The other "N" word

All right then.
I've been writing on and off on this for a few days now.
Hopefully what you're reading now has gone thru some editing and quality control before you read it. Mostly since I'm not really sure where, if anywhere I'm going with this.

The annual Sci Fi convention is almost upon us here in Stockholm. I've been a regular attendee of this event since 02 or 03.
Back then it was pretty sparsely attended (I think there might have been a bit of a line when Andy Serkis was there though.) and very far removed from anything anyone would call "cool".
By anyone I of course mean "normal" non-Sci Fi convention attendees... so pretty much the majority of everyone I knew at that point.

Joe Flanigan from Stargate: Atlantis autograph. A VERY prized possession of mine.

Things sure have changed in the 8 years since then. In alot of ways.
For one, the term nerd used to be a very negative thing to call people. Geek was a slightly less harsh term.. but still not anything you wanted to classified as.

When I was growing up I recall having a hell of a time meeting girls.
I was a metal fan (very uncool during the mid to late 90's) and also a sci fi fan.
To utter the phrase Star Wars or even worse Star Trek was a sure way to get made fun of at length by pretty much everyone.
If you we're outed as a "Trekkie" you could feel secure in knowledge that you were not going to be getting laid in the foreseeable future.
Tough times for a glasses wearing Sci Fi fan who listened to heavy metal I must say.

I of course was not alone. There was about four of us.

I could tell tales of days gone by when we hid away doing whatever nerds like us used to do.. but I won't.
It wouldn't be very interesting and I'm sure you heard something pretty similar before.

It's funny how things change. Metal went from being something not to be taken seriously to for all intents and purposes the most dominant genre sales wise in just a few short years.
Rightfully so I say. It was about fucking time.
As for nerds in general.. something's changed there as well. The difference between this and metal is contrary to metal I can't really pin-point a single thing that happened that changed it all.
It just happened.

Nerd is now a banner people wear with pride. Not even limited admitting to a love of Sci Fi /computers/comics . The way people dress has also changed.
Take a look at this pic:


That kind of sums it up really.

And I'm not sure how to feel about this.
On one hand I love the fact that one bumps into Doctor Who fans (not just dudes.. GIRLS!) as soon as you leave the apartment,
On the other... like metal it was kind of nice when it was just a few of us..
A totally childish "NO IT'S MINE!" attitude to have of course. The upsides far outweigh the down.

I'm sure everyone has seen The Big Bang Theory at this point. I love it.
I don't think that show would have worked a few years ago in the same way it does today.

This like anything is just a phase of course. In a few years time nerds will nerds again. The weak will jump ship while the rest of us remain on board standing in line to get Brent Spiner or whoever it maybe to sign a dusty a DVD.
And even after that I'm sure there will come a time when nerds are cool yet again.
Like I said phases. Everything is a just phase. A pessimistic jerk like myself might even go so far as to point out that evolutionary wise, we as a species are also just a phase.

I will however leave you with this one last thought.

One HUGE upside to Sci Fi nerds and metal fans is that we are one of the few demographics left that still buy DVDs and actual CDs and thus keep the industry going so the rest of you can go out and buy The Hangover 2 on blu-ray or the latest Kent record in three different formats.

You're welcome.




NEXT TIME: 10 top movies to watch during Halloween weekend!