N - Nerd Culture

Geeks. Nerds. Freaks. Weirdos. Whatever you want to call us. As antisocial as we might all be, as a general rule, I recommend you go to a convention some time. Seeing us among our own kind is very different. All the sudden, we’re interesting, and not interesting in the same way as bad plastic surgery. Actually interesting. We’re suddenly talking to other people, dancing with them…it’s something else.

And it’s about the only place you get a chance to really see nerd culture. No, I’m not talking about shops where you buy pre-broken and taped glasses or off-brand plaid shirts. Forget every stereotype you know. Really.

I think the key to nerd culture is acceptance. No matter where you fall under that nerdy umbrella, there’s room for you. Even the professionals—authors, artists, what have you—are personable. It’s not like, say, the romance culture. My God. At least the romance authors are out for themselves, for the most part. But, say you walk up to a fantasy or sci-fi author. They’ll at least spare you a look.

You see, we encourage people, us nerds. Authors give advice to aspiring writers. Artists talk techniques. It’s what happens. It’s just natural. Why? Because it’s been that way from the beginning. The early sci-fi authors…well, a lot of them were willing to lend a hand. I think it’s because we start out as readers. And as readers, we know what we want to read and we always want to find more of it to read. So, in a way, you could say that we’re also out for ourselves. But we’re still willing to lend a hand.

Where do you go to get your dose of nerd culture?

Voss