged overweight/balding/whatever men. But it just goes to show that acceptance of sci-fi is becoming more widespread, that we don’t have to hide behind a computer screen anymore.
There’s so much that people can be doing to add richness to their lives with other sci-fi geeks without having to worry about feeling self-conscious. There’s the standard movie trips and trivia nights, but also sci-fi based freeforming games (how are these different from the popular murder mystery games?), treasure hunts to sci-fi locations in the city, and themed live action role play (larp) groups. Which would you honestly prefer: sitting in an internet forum debating with people you’ll never see face to face, or running around in the woods leading a team of soldiers to an alien planet while fighting monsters? I’ll have a lot more to say about larping later on, but for now I’ll just state that it’s the most enjoyable hobby I’ve ever taken up.
What I’m trying to say with all this is that we don’t have to live the stereotype anymore. Society’s views are changing but it’s up to us to get out there and make the changes visible.
So geeks, be proud of who you are and celebrate it at every opportunity – you have an interest in life, and that’s something many ‘normal’ people who focus on their 9-5 jobs don’t have.
Closet geeks, it’s time to stop being afraid of what people will think of you – why shouldn’t you be able to publically enjoy the things you like? Get out there and show everyone that being a geek doesn’t change who you are.
And to the so-called normal people, I ask that you get past the need to make yourself feel better by making sport of the geeky person – there’s a LOT more of us out here than you think, and we’re not going to live to that image anymore.
