Geek Chic: Okay, so I was watching
Welcome to Eltingville the other night. I had taped it, along with the new episode of Justice League because, well, I'm a geek. For those who didn't watch it, it's based on an Eisner-winning comic by
Evan Dorkin. It's about four alpha-geeks in all depravity/glory. The climax is a trivia-off to see which of two members
gets to buy a rare
Boba Fett action figure. If you've ever spent time at a con, you'll recognize these guys. No social skills, or hygene. An encyclopedia-like knowledge of trivia, but no marketable skills. Anyway, the cartoon takes this stereotype and shows it in all its unflattering glory. If you're not familar with the type, the best example I can give that's semi-mainstream is the guy who runs the comic book store on
The Simpsons.
Now, I'm the first to say that just because a guy reads
comic books, watches shows like
Buffy, plays
role-playing games, or any combination of the above, doesn't make him a That Smelly Guy In The Xena tee-shirt two-sizes too small. Doing Geek Stuff doesn't make someone That Guy. (Or Gal.) There are lots of normal people who do Geek Stuff. It takes something special.
There's a saying among fans, "reality is just a crutch for those people who can't handle science fiction." Uhh, no. Reality is still there when the movie ends, or you close the book. It's out there. It's big and scary and full of people who just don't grok Spock. But that's no excuse to retreat into anything (comics, bridge, sports, whatever).
If there's one thing that we can learn from reading the adventures of imaginary heroes it is that true heroism comes when someone takes a step beyond what they once were. Bilbo went down into Smaug's cave. Luke confronted Darth Vader. They didn't have to leave their comfortable worlds, but they did, and thus were transformed into something better.