A Call to Arms
by Shannon on Friday, 2 of February, 2007 at 7:23 pm
So, the other day I was bored. Anyone who knows me knows this is a bad state for me to be in, ’cause usually my mind starts wandering and bizarre images pop into my head. Impulses I can’t explain and won’t go into here make my fingers twitch. I generally try to avoid boredom as much as possible. Idle hands are the devil’s playground, as they say.
To keep myself occupied, though not occupied in any pursuit that would better humankind, I started surfing the net to find out what was going on in the world. By the “world” I mean that small corner of it that interests me, like all good Americans that would be 1) America 2) pop culture 3) celebrity gossip. Though not necessarily in that order. In my running willy-nilly across the web, just looking for something to fill the silence, I stumbled across this article from Slate Magazine written by Adam Rogers.
After first reading the article I was a little miffed. After all, the guy uses the word “geek” something like three times, and not in friendly terms mind you. He wields the word like a sword, “I dub thee GEEK”. His opening paragraph alone was enough to annoy me, never mind the rest of the article. Okay, I will admit it’s not a bad article per se. The subject matter itself is interesting. I just don’t appreciate the tone he uses to talk about sci-fi fans, or the genre in general.
“Ronald D. Moore, the executive producer of Battlestar Galactica, has created a great show with a goofy title. The title isn’t his fault, of course—he’s remaking a crappy 1970s sci-fi relic—and, in any case, it lured in an audience of geeks who will watch anything with the word star in the title. A few months ago, Moore told me (and, more recently, Entertainment Weekly’s Jeff Jensen) that the geeky title means a swath of Battlestar’s potential audience doesn’t tune in.”
I put my petty annoyances away figuring I was just being too touchy (it’s been known to happen). That is, until I ran across a reference in the 2007 Writer’s Market from Starlog Magazine.
“Be aware that ’science fiction’ and ‘Trekkie’ are seen as derogatory terms by our readers and by us.”
This got me thinking. These people must be really touchy about these titles if they went to all the trouble to have it put in Writer’s Market (a reference of publishing houses, magazines, etc for freelance and fiction authors). Are they like getting hate mail or something? Maybe bomb threats? Is someone burning models of the Enterprise in their front yards? “Damn you, Trekkies and your stupid sci-fi!” Why, oh why does this matter so much?
Then I put two and two together. Actually, more like two thousand and two thousand. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard genre publishers and writers talk about how degrading and inappropriate it is to use terms like that. In fact, I was once told that if you use the term ’sci-fi’ when sending in queries or manuscripts to agents and publishing houses you will be marked out as a newbie, and possibly give the editors or agents one more reason to throw your manuscript in the reject pile. At the time I was fresh-faced and naïve enough to worry about this. I distinctly remember flipping through my memories of writing authors and hoping I didn’t offend anyone with my use of such a slur. God, I was young, those were the days I cared if I gave offense.
Now, for some reason, the combination of the Starlog quote and Rogers’s article really annoyed the hell out of me (which I will admit is not that hard to do, usually a northerly breeze is enough to get me all worked up). At first I just couldn’t put my finger on exactly why. Sure, I guess I was a little offended by Rogers’s article, no one wants to be called a geek. Especially by some guy who thinks he’s WAY too cool to actually like such a genre. So, if I was so offended by Rogers’ assumption that anyone who enjoyed a good tale set in a reality not our own, was a geek, what was with me getting mad at Starlog for insisting their writers and contributors not use certain terms?
Well, dear reader, the mind is a complicated thing, as is anger. It’s never totally cut and dry. After a few days to muse this over I’ve come to a conclusion, which I will gladly share with you.
First off, it’s not so much about being called a “geek,” I can handle that, I am one. It’s being called a geek by a certain type of person. For example, I have a friend I play poker with every Tuesday night. She’s married to a big comic book fan, sci-fi movie lover, and just a general geek. He’s a great guy. She, on the other hand, claims she dislikes the stuff, it’s silly, and so far-fetched she just can’t get into it. If I bring up a movie during polite conversation, or a television show, she just looks at me and shakes her head, much like someone would to a child when they inform you they enjoy wallowing around in mud and picking their nose. Then she usually says stuff like, “You would like that show. It’s so nerdy, I just can’t get into stuff like that.”
Now, I have no problem with people who have tried speculative fiction, movies, and books and just find it’s not their cup of tea, but this woman is a whole different animal. I know for a fact she’s enjoyed all of the X-men movies, and Spiderman, so she can’t say she doesn’t see the appeal of such things, at least a little. But the most damning evidence against her is this; she watches and enjoys professional wrestling.
You read that right. The woman who claims that sci-fi is just too “out there” for her finds men dressed in spandex, and women flaunting their doctor given assets, totally believable. And she’s giving me some look of pity because of my choice in entertainment. Luckily, she has a few redeeming qualities or I might be tempted to tell her to shove her opinions up her ass. She’s also not my only friend with such flawed logic.
I have friends who claim to hate genre fiction; they only read Oprah’s Book Club picks, or anything by Danielle Steele. Never mind my revulsion with Danielle Steele, that’s a disgust that runs deep and could fill a second post all by itself. These people also have an affinity for shows like Lost, 24, and Desperate Houswives, CSI in all its incarnations, American Idol, and Survivor. Now, I’m sorry to burst their bubbles, but if you can believe these shows, then you surely have the makings of a sci-fi fan.
If you REALLY think Keifer Sutherland can drive across LA in less than ten minutes at three o’clock in the afternoon, then you can believe that warp drive exists, and alien life could possibly exist on other planets. If you think for even a moment that reality TV is actually “reality” it’s too late for you, you might as well just start dressing up as Princess Leia and attend the next sci-fi convention that hits your town with your significant other all decked out as Hon Solo (or vice versa depending on your mood and what gets your engines revved).
My point is (”Finally!” you scream) I hate sci-fi fans who are in such denial they don’t even know they are sci-fi fans. And I hate it when those same people try to tell me I’m rotting my brain on that crap. Welcome to America, baby, anyone who turns on their TV for more than an hour a day, or picks up the latest issue of People is rotting their brain. If you know everything there is to know about the Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaugn love…well, square I guess, then you, should keep your opinions to yourself when I start talking about elves, FTL drives, and how suddenly hot the Cylons are. Cause we’re both geeks, we’re just geeks on a different wave length.
And as for all you publishers, writers, and agents out there getting all uptight about what your genre is called, I have but one thing to say. “It’s your fault in the first place.” That’s right. You got a problem with the words “sci-fi” or “fantasy” or “geek”? Well, look no further than the industries you work in. There was a time not so long ago when there were no genres called sci-fi, fantasy, slip-stream, horror, magical realism, or any of the hundreds of other names and sub-genres you people have slapped on the book bindings to make sure everyone knows their pigeon hole. Now I understand this was done to make it easier to market, and easier for the consumer to find their favorite kinds of books, but such is the nature of the beast. Start passing judgments on what’s “literary” or mainstream and you can expect that judgment will be passed onto you. Basically, terms like Speculative Fiction (SF for short) might be prevalent in your industry-speak, but for the average Joe on the street you are stuck with the term “sci-fi,” so get the fuck over it.
From this point forward I refuse to cut the term sci-fi out of my vocabulary just to appease your sensibility. I will use these labels as follows. Sci-fi for any story with an element of science in it that is pivotal to the plot. Fantasy for magic, magical realism, or straight up imaginative oddness that doesn’t have a real link to science. Speculative Fiction for everything that is not a comfortable fit in the other two categories. Or when discussing both sci-fi and fantasy as a whole. There you go, all the guess-work gone. See how easy that was?
And for all us geeks, trekkies, fanfiction writers, and all-around dorks (and I include myself in this) I say it’s about time we took back those words that have defined us for nearly a century now. We are sci-fi and fantasy fans. We get a kick out of cheesy one-liners, skin tight jumpsuits, and thought-provoking fiction that makes us look at ourselves and our society through a slightly distorted, but no less honest, lens. We need to own who we are. Much like certain ethnic groups taking derogatory slurs and making them their own, draining them of their power, reinventing them, making them an “I can call myself that but I’ll bust ya if you do it,” kind of thing. Stand up and wear your geek mark proudly. Don’t let the brain dead mainstream tell you what’s cool, what’s ‘ungeeky’. Come on, these are the same people who thought Dancing with the Stars was a great idea and actually watch it, religiously. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, cool about B-rated stars shaking their money-makers. Trust me on this one.
Well, I suppose my little diatribe is over (for now). I’m not totally sure I made the point I set out to make, or even if I had a point in mind, but I feel better. And-since I’m an instant gratification, it’s-all-about-me kind of girl-that’s all that really matters.
Category: Geek Rants, Books, Movies, Television
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