Turning in your Geek Card

TURNING IN YOUR GEEK CARD: WHEN YOU JUST DON’T LIKE A FANDOM
By Marie Victoria Robertson

I hate the phrase “turning in your geek card” for the same reason I hate variations like “turning in your man card” and “turning in your woman card” (I was once told the latter because I couldn’t fake enthusiasm about pretty shoes.) These phrases imply that there’s a predetermined list of criteria you need to meet to deserve a label, or else you can’t legally call yourself a geek/man/woman/laser-shooting velociraptor. 

That’s complete bull, of course. A good friend of mine told me she didn’t feel like she was allowed to call herself a geek, because she only liked Archie comics and the only sci-fi movie she loved was District 9. And I told her the same thing I’d tell anyone who wasn’t sure if they were a geek or not: if you feel passionately enough about something to want to call yourself a geek, then you are one. Plain and simple. There is no checklist of criteria to meet, no committee ready to revoke your geek card if you don’t know who Optimus Prime is. 

But the truth is, the geek community can sometimes be pretty defensive about what it likes and doesn’t like, and there is the belief that some fandoms are universally known and universally beloved and it can cause a bit of a kerfuffle if you come out as a “hater”. 

I know. Trust me, I know. I’ve been called a “hater” and been asked to turn in my geek card. I try not to admit it when I don’t like something, and this is pretty hypocritical. So, this is confession time:

I really, really don’t like Firefly. 

Sorry Firefly: It's not you, it's me.

I’ve watched the series and the movie and I could go on about the issues I have with them, but the bottom line is that I don’t like Firefly at all, and for that I’ve been non-jokingly told to turn in my geek card. 

There’s more. Last year, I finally read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and felt a resounding “meh” about it. The reaction I usually get when I admit this is, “But how can you not like it?? You’re such a geek!”

The very thing that makes us geeks—an adoring devotion to our favourite things—is also our downfall. When you really, really love something, it’s hard not to take it personally when someone else dislikes it. And I get it, too. I’ve been on the other side. I once tried and tried so hard to get a friend of mine to enjoy Futurama and I couldn’t help but feel a little personally insulted and betrayed when she just didn’t like it. 

But the problem was mine, not hers. The issue was a difference in tastes, not an attack on my fandom, nor is my dislike of your fandom an attack on you. 

There are thousands of fandoms out there; no one is going to be familiar with them all. Heck, I couldn’t tell you the first thing about Dungeons and Dragons. Similarly, some of my closest geek friends have never even heard of Earth: Final Conflict. In the same vein, no one is going to love every fandom, and that’s okay. 

If someone is aghast because you don’t like Game of Thrones, kindly introduce them to your middle finger. If anyone ever requests that you hand in your geek card because you don’t like their thing, remind them that you love what you love, and that you don’t owe your time and fandom energy to anyone but yourself. 

Marie Victoria Robertson is a published speculative fiction writer and playwright, as well as the board president of Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative (www.jersvision.org). When all the other girls wanted to marry Johnny Depp, she wanted to run away with Worf on the Enterprise. She enjoys giant robots, time-travel paradoxes, and forcing her son to watch Futurama.

Confessions of a Comic Book Destroyer: why my comics are destroyed

by Jordan Danger

CONFESSIONS OF A COMIC BOOK DESTROYER: WHY THE SORRY STATE OF MY COMICS IS A REFLECTION OF MY GENUINE GEEKHOOD

My poor comic books.

Let me talk to you about my comic book collection.

It started when I was about ten years old. Dad began bringing them home one by one, starting with X-Men, meandering into Batman and Spiderman, and then at my request, back to X-Men. Any title under the X-Men banner was welcome. Later when my brother and I became more possessive of the comics, he brought home Wolverines for me, and something else for Mike. I had the Rogue miniseries. I had every book from the Age of Apocalypse storyline. I loved them.

You wouldn’t know it from looking at them now, stashed haphazardly in an old tomato box, covers torn and pages water damaged. You’d think they were something that was never taken seriously, never truly appreciated.

I tell you, that isn’t so.

COMICS WEREN'T A COLLECTION

Why are my comic books in terrible shape? Because I never thought of them as collector’s items. When I say I read those comics, I mean I read them through and through.

I examined every detail of every drawing, noting the difference between each artist. I studied the poses, the costumes, the backgrounds, the artistic renderings of what super powers like telekinesis look like. I read each line in my head like it was actually being said. If I had trouble following the order of the panels on a particular page, I would reread it, again and again, until I got it perfectly right…down to the pauses, the tone, the inflections.

I dragged my comics to the cottage and back more times than I can possibly recount. I read them in the musty damp bunk beds in our trailer, and I stuffed them into backpacks for sleepovers. My comic books were loved to death the way our first teddy bears meet the same fate: dragged through the mud, our constant companion, we are never without them.

COMICS BECAME AN ACTIVITY

Not long after we started collecting, there was a power outage at my grandparents’ house in the woods and we were stuck there, in the dark—something I didn’t do well with as a child. Desperate for a distraction, I grabbed a candle and some paper, and began drawing. What did I draw? Super heroes, of course.

So naturally, then comic books became something to study and trace over, as well. I knew which artists I liked and which ones I hated. I designed my own characters based off all my favourite attributes and personality quirks of the pre-existing characters. I created new super powers. I stuffed those comics into the pages of my sketchbooks, and I dragged those around with me to every family outing, every trip, and every place with a corner where I could curl up and draw.

I cried when Wolverine lost his Adamantium. I cheered when Sabretooth turned out not to be lobotomized by Logan’s claw, and I gasped when he eviscerated Psylocke. I read with fearful eyes when the Phalanx began assimilating the young mutants, and I then added Generation X to my reading roster.

Always, there were comic books in my bag, in my locker, under my pillow, by the bathtub.

MY COMICS BECAME ME

So when I hear the occasional geek gasp in dismay when they see my tomato box of the favourites that have stayed with me for over twenty years, I just smile. They think that the state of my comics suggests a lack of love for these volumes. I know that in reality, I loved these comic books to their very deaths. Yes, some of them could have been worth some money; but they were worth far more to me, read by candlelight in the middle of the woods in a rain-soaked sleeping bag with my pencil and sketchbook by my side. I savaged these books, devoured them whole, and left behind nothing but staples and spines. They are a part of me in a way that few other things ever have been.

My comic books are in terrible shape because they helped shape me.

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford commas.

The "I Hate Fangirls" Shirt Debate: why are YOU mad?

by Jordan Danger

THE 'I HATE FANGIRLS' SHIRT AT WONDERCON: WHAT'S THE REAL ISSUE?

So this past weekend at WonderCon, a shortsighted (and in my opinion, PR nightmare of a) company called Tankhead Custom Tees was selling this shirt:

It’s offensive, right? Well, a lot of people thought so. Whenever something like that happens though, where people are getting riled up, I like to ask, what is the core issue here?

Is it that the shirt denigrates fangirls? The tee producer says that a ‘fangirl’ is a specific type of geek, loathed by all. Here’s their official explanation, actually, after the fallout that happened after WonderCon:

So I thought to myself, why IS this shirt so offensive, if there's a boy version, too? 

Can't we all just agree that we all seem to dislike each other, and move on? But somewhere in this shirt was definitely something offensive. What exactly was the problem?

So I thought about the shirt (which, taking the 'fangirls' word out of it, is kind of clever), and made some substitutions to see if it would still be something that causes torches to be lit and fists to be waved:

How often do we see the redneck community denigrated in our humour? Pretty darn often. My guess is, though, that no viral internet outrage would have ensued over this shirt. (Comment on this post and share your opinion, though. Seriously.)

I really despise poodles, so this was an easy one to think up. Because dog breed fanatics are just as fanatical as the most stalwart comic book fan. (Trust me, I'm a pug fangirl of the highest order.) As a pug fan, I obviously think all other dog breeds and their fans are out to lunch. However, aside from being only funny to people who PVR the Westminster Dog Show, this shirt is also unlikely to incite rage across the Web.

Oh MAN, who doesn't hate tailgaters, right? I suppose someone who tailgates because they have poor depth perception could be offended. Or someone who was rushing to the hospital with their pregnant wife in labour and had to tailgate that one time...still, unlikely to get me punched in the face.

So then I thought about more words, like:

'black people'

'autistic people'

'poor people'

'Italians'

...and the reality is, I couldn't make mock-ups of these words on the tee because I couldn't handle the thought that someone might copy the images and spread them across the internet and actually mean what the shirts would say.

So the line on the 'piss people off and sound like an asshole' meter seems to be when the shirt attacks a human group based on their attributes, culture, ability, etc. Basically, anything that someone would be bullied for in grade six.

Okay, but then how come I can totally see THIS shirt being sold at many of the queer women's festivals I've been to, and no one would freak out....

My point right here is that there's a weird 'offensiveness blindness' that happens when men are the brunt of the exact same joke as a woman. Comment below if you've got thoughts on that, but please for the love of Stan Lee, don't rely on the same tired argument that men have all the privilege. I think it's more complex than that. Give me something new to think about.

ANYWAY, I wondered if the Tankhead Tee people were fully aware of what the problem was here (using the word 'hate' in conjuction with reference to an isolated minority). They didn't seem to understand why this would be hurtful. I wanted a way to illustrate for Tankhead how it feels to be the brunt of people's discriminatory hatred--something they'd understand. So this is what I came up with:

I hope they see that, and I hope they have a little moment where the lightbulb comes on. "Ohhhhh, it DOES suck to have a tee shirt making fun of you." And hey, if they say they're offended, I'll just respond with, "You're being over-sensitive. CLEARLY I was referring only specifically to one kind of Tankhead, and it's not YOU. I swear."

Okay, so assuming I have your attention now, Tankhead, I'd like to propose some uses for your clever catchphrase that are pretty universally agreed upon:

Preach it, sister.

It's like Hunger Games with math.

RIGHT?!

Needs no explanation.

Come on, WE'RE ALL THINKING IT.

I'd really like to hear what people think about this tee shirt mess. Comment below, won't you please? I hope we can hear from supporters AND non-supporters of the shirt. I'd also like to hear which of the above alternate designs you think should be in production.

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford commas.

Fake Geek Girls: Sandi's Perspective

SANDI'S SPIN ON THE FAKE GEEK GIRL LABEL

I’ve always been a moderately geeky girl. I grew up with a healthy enjoyment of Star Wars, having enough background knowledge that I wouldn’t be considered “fake”, but not so much knowledge to be considered a complete “geek” (i.e., I’ve seen the movies countless times, can point out at least one blooper and still own the storybook record, but haven’t read any books or watched The Clone Wars). Same can be said for Star Trek (but only TNG because, I will now admit, I had a bit of a crush on Wesley Crusher). I had one of only two Atari gaming systems on my block and I read a certain number of fantasy novels, but they were mixed in with Tom Clancy and Jane Austen. I guess I’m kind of a jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none. I know a bit of this and a bit of that, but there aren’t too many geeky subjects that I can go toe-to-toe with a subject expert on.

When geeks get together to celebrate a favourite pursuit, I find it odd to go to the trouble of quizzing others to determine relative status. When I find something new that I love, I use every opportunity to share it with the world. The more people who love Game of Thrones, the more likely it is to get renewed. The more people who love Kelley Armstrong novels, the more likely she is to be published. The more people who play Bioware video games, the more they’ll produce. Who cares if someone comes in part way through a series or hasn’t read the background novels? It’s my opportunity to share the awesomeness that I have found in something. Even if someone (either gender) is “faking” their interest, it’s my chance to get them interested. And really, if they are “faking” it, how does that impact me? It doesn’t take away my love of a particular interest. Their fakery can only affect me as much as I let it, and I have enough to do in my life than to be bothered about whether someone actually does like playing Agricola or was just pretending while talking to me.

While I may not meet the complete “geek” pedigree, I still would like to think that I would be respected when talking to others and wouldn’t have to prove myself based on knowledge of a specific subject matter. I can like something without being an expert. I live with my own reality, which includes making time for all my interests.  

Sandi is a 30-something environmental engineer and mother of two from the metropolis of Stittsville, Ontario. Writing for Capital Geek Girls is a new adventure for her, with previous writing experience limited to technical documents, briefing notes and Facebook updates. In her spare time, Sandi enjoys playing board games and video games, reading books, watching movies, and crocheting. She looks forward to sharing her geeky endeavours with you, as well as reporting on the next generation’s response to those endeavours.

Fake Geek Girl: Courtney's Perspective

FAKE GEEK GIRLS, AS SEEN BY COURTNEY LOCKHART

Fake geek girl memes and insults are a symptom of a bigger problem. Chris Hardwick popularized the phrase ‘Nerd on Nerd Violence’ as a way to describe this general nastiness towards each other.  However this isn’t confined to geek culture. Look at any Facebook wall or Twitter feed. You’ll see posts about real Canadians, fake athletes, real men and fake feminist. It’s almost as if they believe that the only way to prove they are living well is by pointing out that everyone else is doing it wrong.

There is a part of me that gets it. If you are a geek of a certain age the odds are you were bullied. That history might make you a little defensive. But that is exactly why we should be rallying against the idea of Fake Geek Girls and the harassment of women in general. We’ve been there. We know how it feels. So why on earth would someone do that to another human being? 

Courtney Lockhart lives in the west end of Ottawa with her husband and step-cat.  She is polishing her skills to pursue one of her dream careers as either a costume drama character, Torchwood operative or executive assistant to a billionaire vigilante. You can follow her daily mission to DFTBA on Twitter @corastacy.

Fake Geek Girl: Marla's Perspective

MARLA DESAT'S GEEK GIRL PERSPECTIVE 

TOP 10 SIGNS YOU'RE A FAKE GEEK GIRL

10. Search your feelings, you know it to be true!

9. You know there must be fake geek girls because no one has proven that there isn't.

8. You're a fan of hasty generalization.

7. You believe there are geeks, and there are girls. If you are girl, you therefore cannot be a geek. You also dislike Venn diagrams.

6. You're too attractive to be a geek, and must be doing this for attention.

5. You're not attractive enough to be geek, and must be doing this for attention.

4. Your best friend is a True Scotsman.

3. Your depth of knowledge on a single geeky subject is insufficient proof of arbitrary geekdom.

2. Your breadth of knowledge on many geeky subjects is insufficient proof of arbitrary geekdom.

1. You are a sexist strawman conjured as an argument meant to keep women out of geek spaces.

#Nothing to Prove

Marla Desat is a recent University of Waterloo grad living and working in Ottawa. When she isn't playing the latest video games, she's geeking out over comic books, board games, tabletop roleplaying games and science. Marla also writes for The Escapist as a freelance news writer. You can follow her on Twitter @mrdesat. 

Fake Geek Girl: Marie's Perspective

FAKE GEEK GIRLS, AS SEEN BY MARIE VICTORIA ROBERTSON

FAKE GEEK GIRL?

Since I’ve been incredibly fortunate to never have had the “fake geek girl” label flung at me, I’m a little fuzzy on the concept. As I understand it:

1. Be a girl. Cosplay as characters you don't know, pretend to watch sci-fi shows you don't actually watch, wear Spider Man T-shirts and carry a Marvel backpack even though you obviously know nothing about comics. 

2. ???

3. Profit!

What I do understand is the stunning misogyny demonstrated by these (asshat) male geeks. The idea of women enjoying media that’s previously been deemed “boys only” is so foreign to them that they figure it must really be about them, about how “geek girls” are faking their passions and interests to…. Impress them? Get into their pants? (I assume this is the end goal? Because yeah, I’d totally lie about loving Transformers to get me into bed with one of those charmers.)

-------

Marie Victoria Robertson is a speculative fiction writer and playwright, as well as the board president of Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative (www.jersvision.org). When all the other girls wanted to marry Johnny Depp, she wanted to run away with Worf on the Enterprise. She enjoys giant robots, time-travel paradoxes, and forcing her son to watch Futurama.

Fake Geek Girl: Lee's Perspective

FAKE GEEK GIRL BY LEE A FARRUGA

IN MY DAY...

Way back in my day, back in the 70's when I was in high school, there was no such thing as a “fake geek girl”. There were geeks. Now mind you, the vast majority were boys. It was still a time of pink and blue, and gender specific roles. But a few of us young ladies didn't play by the rules.

I liked what my guy friends liked. I had more boy friends (NOT boyfriends) than girl friends and the guys were all geeks. We listened to albums of Monty Python skits. We went to see Star Wars, King Kong, Raiders of The Lost Ark and ET. We even dressed as characters from The Hobbit – when it was still only a book, and the only place to wear our costumes was to our school's Halloween dance.

I probably did stand out as the only girl, but the attention I got from my geek friends was simply how cool it was that I enjoyed all the “odd” things they were into. And while my girlfriends didn't quite understand the attraction to all things geek, they never once thought I was hanging out with the boys for any other reason than I was just as much a geek as them.

I've tried to stay away from this mess about “fake geek girls”. All I've read is either people complaining about those using the term “geek” to draw attention to themselves, or others complaining that no girl can be as geeky as a guy. As to the first complaint - there will always be those who call themselves whatever the current popular term is to gain attention, guys as well as girls. But there are only a few of them compared to those who just want to enjoy their passion. As for the boys complaining that girls can't be geeks, you all need to go live in a different time period – like the 1950s. Obviously you didn't get the memo that girls can be whatever they want nowadays. Those complainers are simply bullies, and it's the small that bark the loudest to make themselves feel big.

It shouldn't matter how you enjoy your geekdom or how much you know about it, whether it's gaming, movies, cosplay, or whatever. If someone loves something, leave them alone to enjoy it.

Lee A. Farruga is known as everyone's Geeky Godmother. She has many talents, lots of energy, and loves to help people achieve their goals, whatever that might be. She can also be found reviewing books, games, movies and more. Also known internationally as the Canadian Queen of Steampunk, Lee created and manages Steampunk Canada. When she finds spare time, Lee does background acting for television and movies, and enjoys geeky activities with family and friends.

Fake Geek Girl: Toni's Perspective

FAKE GEEK GIRL BY TONI WERI

  

The “fake geek girl” label has been around for quite some time now. I’ve heard it used by both men and women when describing such a person. During my time as an employee of a comic book store, I would often feel like I was being “tested” on my knowledge. Tested on if I had seen or read the newest anime series that has JUST been released from Japan or if I knew which Robin was currently alive/or had just expired in the Batman comics. But alas, the moment I tripped up on information or wasn’t up-to-date on something, my credibility as a “geek” was questioned.  I never quite understood why really. Big deal, so what?

One time I even had a customer jokingly say, “Well, maybe I should be behind that counter instead of you”, only because I messed up on my knowledge on a sci-fi topic.

The number of women that were openly into geeky fandoms during the early 90’s had it a bit rough because it was a VERY rare thing to find. What?? A girl that knows what happened in

“The Incredible Hulk” issue# 181? Unheard of! Ok then, who was the writer and the artist of that comic book then? You don’t know who they were? Then that makes you a “fake geek girl”.

My understanding of what makes a “fake geek girl”, through my experience, is one’s judgement based on another’s level of knowledge on comic’s, movies, gaming etc...

Like most labels, I do not encourage the use of this one. It’s enough that some of us were bullied for being a geek/nerd when we were growing up. Why should we shun newborn female geeks today by calling them a “fake geek girl”? If anything, we should nurture their likes because we have a common interest. No one should be berated because they don’t know as much as you do.

Embrace evolution! Girls can be geeky too! Deal with it.

  

Toni Weri is a freelance artist and a proud member of the Rebel Legion. She is a geek of all trades, but her forte lies with anime, costuming, video games and Sci-Fi.

You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @ TONIGEEKGIRL

Fake Geek Week: an Introduction

by Jordan Danger, Editor
FAKE GEEK GIRL: THE FAKE GEEK WEEK STARTS

You've heard the term 'fake geek girl', I'm guessing. This term is what got Capital Geek Girls started. I heard it, and I hated it. So I started blogging about it on Girl, Crafted, and then I started the CGG facebook fanpage, and well...here we are with CapitalGeekGirls.com, a blogazine with nearly two dozen contributing geek girl writers.

Clearly, I loathe the term 'fake geek girls'. When I first heard it, I did a Google search and was absolutely appalled at what I found. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, one deplorable writer named Joe Peacock explains it as this:

There is a growing chorus of frustration in the geek community with - and there's no other way to put this - pretty girls pretending to be geeks for attention. San Diego Comic-Con is the largest vehicle, but it's hardly the only convention populated with "hot chicks" wearing skimpy outfits simply to get a bunch of gawking geeks' heads to turn, just to satisfy their hollow egos.

I can't figure out which part of the concept pisses me off more. Why is it specifically attractive girls they call out? Is it not possible that a woman who does not fit into our cultural aesthetics could be trolling for a geek man? Does her low rating on the 'Shallow Dude 1-10 Scale' make her a defacto genuine geek, or just non-human? And when exactly did geek boys decide that women would be so rabidly desirous of their man flesh that we'd be willing to invest hundreds of hours and boatloads of money into creating accurate cosplay costumes while also owning extensive tee shirt collections that proclaim us to be 'Vulcans on the street, Klingons in the sheets'? This fake geek girl concept implies that there is a wealth of hot commodity men hiding out at comic book stores, and us gals need to bag 'em before they're all gone. I won't even venture into how heterosexist the entire concept is, because I suppose that by the 'fake geek girl' definition, two girls who find love at a comiccon must therefore cancel each other out--two fakes mustn't make a 'real'--and I'm guessing they immediately implode and cause a tear in the space-time continuum.

Really all I needed to write here was: FACEMASH.

Anyway, I've asked the CGG writers to share their take on the 'fake geek girl' concept, so we'll be publishing their perspectives all week right here. So enjoy the posts, and share your comments, and feel free to send CGG an email if you feel inspired.

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford commas.