Two words that I never thought I would see next to each other were geek and bullying. These days it’s easy to find some type of geek bullying going on. I for one am done. I’m done seeing all the geek shaming that happens online and at conventions.
I am tired of seeing people posting things across social media, saying things like “You’re not a real fan. You only know who these people are because of the movies/tv shows/Netflix/etc.” Who cares how people know the characters. Are they paying to see movies? Are they giving our favorite shows ratings? Are they buying geeky merchandise? Are they talking about geeky movies and tv shows online? If the answer is yes, then CALM DOWN!!
As a community we need to be welcoming to new geeks. These new fans are spending money at the comicbook store. They are taking their friends to see movies with our favorite characters. It truly has never been a better time to be a geek. Well, the late 70s was probably pretty cool to, I would have loved to see Star Wars opening night on the big screen.
To the new fans out there, welcome. I am happy that you found your way into our world. If you ever need help navigating this amazing world of geek, I will help as best as I can. If you ever feel the sting of geek bullying, I will stand by you. A majority of geeks are good people and we apologize for the bad eggs.
To those who are geek shaming, knock it off. Do you not realize what the state of geek would be if it wasn’t for new fans? Look back to the 90s when Marvel was on the verge of bankruptcy. It took 20th century Fox bringing in new fans with the X-Men franchise to pave the way for us to have the Marvel Cinematic Universe we all know and love, which lead to Disney wanting to by Marvel.
So let’s come together, stop the shaming cycle. Don’t tell people they aren’t real fans because they don’t know the mythology as well as you do. Help these new fans, embrace their new found geekdom. Remember, the state of geek could be a lot worse without the new fans.