REVENGE OF THE Rachael Andrews Staff Writer
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erd culture operates in society as a counterargument to the mainstream popular culture media and its preconceived ideas of identity, particularly gender. Male “nerds” have created for themselves a community wherein the societal pressures of traditional masculinity become fodder for endless mockery and resentment, instead of oppressive standards which men need to live up to. This bitterness tends to manifest itself through the treatment of women in nerd culture, both in the entertainment and in the consumers of that entertainment. Throughout science fiction and fantasy movies, television shows, and video games, women tend to fall into the same damaging tropes that they do in the mainstream, despite the fact that nerd culture prides itself on being alternative to mainstream gender roles. Often, women are seen as objects to be won, as in the earlier games in the Mario franchise, in which Princess Peach is not a playable character, but rather the trophy at the end of the game. Likewise, in the contemporary television show, The Big Bang Theory, the female characters are all the love interests of the male characters, and are seen as a reward for the male characters for being “nice guys” - the exception to this is Amy, a scientist and love interest of Sheldon, who, by virtue of her intellect, is portrayed as unattractive and frumpy. The narrative surrounding the “nice guy” - as often seen in manifestations of nerd culture - creates a sense of entitlement among male nerds that women must want to date them because they are “nice guys” and in some ways above the men of mainstream culture. When this is not the case, the women are assumed to be vapid or shallow, not unlike Penny - the main female character who is conventionally beautiful and unintelligent - is portrayed in the early seasons of Big Bang. This entitlement creates a dangerous idea of women’s place in the entertainment and within the culture itself. Women are often the victims of gender-based and sexual violence in genres across the field. Game of Thrones has made an unsavory reputation for itself in its disregard for sexual violence against women being used as a plot device or tool for “unlikable” women to gain sympathy from the audience. Many, if not all, of the female characters on Game of Thrones have suffered at the hands of men. The popular video game, Grand Theft Auto, has women appear as sexual objects purchased to perform sexual acts, after which the player can decide whether or not to kill her in order to get his money back. Grand Theft Auto V, the latest installment of the series, has drawn much ire from consumers and retailers alike for perpetuating dangerous attitudes and sexual degradation towards women.
C U LT U R E
NERDS
In 2014, Anita Sarkeesian, founder of Feminist Frequency, a website that analyzes women in popular culture, was the victim of severe online harassment, including rape and death threats for her video series, Tropes vs Women, which discusses women’s place in nerd culture, specifically video games. Her attackers, using the hashtag #Gamergate on Twitter, responded to her and her colleagues’ - Zoe Quinn and Brianna Wu critique of misogyny in video game culture. The hostility aimed at these women was primarily focused on attacking their integrity as professionals and their place in the male-dominated profession. This misogynistic treatment of women can also be seen in the so-called “Nerd-vana” of Comic-Con, and other entertainment conventions in which female cosplayers are routinely harassed based on the clothing they wear. The harassment has grown so much that Comic-Con has released official guidelines for treatment of cosplayers that are clearly visible throughout the convention. Nerd culture operates very similarly to the mainstream popular culture in creating and perpetuating male privilege, and female objectification. The nerdy guy also, at least in some aspects, buys into the traditionally masculine values that are presented in the mainstream. He recognizes that in some way or another, he is “less than” what he is supposed to be as dictated by the larger society. In creating this counterculture, male nerds also create within themselves a sense of entitlement comparable to that of the mainstream “manly men.” However, this ignores the privilege that all males, including male nerds, have and the homogeneity of the entertainment they consume. These male nerds are self-proclaimed victims of society, and as such, do not like to acknowledge their own privilege or their own systematic oppression of others, namely women. Not only are there misogynistic attitudes towards women, but there is a lack of visibility for people of color and people in the LGBTQ community in the entertainment. The struggles faced by male nerds ignore the struggles of basically anyone who is not straight, white, male, and middle-class, but who still feels the lingering insecurity of “not being good enough” by the mainstream’s standards.
Georgia Political Review ¦ 5