Remember when it wasn’t cool to be dubbed a “nerd?” Do you remember the shame and embarrassment that was often associated with doing strange things or simply being different or odd? Do you remember when comic book and "Star Trek" conventions were seen as “nerdy” things to do? Do you remember laughing at nerds? For many years, the dominant opinion in our society was that people we considered to be strange, different or odd deserved to be ridiculed, mocked and laughed at. But in a strange twist of reality, yesterday’s nerd is seen as today’s trendsetter. The new renaissance nerd is seen as being interesting. In this new “nerd culture” it appears that the joke is on us. You can call it the revenge of the nerds.
In my circle of friends, I would say I am the only one who reads comic books. I never really could share my opinions on how much I hated the "Spider-Man" clone saga. Now we all can’t wait to see Doctor Strange. It’s kind of surreal. A lot of people are finding out that even if they won’t read comic books, they still like the characters. For example, most people who watch the Batman movies probably haven’t read “The Dark Knight returns.” It’s because of movies reaching such a wide audience that it helps spread. People are starting to gain interest in other nerd culture things.
In my freshmen year in college, I didn’t immediately make new friends. Where I lived on campus was full of upperclassmen that already had their social circles and they weren’t too inviting at first. Then on Sunday, on my floor’s lounge area I saw a bunch of people gathering round to watch this week’s lasted episode of Game of Thrones. Through this, we were able to connect over a show that features a lot of fantasy elements which again used to only appeal to a certain demographic but somehow reached mass appeal.
Later I found out about a student organization known as C.R.A.G.G which stands for campus role-playing, anime, gaming, group. This is where most people who were into said things could meet and participate in various activities and events as well as meet new friends. This works similarly to most conventions held in multiple locations around the world. Like Comic Con. Of course, there are some certain stigmas about people who like anime or cosplayers, buts that’s only because of how relatively new most people are to this sort of culture. We are trying to approach a future were all can be accepted and not judged because of their perceived differences. A lot of people inside this community come from different backgrounds, have a different sexual orientation, transgender or something else entirely. What matters is what everyone like. Can you name all the various different Gundam animes? Play any of the Final Fantasy games? It’s because of this shared love for these things that there isn’t enough time to look at all the things that make us different and actually brings us all together live the Avengers.
