Lake Charles, LA
Let me start off by saying that this post will probably tick off a few people. It will most likely tick off those good folks who believe that they are not exactly what they appear to be. They don’t see themselves as the problem that I’m about to yap about, but they are. My ramblings don’t make sense yet, but they will if you read the entire post.
The term alpha nerd has often been used to describe those people who are intellectually superior to those within their personal circle of nerds or those who have seemingly unlimited intelligence. There’s even an argument against this term stating that the top nerd in any group is the omega nerd. For this particular post, however, alpha nerd will refer to anyone within a group who THINKS that they are the smartest, brightest, most well-informed person in the batch, but are actually giganitc douchebags instead.
I happen to be a member of many fan groups on both the local and worldwide level. All of these groups have their good and bad people within them (Heck, I’ve probably been accused of being a baddie in a few of these groups), but for the most part, everyone is pretty cool. Some of the groups that I am a part of include Southern Geek, the Doctor Whooligans, and the Star Trek fan group, Starfleet International, where I happen to be a crewmember of the USS Lafitte in Lake Charles, LA. Now, outside of one person in one of these groups, I’ve never had any type of confrontation with anybody other than a few friendly arguments about Superhero X fighting Superhero Y and what the outcome of the fight would be if said superheroes were to ever clash. I actually enjoy these types of arguments because it allows myself and others to not only socialize, but to dig even deeper and get to know one another as people on a more personal level. You’d be amazed with what one can learn from a simple argument over who would win between Batman and Superman (and for the record, Batman ALWAYS wins!! ;-)!!!).
However, there are some people within other groups that I am in that insist that their opinion is superior to any and every other person in the group. If you don’t agree with them, they get angry. They believe that their speculations, their ideals, and their interpretations of whatever we happen to be discussing are gospel, and all others are wrong.
I do not like these types of people.
I once made the comment that while I enjoy Peter Capaldi as the Doctor on Doctor Who, the episodes that he has been a part of so far have been lackluster. Immediately one of the alpha nerds piped in stating that I didn’t understand the Doctor well enough and that I needed to give the series more time. I’ve given it almost forty years of my life. I believe that I’ve given it plenty of time. When I replied with that, this person said that I was apparently enjoying the Doctor for all of the wrong reasons and that I couldn’t appreciate it on the same intellectual level that he/she appreciated on.
Seriously. They said that to me. About a show. A FICTIONAL show.
I simply replied that we are all entitled to our own opinion and that I was glad he/she was enjoying the current season. When another person piped in to defend me, they were immediately shot down because they hadn’t been a Whovian long enough for them to understand what we were talking about.
Again. They said this. To another person. About. A FICTIONAL show.
In other groups I have watched as myself and other fans have been laughed at for appreciating or enjoying things like the Star Wars prequels, the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films, and comics from either Marvel or DC.
People who believe that because they have watched something or read something more than myself or others have think that they can walk all over other fans. They try to shame people who like Jar Jar Binks. They pick at females fans who dress up as Robin but can’t name any Robin (including the female ones) other than Dick Grayson. They laugh at people who don’t get some vague reference or don’t catch all of the Easter eggs in a certain show.
Simply put, these people are bullies.
They are no better than the guy in high school who knocked your books out of your hands. They are just as scummy as the girl who made up a terrible nickname for you because you were overweight or wore glasses.
They are all BULLIES!
So, with that said, I hope that all of you reading this will step up to people like this who are ruining fandoms.
Don’t be the douche that points out mistakes in someone’s cosplay. Don’t let them walk all over a new fan of your favorite comic book. If you love Firefly but can’t remember the name of the person who played Jayne and somebody gives you lip about it, tell them that they need to back off. We are all in this crazy world of fandom together. Don’t let anybody get ostracized or taunted by the guy or gal who believes that they are the greatest fan ever.
Support one another. LOVE one another. Make new FRIENDS!
It’s a great time to be a geek. Let’s keep it that way!
As always, thanks for reading.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 