The 'Fake Geek Girl' has got to go

randomredux:

And by that I mean the whole stupid, foolhardy concept. I’ve said before that if you really believe there’s a horde of attractive women faking interest in nerdy things just to get your attention, you have a massive case of unwarranted self-importance, and I still believe that. I also believe you’re incredible insecure, and threatened by some ‘enemy’ who is no such thing.

The world of comic books, sci-fi, videogames, all these things, is no longer a boy’s club with a “NO GIRLS ALLOWED” banner hanging on the door, and it never should have been (indeed, I suspect it never really WAS but for this very idea - girls aren’t REAL nerds, especially attractive ones! And then the internet came up and holy shit look, women came out in droves to discuss their interest in these things, going back to the 1980s and earlier like the rest of us). If you insist somehow that it should be, that you should act as some kind of gatekeeper - he is a real nerd, she is not - then quite frankly you are just one of the saddest specimens we have to offer. Many of us grew up being picked on for having a non-mainstream interest, and now that this interest is spreading you attack and snarl and demean and exclude instead of actually being happy that you have new people to share these wonderful interests with.

You complain about games being rehashes, comic book reboots that are just retreads, but actively keep out the new blood and perspectives that could actually offer something you haven’t seen or considered before.

You demean women who cosplay as attention seekers in skimpy outfits, ignoring that they didn’t create those outfits, WE did.

Who cares if someone’s exposure and love for The Avengerscame from the movie, and not the comics first?

Who cares if someone plays Angry Birds more than Dark Souls? What, you never fucking played Tetris? Don’t give me that non-game crap.

Oh no, she watches Thor because he’s tall blonde and built like a brick shithouse and isn’t afraid to comment that the guy’s a stud and so’s his brother? Yeah, because you read Tarot: Witch of the Rose for the riveting storytelling and characterization, right?

Oh no, someone’s writing fanfic about Tony Stark and Steve Rogers buttfucking! What a demeaning thing to do to the characters, you say as browsing the pictures I’ve been hired to draw of the women of X-Men having a lesbian orgy.

At the core of it all, for some insane reason, you are so threatened by the presence of women in your interests that you insult, you cajole, you harrass, and you embarrass the rest of us who are just happy to share. You slam women who are attractive and cosplay as NOT REAL NERDS, THEY’RE PREYING ON US POOR WIDDLE MENZ! And when they’re not as attractive as you’d like, you slam them for not meeting your standards. Or you slam them for daring not to give you the time of day when you grope and harass and hit on them. And if you look like me while doing it, that’s even more hilariously hypocritical and out of touch with reality. She’s not there for YOU, bro.

She’s not there for you.

She’s not there for you.

Let that sink in, guys.

She’s not there for you.

She’s not dressing up for you.

She’s not interested in comics for you.

She’s not playing games for you.

She’s. Not. There. For. You.

You are not the center of the universe, you never were and you never SHOULD be. It’s time to share your toys, guys. It’s time to be more mature. It’s time to drop the entitled attitude that insists our standards and our standards alone should be met. You do not hold the keys to the kingdom, for the kingdom has no lock.

My friend Kat - a geek with a cool job making awesome videogames like NFS The Run and mad cosplay skills - said something on Twitter earlier that summed the whole Fake Geek Girl BS up perfectly;

“That’s just it- “fake geek girls” DO NOT EXIST. There are only WOMEN WITH VARYING LEVELS OF INTEREST IN DIFFERENT HOBBIES.”

Many of the women cosplaying at these conventions probably know more about the current state of comics than I do, but I’ll never be asked to prove my nerd cred if I roll up in a Superman tee - and I haven’t bought an issue since the New 52 launched.

Fucking afford them the same courtesy. Don’t be a douchebag.

blackfolksmakingcomics:

LeSean Thomas at TED, ladies and gentlemen. 

Watch. Learn. Dig it. Brother speaks from experience because he’s doing great things and getting things done. A fish out of water looking to make an impact in a medium he loves, and you’ve got to respect that.

We're doing a ComicCon panel this year! Do you have any questions for our panelists?

racebending:

This year, Racebending.com will host our second annual diversity panel first thing Thursday morning. We’re honored to have the opportunity to again present at ComicCon. Be sure to check out Racebending.com: Creating Spaces for Diverse Characters and Representations in room 23ABC!

Racebending.com: Creating Spaces for Diverse Characters and Representations

Thursday July 12, 2012 10:00am - 11:00am @ Room 23ABC

Creators and artists are developing engrossing characters from underrepresented groups. Panelists from different mediums will discuss their creative processes and how can fans support their diversity efforts. Featuring novelist and comic book writer Marjorie Liu (Astonishing X-Men, The Hunter Kiss), video game writer David Gaider (Dragon Age, Bauldur’s Gate II), comic book writer Brandon Thomas (Miranda Mercury, Voltron), showrunner and screenwriter Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Middleman, Lost), writer Sarah Kuhn (One Con Glory, Chicks Dig Comics), and Comic-Con special guest author N.K. Jemisin (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms); moderated by Racebending.com.

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On Saturday and Sunday night, Racebending.com will also be co-sponsoring two ComicCon after parties at The Stage Bar just blocks away from the Convention Center. The dance rock band The Slants organized these events to showcase Asian American talent and bring awareness to racial justice issues! Admission is FREE (which means you don’t need a ComicCon badge to go!)

In addition to our two events, ComicCon’s programming line up features a sprawling array of panels and presentations, including two big panels for Legend of Korra fans.  We’ll be covering many of them on our website for people who won’t be attending ComicCon, but if  you are planning on attending, visit  Racebending.com for some of our panel recommendations!

Submit a question to our panel using the ask box below:

FUCK YEAAAHHHHH

blackfolksmakingcomics: youngbadmanbrown: I just finished rereading The Truth: Red, White & Black I remember when this book was first solicited, I only recently begun making my first forays into comic fandom. I’ll never forget the vitriol people typed up online about the mere concept of this book, that before Steve Rogers became Captain America a black man wore his uniform. Seeing that nonsense alone made me determined to read every issue. The story relies very heavily on alluding to real history, relying on readers to understand that the United States government, at one point in time, had absolutely no problem experimenting on black people (as well as forcibly sterilizing them.) And that’s a history that’s problematic, and its one that people still don’t want to deal with (especially right now, with North Carolina refusing to give reparations to sterilization victims) but it’s one that we need to be made to remember. The comic also speaks to the whitewashing of the United States’ historical narrative, which is what makes this page so important to me. Isaiah Bradley is every black serviceman who wasn’t rewarded or thanked by his country for his service. Isaiah Bradley is every Civil Rights worker whose name we’ll never learn in favor of the polarizing MLK/Malcolm X dichotomy. Isaiah Bradley represents everything that we as Americans should strive to come to grips with and understand about our history. I’m in awe right here. You look at all these photos of Isaiah Bradley with people who were, more or less, a part of history, and yet looking at the Marvel Universe, this figure had been, more or less, forgotten by the establishment heroes, and that, above everything else, is a shame. Telling. Also, I do see the artist of this piece in a photo (hint: not Stan Lee).
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blackfolksmakingcomics:

youngbadmanbrown:

I just finished rereading The Truth: Red, White & Black

I remember when this book was first solicited, I only recently begun making my first forays into comic fandom. I’ll never forget the vitriol people typed up online about the mere concept of this book, that before Steve Rogers became Captain America a black man wore his uniform. Seeing that nonsense alone made me determined to read every issue.

The story relies very heavily on alluding to real history, relying on readers to understand that the United States government, at one point in time, had absolutely no problem experimenting on black people (as well as forcibly sterilizing them.)

And that’s a history that’s problematic, and its one that people still don’t want to deal with (especially right now, with North Carolina refusing to give reparations to sterilization victims) but it’s one that we need to be made to remember.

The comic also speaks to the whitewashing of the United States’ historical narrative, which is what makes this page so important to me.

Isaiah Bradley is every black serviceman who wasn’t rewarded or thanked by his country for his service. Isaiah Bradley is every Civil Rights worker whose name we’ll never learn in favor of the polarizing MLK/Malcolm X dichotomy. Isaiah Bradley represents everything that we as Americans should strive to come to grips with and understand about our history.

I’m in awe right here. You look at all these photos of Isaiah Bradley with people who were, more or less, a part of history, and yet looking at the Marvel Universe, this figure had been, more or less, forgotten by the establishment heroes, and that, above everything else, is a shame.

Telling.

Also, I do see the artist of this piece in a photo (hint: not Stan Lee).

Source: youngbadmangone

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