We are being laughed at. A ranty article purely for debating purposes.

[Morrus]

She wasn't obnoxious, she just wasn't funny and cracked a joke based on a silly movie that gave her the impression that people who pain minis are saddos with no social skills or the ability to get a girlfriend.

Well, I consider that obnoxious behaviour. So she was just unfunny? That's even less of a problem. We're allowed to fail to be funny.

Dr Who has nothing to do with geeks.

Sure it has. Plenty so.

As to how BBT has helped destigmatise geekdom escapes me... Comunity maybe, but Big Bang Theory? No chance.

Yes, I understand you don't agree.

 

[Leviatham]

Ah, well I'm afraid then that I don't grasp the fine dinstinction between "I don't think sitcoms should target geeks" and "geeks should not be the subject of a sitcom". A little too subtle for me!

I just don't know when I have said that either...

If anything what I said in my original post is that of sitcoms are to mock geeks, they should do it in a more balanced way, and not just gamers.

 

[Morrus]

I just don't know when I have said that either...

Ah. Well in that case I literally don't understand what it is you're saying. Maybe I need reading comprehension lessons or something. Anyhow, no matter.

 

[Leviatham]

Well, I consider that obnoxious behaviour. So she was just unfunny? That's even less of a problem. We're allowed to fail to be funny.

The point wasn't that she was funny or unfunny. The point is the impression she has of people who paint minis because of what she has seen in a movie.

She had this idea in her head because that is all she has seen and that affected her behavior. She was fine and wasn't insulting, but other people are.

Sure it has. Plenty so.

How?

Yes, I understand you don't agree.

Is not that I don't agree. It's that I can't see it.

I'm prepared to be proved wrong, but dismissing my argument without any rebuttal other than "yeah, it's just that you don't agree" is not doing to contribute to that.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

As to how BBT has helped destigmatise geekdom escapes me...

It is a show about people of different social circles connecting and forming meaningful relationships. Over the course of the show we have seen character growth from all of the main characters. It shows a world where the beautiful aspiring actress across the hall embraces a group of people that might normally be shunned or ignored in actual society.

And I believe the majority of the jokes are meant to laugh WITH those who associate with the character, not at them. The only character that may be laughed at is Sheldon, only because someone with his personality traits might not even recognize that a joke was made relating to him.

As for stereotypes, that's what sitcoms do. Life is funny, but not all the time. If all these outrageous things happened to one person or group, it would be absurd. Thus, the characters themselves are absurd charicatures of real people. You may not think such of great shows like Blackadder, but just because the stereotypes are outdated does not make them any less a stereotype. Although I won't argue the point of Blackadder being a superior show. But it unrealistic to expect every show to reach that bar.

 

[Morrus]

Is not that I don't agree. It's that I can't see it.

I'm prepared to be proved wrong, but dismissing my argument without any rebuttal other than "yeah, it's just that you don't agree" is not doing to contribute to that.

It's about how we feel. You feel mocked and belittled, sure. I don't. I don't think I can explain to you why I don't; I can juts tell you that I don't. For my own part, I can't see why you would, either.

 

[Super Pony]

To me, something worse than weak "geek chic" humor is people bemoaning the tragic personal injury that this has done them.

I spent my teen geeky years getting my guts kicked in by a-holes just about every week if I was caught away from my tougher skateboard toting, head-butting friends. I feel like I earned my d20, A2 poster map of Castle Wittgenstein, and my X-Men poster. But angst and fear often made it hard to enjoy the simpler things like debates about Spock, or which iteration of Dr Who was better. So when I see stuff like Big Bang Theory it harkens back to my youth and I find myself remembering the better moments crouched on a davenport flipping through issues of Wizard or Dragon Magazine having those kinds of debates with my friends.

Sure it's contrived. Sure it's parody. And yes, people are laughing AT the characters on BBT. But I've had to deal with a lot worse than chuckles and people shaking their heads going "wow people really care about this stuff?" And really, if shows like BBT can start a whole wave of "geek chic" and get new people to pay attention (with their wallets) to movies, games, books, etc that I've championed for years? Heck, bring it on. That just means there are going to be more dice-slingers that might make their way to En-World and toss Morrus a few bucks so that he can continue to make the decision each month to keep this boat afloat. My 65 year old mother in-law has recently (part of the BBT wave) asked me for recommendations for sci-fi and fantasy books, and she has even taken a liking to graphic novels and compilations (Sin City, Sandman, others). Do I kick her in the shins for laughing at Big Bang Theory when they mention something that she has recently read and can identify with? What about the (unknown quantity of people) that are in a similar situation? Kids discovering comics and games as a result? Is geek culture REALLY a sacred ivory tower?

And yes I realize there is the flip-side to that. For every one new nerd, a [bigger number] more people will simplify their definition of geek culture to what they've seen on TV and the movin' pictures. That certainly is annoying and can take the wind out of your sails. However, at least people have an image of what this stuff COULD be like (bent out of shape and wrong though it may be). In the past I just got called "Urkel" or had someone do the Revenge of the Nerds laugh at me. If someone decides to be rude to me because they don't understand or dislike geeks...they were probably going to be rude and ---ish about SOMETHING anyway. I'd just count myself lucky that they decided to stop at "oh man you're like those -----y nerds on BBT that paint toys and ----- right?" It's all part and parcel of having a light shined on ANYTHING in a pop-culture way. Think about the damage that Hannah Montana wrought on the world of teens that lived double lives as a normal kid and a pop star?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, and just because I don't agree with the OP I'm an equal footing with anyone that has any other opinion on it.

I guess this new wave of "stuff" doesn't bother me because I never felt like I needed to have my likes and hobbies protected from the outside world, or that there was anything inherently superior or righteous about them. And having someone compare me to Leonard from Big Bang Theory (lightly or as an insult) is better than a cowboy boot to the liver or having my teeth broken by a class of '93 ring any day of the week. That, and my whole family lives by the belief that the best comedy comes from our own insecurities...so maybe it's just some aberrant ingrained thing for me that keeps me from feeling debased or abused by rampant inaccurate pop culture simulacra.

 

[Leviatham]

To me, something worse than weak "geek chic" humor is people bemoaning the tragic personal injury that this has done them....

...I guess this new wave of "stuff" doesn't bother me because I never felt like I needed to have my likes and hobbies protected from the outside world, or that there was anything inherently superior or righteous about them. And having someone compare me to Leonard from Big Bang Theory (lightly or as an insult) is better than a cowboy boot to the liver or having my teeth broken by a class of '93 ring any day of the week. That, and my whole family lives by the belief that the best comedy comes from our own insecurities...so maybe it's just some aberrant ingrained thing for me that keeps me from feeling debased or abused by rampant inaccurate pop culture simulacra.

So you had it bad for being a geek? Try being a geek AND gay in a deeply catholic town in a deeply conservative town within a very conservative family.

We have all had our fair share of s*it in life, so I know how you feel. That doesn't mean we should put up with more because the new one is less painful than the old one. Do you think children at school won't be bullied and name called because BBT is out there? You really think children won't be mocked - and some beaten up - because they wear a Sheldon t-shirt? Or because they wear a geeky t-shirt?

It might be less painful to you, but probably not to them.

The fact that there are sitcoms that have been well written (and yes, I do believe every series should strive to be as good as Blackadder, even if they can't get that high up) shows that any series could be well written.

I understand for you being insulted is less painful than being kicked. I just don't understand why we even have to be insulted.

At no point I have also said my hobbies should be protected, nor my likes. What I like is for any other hobby and like to be treated with the same level of respect. And vice versa. This is not because I think my hobbies are superior or more righteous, but because we all deserve that level of respect.

I acknowledged in my OP the good that those series have done by raising awareness and I'm not bemoaning that, but I think expecting better from writers, actors, actresses, producers and entertainers is not something we should shy away from. Is something we should demand.

 

[Leviatham]

It is a show about people of different social circles connecting and forming meaningful relationships. Over the course of the show we have seen character growth from all of the main characters. It shows a world where the beautiful aspiring actress across the hall embraces a group of people that might normally be shunned or ignored in actual society.

And I believe the majority of the jokes are meant to laugh WITH those who associate with the character, not at them. The only character that may be laughed at is Sheldon, only because someone with his personality traits might not even recognize that a joke was made relating to him.

As for stereotypes, that's what sitcoms do. Life is funny, but not all the time. If all these outrageous things happened to one person or group, it would be absurd. Thus, the characters themselves are absurd charicatures of real people. You may not think such of great shows like Blackadder, but just because the stereotypes are outdated does not make them any less a stereotype. Although I won't argue the point of Blackadder being a superior show. But it unrealistic to expect every show to reach that bar.

That hasn't de-stigmatized them. It's just made them more prevalent and, to some degree, more acceptable.

It might be a show about people and relationships (what show isn't?), but the way they go about it is patronizing.

I don't believe Blackadder played with stereotypes. It played with caricatures and they weren't stereotypical at all. In fact most of the characters were as far as archetypes as they can go! They might have had some stereotypical traits, but being stereotypes? I doubt that very mucho!

There are plenty of series that deal with stereotypes and they do respectfully. BBT does not. At all!

 

[billd91]

I enjoy most of the geek comedies out there and, despite the OP's opinion, I think they're actually doing us all a service. They're normalizing the presence of geeks and nerds in the mainstream. They're moving from the side oddball character like Urkel to the central characters of the shows.

There's been some discussion in the media watchers lately that have been analyzing the sea change currently going on in the US about gay marriage. For a while it looked like the anti-gay marriage side was steamrollering over gay marriage supporters everywhere, but suddenly there are now, what, 9 states that have legalized it and the military ban on homosexuals is gone. And one factor people have been looking at is the appearance of gay characters and personalities in mainstream television shows. From Jodie Dallas on Soap to Will Truman on Will and Grace and Willow Rosenberg on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Captain Jack and Ianto on Torchwood, and the daily talk show juggernaut that is Ellen DeGeneris, out and about homosexuals are becoming normal elements of the public sphere right before our very eyes. And the same will be/is happening to the geeks of The Guild, Big Bang Theory, Eureka, and Warehouse 13.