Do you miss the days when nerds were outcasts?

[ScottSummers]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZYi...WfY-KsZS3RgRHw

George RR Martin gives an interview here, and to spare you the whole thing, in the very beginning he talks about 1987 Comic Con, and how much smaller it was, and how it was mostly a dealer show. I remember these times. I went to a few as a teenager and younger, and I'm a older nerd in comparison to most people who'll show up to GotG, DotFP or Cap this summer.

X-Men was my sh** because they were outcasts and I felt like an outcast, ya'know, being a nerd. Kind of an endless loop I constructed for myself there. And X-Men was a dominant nerdom at the time as well, I suspect for similar reasons.

But George waxes poetic there and I must admit he makes me sort of sad, because I remember the collection of misfits we used to be. I recently attended a Con and joked "I'm probably the only guy here who works out" and then looked around realizing I'd dated myself because clearly that was not the case. Nope, many of the "cool kids" had shown up as well.

Which makes me wonder what the outcasts do now? Bronies?

Anyways, does anyone else miss the days of being an outcast. Strangely I do. I mean, not the swirlies, but some of the solitariness that came with it. The chance encounters of finally meeting someone who knew about Optimus Prime and Cyclops. The sort of bond you instantly created when you met another nerd because we were such a rare breed. In a way it almost felt like X-Men.

[lancerman]

I don't think that's really changed. I just think that things that were associated with "nerds" have become more accessible and mainstream.

[Pharozonk]

In some ways, that aspect of nerd culture exists. While the mainstream accepts nerd franchises like the X-Men and Transformers now, only hardcore fans still would know who drew the first X-Men comic and the names of all the Dinobots. In that sense, the solitary status still exists.

[Michael P]

No .

[saiths]

no.

for years people wanted NOT to be outcasts and now that more people are enjoying the things that do/used to, they wish it were smaller. the point of comics and anything media related for that matter is not to create a body of outcasts who laugh about star trek or talk about which superheroes when paired together would win a fight.

media in its simplest form is a medium and a platform that can be accessible by everyone but people tend to forget this because they want to feel more exclusive.

[Mecegirl]

No.

And I can't wait for the day that being a nerd/geek that isn't a straight white male isn't considered odd as well. It sucked while I was younger to be ostracized both by non nerdy people and the again by nerdy people.

[ScottSummers]

In some ways, that aspect of nerd culture exists. While the mainstream accepts nerd franchises like the X-Men and Transformers now, only hardcore fans still would know who drew the first X-Men comic and the names of all the Dinobots. In that sense, the solitary status still exists.

To a degree, I agree with this, although I think to George RR Martin's point the Con used to exist as a venue for all those solitary types to stop being solitary and be amongst their "kin". Sort of a convention of introverts. Now it's more or less like going to a Sunday Football game: it's for everyone.

[Pharozonk]

To a degree, I agree with this, although I think to George RR Martin's point the Con used to exist as a venue for all those solitary types to stop being solitary and be amongst their "kin". Sort of a convention of introverts. Now it's more or less like going to a Sunday Football game: it's for everyone.

If he wanted to solve that problem, just have the SDCC planners get rid of all non-comic related media there. I'm sure that attendance would drop by at least 90% and it would feel more like a "convention of introverts".

[ScottSummers]

no.

for years people wanted NOT to be outcasts and now that more people are enjoying the things that do/used to, they wish it were smaller. the point of comics and anything media related for that matter is not to create a body of outcasts who laugh about star trek or talk about which superheroes when paired together would win a fight.

media in its simplest form is a medium and a platform that can be accessible by everyone but people tend to forget this because they want to feel more exclusive.

That's sort of always the give and take. When it's small you want acceptance, but then the genie is out and everyone just wants it to go back in. Certainly, to a degree it makes the older geeks appreciate how much simpler it was back in the day.

[ScottSummers]

If he wanted to solve that problem, just have the SDCC planners get rid of all non-comic related media there. I'm sure that attendance would drop by at least 90% and it would feel more like a "convention of introverts".

Well of course they aren't going to do that. They put the convention on for money reasons, and I'm sure the city of San Diego wants their Convention to be the biggest too.

[ScottSummers]

No.

And I can't wait for the day that being a nerd/geek that isn't a straight white male isn't considered odd as well. It sucked while I was younger to be ostracized both by non nerdy people and the again by nerdy people.

The funny thing to me is when I was really young I didn't sense a lot of sexism/racism amongst nerds. We were happy to take anyone basically, especially what little bits of estrogen would wander in, but now it gets talked about a whole lot more.

[Pharozonk]

Well of course they aren't going to do that. They put the convention on for money reasons, and I'm sure the city of San Diego wants their Convention to be the biggest too.

Obviously it wouldn't ever happen. It's just the only way Martin could get his nostalgic vision of what the community and SDCC used to be like.

[ScottSummers]

Obviously it wouldn't ever happen. It's just the only way Martin could get his nostalgic vision of what the community and SDCC used to be like.

Although even though Martin is a celebrity and may therefore draw a crowd regardless there is a fledgling Con in my town that fits his description.

[Shawn Hopkins]

No. At the heart of it it's just more people liking things I like. Nothing wrong with that.

I was never into anything I was into because of some sense of tribal identity, I was in it because I loved comic books, or video games, or science fiction. The fact that these were fringe activities never heightened my appreciation of those things. Yeah, it's nice to meet someone who shares your passion. And now that those things are more widely loved it's more likely, so win-win.

[Wedge Antilles]

Nerds/geeks are still outcasts. At least from my point of view.