So, there was a post on Kotaku yesterday about the awkwardness of a concert at a Con. Specifically, a concert put on by Bronies and for Bronies. Specifically, the awkwardness the article refers to are the Bronies themselves. This post has received a great deal of flak, and rightly so. Yes, there is a legion of Bronies out there, and they look after their own; but that isn't the reason this post was aggravating and attracted a response. A pretty heavy response against Kotaku's treatment of this subculture.
The truth is, Kotaku is supposed to be a haven for nerds of all kinds. A place where those with any geekish inclination can revel with fellow geeks. This post did nothing but turn a subculture of nerdom into a target for insults and derisive laughter. The kind of laughter that too many of us had to learn to ignore, rage against, or run from in our lives . . . a sizable number of us still do. There is nothing more shaming and hurtful than having those tormentors be the very people who should have our backs. The very people who are set apart from "everyone else" for the same reasons we find ourselves outcast. We are geeks because we enjoy something so greatly that it begins to define us. Be that something games, comics, a book series, culture, anime, movies, or myriad other interests; we love this something so much that we feel compelled to find others who enjoy it just as much so that we can "geek-out" over it together. So we can share our love of that something. That's what makes us geeks and nerds. Thankfully, we are pretty adept at finding each other . . . growing up in school, we had to be. That's exactly what makes Bronies one of us. And exactly why Kotaku shouldn't shame or set them up to be laughed at as the other.
All Bronies are guilty of is having fun and finding kinship in the enjoyment of a particular cartoon . . . in essence, the same thing the rest of us feel in regards to whatever brings out the fan-girl in all of us. Whether it be LARPing, comics, video games, or anything else, these obsessions make us who we are . . . they set us apart from the rest of the world and bind us together under the moniker of geek. Bronies are us and we are them. They are geeks, and as such, they are family. OUR family. Like any family, there may be members you don't understand and feel awkward around . . . you even may try to avoid them. But when the heat comes down, you back your family. What you don't do is sit idly by while people make fun of them and you most certainly don't join in. This is where Kotaku slipped up. Instead of separating them and laughing at the Bronies, this article could have been an opportunity to celebrate what makes us geeks. It could have celebrated the way these Bronies created a place for themselves, a place where they could flip out over My Little Pony with like minds, a place where they can amplify their enjoyment of their obsession with the passion of other Bronies. Which is exactly what we do at every comicon, gaming con, Browncoat meetup, or Star Trek convention. Instead, Kotaku chose to divide this group from our geek empire. They chose to separate Bronies and make them out to be something less than the rest of us. Something to be mocked and shamed. Thankfully, the reaction of the majority of our geek empire was just and appropriate. Calling Kotaku to task regarding their judgement and behavior. Kotaku has since posted an update somewhat apologizing for their post. But the post still has a vile taste.
All of this brings me to the point of this rambling post.
Nerds, Geeks, Dweebs, Dorks, and whatever else THEY choose to call you:
You are ALWAYS welcome at the library. We will always celebrate who you are and whatever makes you geek.
We may even fan-girl and/or geek-out with you. And if we don't, we will appreciate YOU geeking out.
We will have your back when others laugh.
We are geeks.
All of us.
And we love you!
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