Proposed: Adopt a "normal" person

[Walking Paradox]

Reading this made my blood boil. I was shocked that anybody could be so cruel as to ridicule someone's "nerdy" game hobbies on a public blog, and even mention the person by name. That particular page has someone debasing the original blogger for what she is, but it shows that for all the positive portrayals of gaming in the media (e.g., some episodes of "Big Bang Theory"), there are still plenty of closed-minded jerks out there who have not outlived their high school-era impulse to bully and belittle.

I hereby suggest that everyone make it their project to grab hold of someone who is not one of the below:

• Fan of sci fi, horror, or fantasy
• Roleplaying gamer
• LARPer
• Miniatures enthusiast
• Wargamer
• LARPer
• …or anything else cool

…and sit that person down with a group of people who are like you, and introduce them to your hobby. Offer enticements (free beer and donuts works). Do it on a day that you know they will be free. Tell your friends to suppress their impulse to belittle "n00bs." Your "normal" (read: "boring") friend doesn't have to like it, but at the very least, he or she should walk away from it with a bit more understanding and tolerance of what we're all about.

 

[Mark CMG]

It’s about a girl judging a boy because he’s a nerd (like so many of us!) that she met on OkCupid.

You don’t get to use the word “Nerd” anymore. You aren’t a nerd. You’re one of the people that openly mock and humiliate nerds because they are who they are. You’re not a nerd. You’re not a geek. You’re the villain in every John Hughes movie.

I thought she meant like so many of us girls judge boys for being nerds rather than like so many of us who are also nerds. It read to me as if she was casting herself as one of the supposed majority who berate nerds, as if it is justified because she believes most girls who date guys who are nerds also berate them once it is discovered.


Anyway, I agree that the focus of her distaste might have better been the choice of the first date Dahmer drama, though at least it wasn't a murder musical.

 

[Gronin]

This thread segues very nicely into a question that I have been thinking about for a rather long time.

Do the majority of gamers tell everyone about their hobby or does it "stay in the closet"?

Now I am not trying to imply that if you don't wear gamer shirts or have bumper stickers proclaiming "I played D & D before it was cool" (I have friend who has this bumper sticker on his motorcycle and of course begs the question --- when did D & D become cool??) you are a closet gamer but do you discuss gaming as much as you discuss your other hobbies?

For myself I am forced to admit to being a closet gamer -- I am a fairly private person at the best of times and tend to keep my life carefully segmented. That being said, I have to admit to being a lot closer to discussing it freely that I used to be. A lot of that has to do with the fact that my wife is about as far from a private person as can be and I have kids --- and as anyone out there with kids knows -- once you have kids you really don't have many secrets anymore.

Still there are a lot more people who know about my other hobbies (mostly sports related) than do know about gaming.

Anyway I am looking forward to hearing what other people say on this subject.

 

[Alzrius]

The National RPG Examiner has examined this story in detail, across several articles.

What I found most interesting (and for the life of me, I can't recall where I read it, since it doesn't seem to be in the Examiner's articles) is the allegation that she knew exactly how she was coming across when she wrote this, and posted it on a place where it was likely to cause maximum offense, because she gets paid by the number of hits the article gets.

To quote whatever blog I remembered reading that in, "she's crying all the way to the bank," as the original article on Gizmodo got over 500,000 hits.

 

[Nightson]

From the linked blog

Yes, you are a jerk for judging somebody for their hobby.

Organizer and leader of the biggest Twilight fanclub and fanfiction group in the world.

Nascar superfan who goes to every race and has been featured on the news.

Is a furry.

Not that these hobbies are objectively bad, just picked three examples that 90% of geeky people will be perfectly willing to judge.

 

[Walking Paradox]

Do the majority of gamers tell everyone about their hobby or does it "stay in the closet"?

I asked this question in another thread 3 months ago.

 

[Umbran]

I hereby suggest that everyone make it their project to grab hold of someone who is not one of the below:

…and sit that person down with a group of people who are like you, and introduce them to your hobby.

Er. No.

The Golden Rule applies. I don't want folks "sitting me down" and trying to introduce me to their hobbies unless I show interest first, so I'm not doing it to someone else.

Rarely, if ever, does proselytizing make a believer out of the target. So, I think this is not a great idea.

 

[nedjer]

I've got to stop LMAO as it's getting to hurting

What on earth possessed the dude to pick a one man serial killer and cannibal show? It's a galaxy beyond an epic fail. He could of taken her dancing, movies, restaurant, even a Magic tournament - but he chooses a predatory cannibal killer date

All that follows are the necessary steps the girl takes to let the world know where to look if she disappears. I shudder to think what he had in mind for the second date - but I'm guessing the suggestion they share a meal together would have had her legging it even faster.

 

[Mallus]

That particular page has someone debasing the original blogger for what she is...

This is the Gizmodo freelancer chick, right? Not to rain on your righteous indignation, but how can you possibly know what this woman is, based solely on a single article written for a Gawker Media site? I'll reiterate what I said on another elsewhere: if the dates had gone better, perhaps with more chemistry and less Dahmer one-man show, I bet the piece she wrote would have been different....

Look, she should have Googled him and found out about the Magic World Champion thing. He should have Googled her and found out about her writing for a wretched --but amusing-- hive of snark and villainy.

Maybe they both did. They're adults, and tech-savvy. There's no real injury here, so I think it's sage advise to just lighten up and laugh at Gawker's latest attempt to increase page views by poking the nerderati with a stick.. (it's not the 1st time they've done it).

 

[nedjer]

I told the wife We're still cracked-up. A uniform, a cannibal killer show and goat's cheese . . . how could you begin to put that together?