Toxic Nerd Culture is Ruining what we Love About Comic Books
Since the dawn of time, nerd culture and geek culture has been a space for everyone who enjoys and share what they like about the industry. It was a welcoming space for outsiders, for the people who didn’t fit in what society was about but slowly with the introduction of internet the culture has grown and the scope has gone wider, we’re seeing people who wouldn’t be into this world being caught up in the mythology of what makes this industry so great. It’s basically becoming more accessible for anyone who likes it and who wants to like it. On paper, this would great, the more exposure the world get the better it gets right? , but the reality is something else like movies, music and other forms of art there is a vocal minority that screams against these changes. They feel the industry is going towards a more social justice warrior path which isn’t wrong, but it also brings out some of the worst in people.
Nerds culture is right now going through a change, and in the midst of this change, some a clutching to the past whereas others are embracing the future with open arms. For the last 6 decades, the industry has been making the face of the comic book and gaming predominately white guys with unattainable physical traits like a 20 pack or perfect skin with perfect hair and perfect everything, you know what people want.
There was a disconnect with what heroes are coming out, from an outsider point of view they wouldn’t how vibrant and diverse the geek culture if they didn’t have thirty superhero movies with white guys. Because of this superhero movies would alienate a large demographic for two reasons: comic book movies weren’t as good and that they didn’t represent the people reading them. However the industry took a turn for many the better, it started putting women, people of color and people with different sexual orientations in the foreground, the two big movies that have changed the landscape for the world was Black Panther and Wonder Women. These two movies not only made a ton of money and were critically acclaimed but they introduced superheroes don’t need to be white, representation was a huge talking point for both of these movies, they allowed girls and kids of color to look at these characters and feel like they can be a superhero — a feeling white kids have had for some time now.
Sadly while both movies were met with joy, there was a small group of people being flat out racist and sexist saying that both these movies did well mainly that they had a black man and a women, and going after Gal Gadot who played Wonder Women for saying women need to be represented more in these movies as being more than a sex symbol. This year in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) they introduced Captain Marvel, who was played by Oscar Winner Brie Larson who was caught in the crosshairs by white guys again when she was echoing the same thing Gadot was saying this time they militarized and planned to boycott the movie — which failed because as of writing this, the superhero movie Captain Marvel attained one billion dollars. Their whole plight is against feminism, which they don’t fully understand, all these actresses are saying is that movies that are as big as superhero movies need to understand that while they want them to feel grounded they need to reflect the world they’re set in, which is seen as offensive to a minority. However regardless of what they’re saying the industry is changing with or without them.
Over the last several years, some nerds have acted like the authoritative voice for the culture, to the point where if they don’t like they get their band of comic book police makes it unbearable for the rest of us. This brings out the toxic side of the industry, and forces outsiders to walk away from the scene itself, for example, Ghost Busters remake that had an all women cast that was met with instant backlash because — there where women. Granted to the movie was average itself, that still doesn’t justify to harmful rhetoric that plagued the news cycle before, during and after it was released that forced one of the actresses to go into hiding because she was fighting off sexist and racist mentions in her Twitter.
This behavior comes out when a class feels threatened, they feel like what they love can only be viewed if it’s catered to them and no one else. Star Wars : The Force Awakens was also met with backlash with having a diverse cast in the lead and the movie centered around being a Jedi which was women who also forced to delete her social media accounts because of misogynistic threats being spewed, this isn’t the first time Star Wars has been attacked for its choices, back in 2001 when the Phantom Menace came out one character that was met with such negative reception was Jar Jar Binks, only years after we found out the actor who played the character almost committed suicide because he felt that he personally ruined the franchise. The latest entry in Star Wars franchise titled the Last Jedi has divided fans, you’ll really like it or you’ll really hate, however even a minor actress who was coined the new Jar Jar Binks received so many death threats over her role which along like the other made her remove herself off the internet. This again is not normal, nerds are now getting to the point where they feel like they need to served and no one else especially when it comes down the gender and race, in Star Wars case this is unusual because it takes place in space — with many races — species — genders, this argument of making this franchise PC doesn’t work. When Marvel Comics introduced Kamala Khan who took up the mantel for Miss Marvel, and being first Muslim superhero the reception was both for and obviously against it, from the comment section on a variety of publication reporting on it where racist and sexist from the same people harping about Captain Marvel and Wonder Women and every other comic book movie that doesn’t align with their outdated opinion
We have a small group of people who are acting like gatekeepers for this art form even though no one asked them to, fortunately they are in minority but with that being said they are the loudest and will get the most attention and forces people who aren’t familiar with the world to look at that say that comic book is represented by those people who have an unpopular view. They do ruin it and take the enjoyment out of the industry when arguing the politics of these fictional characters, these stories are meant to be enjoyed by any who like this medium, the writers themselves wouldn’t go down this path if no one wanted it. Comic book culture in regards to its base needs to find that common ground that where they can accept representation from all over, and still be secure with who they are.
