Elitism In Nerd Culture

"You're not the right race to dress up as that character."

"That character's not your gender. You can't dress up as them!"

"You better lose some pounds before you do that costume."

"You're not a real fan. I bet you don't even know what issue the character you're Cosplaying as went back in time, married a dinosaur, and punched Hitler in the face. It was a very important issue. Comic books are serious business!"



I've noticed a big problem recently. A problem that has infiltrated the nerd community (or, perhaps, grew from a little seed that was already there). A serious problem that needs to be dealt with. That problem: Elitism. It's something that's been consuming the community from the inside out for quite sometime.

For years, being a nerd was considered to be a bad thing. Playing video games, reading comic books, watching anime, dressing up in funny costumes, it was all...weird. But then, one day, nerdom became a pop culture phenomenon. Now people call themselves a "nerd" with pride. How did this happen? Maybe it was through exciting stories being told through different media like television or movies. Perhaps it was the video game culture from the 80s growing up, instilling our nostalgic values on everything. Or maybe it was through shows on PBS like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street that taught both parents and children that it's okay to be who you are, raising a generation that was actually okay with kids reading comic books. Who honestly knows (the Shadow, duh), the how or why isn't really important here. All we're looking at is the result: nerd culture is big and that bothers some nerds.

You might be thinking, "But why would having more geeks be a problem for other geeks?" Actually you're probably asking, "Why did substitute 'geek' for 'nerd' there?" Well, if I keep saying "nerd" for the whole damn article it'll get old quick, so I'm gonna go back and forth since the words are interchangeable (I would say "dork" as well, but it's still more of an insult than the other two).

Anyway, back to what I was saying. The reason for this hatred is that some folks like the feel of being a big fish in a small pond. It's all about feeling superior, perhaps due to low self-esteem and/or bullying. So, let's say they have a lot of knowledge of a particular show or comic book. They can act like a living wikipedia (both in amount of knowledge and accuracy), answering people's questions about said fictional universe. If you start to introduce others to your little club, however, the pond grows. Perhaps others come in with more knowledge than them. Suddenly, they don't feel as big as they did. Because of this, the influx of new fans causes them to lash out, becoming the bullies that bullied them, continuing the cycle (or something along those lines).

Even people in the comics industry, the ones who should be setting an example, are not immune to this sort of behavior. A few weeks back, a comic artist said he would not attend any convention that promoted Cosplayers. He said that they and other media guests, "bring nothing of value to the shows", alluding that they took attention away from the comic book guests, and calling Cosplay a form of narcissism (which is sad that he probably can't appreciate the juicy irony of a person complaining of both the narcissistic tendencies of others while also talking about how they themselves aren't getting enough attention. If irony could somehow become a food source, then this little nugget would be able to feed the whole world for at least a few days).

Now, don't get me wrong, not every nerd is an elitist prick jerk. The elitists are, I believe, a vocal minority. Example: say that you're in a crowd of geeks and one accuses the other of "not being a real fan". How do most of the people react? Most of them won't jump in to attack or defend the "fake fan". They're the silent majority, not wanting to incur the wrath of the obviously unstable individual. And while it's good that the majority aren't bat shit crazy delusional like the vocal ones, it also means that the elitists aren't getting hit with truth that they're nothing more than bullies, sapping the fun and joy out of the culture we love and trying to shape it into their own twisted vision. A vision with strict guidelines of how things should be done, of who should dress as what, and a litmus test to prove that you're a "real fan".

If we allow the elitism to continue, it will eat the community up, leaving it a shell of its former self. People will start to leave, tired of putting up with the hate. Others outside of the nerd culture will continue to have a negative image of us. And the egos of all the elitists will become so dense and massive that they'll merge together, creating a singularity that will wipe out the human race (okay, so that last part is total bullshit, but lists are better in groups of at least three, so I had to put something).

How should we combat it? Tell 'em to knock it off! If you see somebody bullying/harassing someone else at a con, either stop them or find an official who can. You see someone viciously going after another person in a forum or chat room, don't engage (as these trolls are usually looking for attention), just report them for harassment (since most sites do have an anti-bullying/harassment policy). If we keep up the pressure, then maybe we can tame the beast. Maybe we can create a new, more positive image for us geeks, allowing others to join us, because it's only through new blood that we can be sure that the little nerd subculture we've created will continue to flourish and not wither and die.

Sure, it might like a huge task, but if enough people band together, we could turn the silent majority into a vocal one. Cosplay is for everyone. Fandom is for everyone. That's the message we have the power to deliver. And you know what they say...

"With great power comes great responsibility."