The Guardian, September 2013
ARTICLE:
It's a brave new world, where loving superheroes is mainstream, wearing thick rimmed glasses is chic and shows about nerds (Big Bang Theory, anyone?) are cool. Welcome to the rise of the mainstream geeks. The Guardian posted an interesting article where those who identify as being part of Nerd Culture expressed their dismay and annoyance that "the same kids that used to beat them up" are now proudly sporting shirts that say Geek, Nerd, Dork, etc., and finding
other means to declare just how dorky they are. There's quiet a bit of anger about people
trying to be nerdy in order to
be cool, without actually having the credentials (which tends to be an intense love for comics, movies, TV shows or books, like Dr. Who or Lord of the Rings). Mainstreaming nerd culture does create some interesting conversation about what is included in nerd culture (
women, it seems, are not), if the mass embracing of nerd topics and the moniker is a bad thing, if trying to be "
adorkable" downplays the social anxiety (and other issues) that many self professed nerds suffer from, and if nerd culture is actually as unique and limited as nerds think it is (with Buffy, Star Wars and other franchises being wildly successful and mainstream to begin with). With technology developments and tech icons like Steve Jobs being idolized and highly followed, and Netflix and other services bringing back old movies and franchises, coupled with the ability for people to congregate and share their love over anything from Black Adder to Captain Planet, it feels like Nerd Culture is actually just a reflection of a more opened up mainstream culture in general.
A very interesting world indeed where people have to prove they have the chops to be called a nerd or geek. Have a read, it's an interesting look at a highly visible sub culture that touches on all sorts of issues, from feminism to bullying, social anxiety, entertainment, technology and more.
SITE:
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/sep/02/rise-geeks-outsiders-superhero-movies-dork
