tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post6305698600073564226..comments2024-03-27T10:35:46.596+01:00Comments on Ravalation: Female nerdismRavanelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03447777640056476366noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-7891943736954435772016-05-29T00:36:38.884+02:002016-05-29T00:36:38.884+02:00It breaks my heart, too. It's so dumb, and mea...It breaks my heart, too. It's so dumb, and mean and hurtful... I can get really mad when I hear about this happening. Luckily we all have each other. Thanks for the kind words, awesome nerdy friend! <3Ravanelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447777640056476366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-7142549431354141472016-05-28T12:16:40.111+02:002016-05-28T12:16:40.111+02:00Thanks. But I know myself better. Oh, and just to ...Thanks. But I know myself better. Oh, and just to clarify, because I just realized that given the context of the post it might give the wrong impression. But when I used to be like that it was against *anyone* who didn't meet my completely arbitrary view of what "passionate" meant. So, even as jerk I try to be egalitarian. :p<br /><br />Anyway, yeah, I can see where the handy label part comes. Still I don't feel like I'd feel right using it describe myself. Oh, well. To each their own.<br />Rakunohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00253609981961681014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-18567460623730941952016-05-28T10:52:55.289+02:002016-05-28T10:52:55.289+02:00I wholeheartedly agree! I feel we're part of a...I wholeheartedly agree! I feel we're part of a really inclusive and welcoming corner of the internet and I'm glad for it. :)Ravanelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447777640056476366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-1258453702759968852016-05-28T10:35:51.043+02:002016-05-28T10:35:51.043+02:00For me it's the same. I don't actively des...For me it's the same. I don't actively describe myself as nerd, geek or gamer in life, but it's a handy label at times if you need to tell something about yourself in one word. Like using gamer girl in my blog description, as I explained in the post.<br /><br />I don't think you have to worry about still being guilty of this still. I've gotten to know you as a kind an inclusive soul, not just to me, but to anyone you meet. The fact that you frequently write long blog post worthy comments on a blog owned by a self-proclaimed 'gamer girl' says enough. I also think it's really brave to tell you were guilty of this behaviour in the past in this hippie den of fandom. I'm with you hoping this is just a phase for most people and if they grow up to be like you, the world will be a better place. You don't give yourself enough credit!Ravanelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447777640056476366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-69546591536066956092016-05-27T21:01:12.809+02:002016-05-27T21:01:12.809+02:00Great post -it makes me sad too. I feel the hardsh...Great post -it makes me sad too. I feel the hardships as a female Magic the Gathering player. I'm the only regular girl at my local comic shop. Everyone is use to me there and things are fine, but the larger tournaments are often awkward. Guys get upset if they're beaten by a female player, or they ask questions/imply that I only play Magic because my boyfriend/brother/male-figure plays.<br />It's frustrating, but something I try to educate players on at the same about.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10882382894915714028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-15091478369261667422016-05-27T15:37:34.275+02:002016-05-27T15:37:34.275+02:00I agree with absolutely every word you wrote here....I agree with absolutely every word you wrote here. Being any kind of geek, nerd, gamer or whatever we might call ourselves is all about hobbies, being passionate about something; who are others to judge what we sould or should not like?! <br /><br />I guess I have been very lucky so far to never had experienced the female geek hatred as some other ladies members of the group you mentioned (or the similar one on Facebook, I hear you were considering joining us as well? ^^). However, IRL when my hobbies come up during a random discussion with people, I am very amused to often hear that "no one would guess that I am a geek by looking at me". That almost makes me think of myself as a peculiar superhero - girly girl by day, supernerd by night :D The funny thing about that is at work everyone thinks that I am a technology master of some sort and whenever there is something wrong with a computer or other electronic device they ask me for help. Ah, sweet stereotype ^^<br /><br />Anyway, we should all be free to like what like without anyone telling us that we're liking it wrong. There. Live long and geek out! :) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16548428756393549885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-78765287449613931702016-05-27T05:14:25.134+02:002016-05-27T05:14:25.134+02:00The comic book fandom is more toxic than video gam...The comic book fandom is more toxic than video gamer fandom, in my opinion, because it has been around longer.<br /><br />But the success of the MCU movies has been kicking the door open for new fans, and in particular women and minorities, to enter comic fandom. And there are comics that have women and minorities as their focus that are very much in the mainstream, such as Ms. Marvel. (I REALLY recommend Ms. Marvel, with the teenage Kamala Khan as the titular character.)<br /><br />Still, the Comic Book Guys are out there, and they're not going away quietly.Redbeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05306063084983025771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-59415936483228544632016-05-26T22:21:56.351+02:002016-05-26T22:21:56.351+02:00OMG, Shintar participating in a blogging prompt - ...OMG, Shintar participating in a blogging prompt - what is the world coming to?! First it was answering my Liebster questions in the comments; it's clearly going downhill from here...<br /><br />I'm joking of course, I do enjoy reading about other bloggers from time to time (especially if they don't reveal much about themselves in their usual writing, and especially if I stalk them a lot: you qualify for both categories), so I would love you to accept the creative blogger award. <br /><br />As for the internet, I suppose everyone loves it, but I imagine the effect it has on a person will vary per individual. When you got in touch with it is a big factor as well. When I put my first steps onto the net, it was a much friendlier and less corporate world than it is now - a different experience indeed.Ravanelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447777640056476366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-73291646146394777532016-05-26T22:12:32.406+02:002016-05-26T22:12:32.406+02:00It's a different bunch of people in the G+ gro...It's a different bunch of people in the G+ group compared to the gaming blogosphere, so it makes me feel like I'm living in two worlds at once at times - truth is, though, I don't like being stuck in one corner anyway. And it's fun to meet new people, read more personal posts and get in touch with geeky art and fashion. The group is *very* broad, and not all blogs appeal to me, but it's a fun way to broaden your horizon. Let me know what you think. :)<br /><br />And I agree with what you said about the hating. I think the people that 'hate' are mostly those that take advantage of internet anonymity and want to feed their ego by laughing at someone for 'doing it wrong', implying they belong to the pack and know how 'it should be done'. It's not all that different from bullying kids on a school yard when the teacher isn't looking. Pathetic, really.Ravanelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447777640056476366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-71081845597414172492016-05-26T21:38:18.308+02:002016-05-26T21:38:18.308+02:00You're right that I don't talk a lot about...You're right that I don't talk a lot about my personal life on the blog, though it's funny to me that you cite this particular example as something that sounds personal to you - you mean, not everyone was totally amazed by discovering the internet? :D<br /><br />I think partially I like my privacy, but another major part is that I'm quite obsessed with staying "on topic". Maybe I'll use Shadowz' writing prompt to reveal a few things about myself (/gasp).Shintarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16758343475446510635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-78917057328256019582016-05-26T18:40:14.572+02:002016-05-26T18:40:14.572+02:00In Dutch, everyone just uses the English words. I ...In Dutch, everyone just uses the English words. I didn't hear "geek" when I grew up, but "nerd" was actively in use and had a very negative connotation. I'm pretty sure I was identified as one by my class mates if only for the reason that I didn't hate learning things at school and things came naturally to me.<br /><br />I had no idea that discovering the internet and geek/nerd/gamer culture was something special for you (I think you usually keep such personal experiences out of Going Commando, that or I'm a worse reader than I try to be), but that's really cool to hear. It's always a happy moment when someone finds their 'crowd'. Also, I cannot agree more: the more fans, the merrier! If only because it means it's easy to decorate your house with Star Wars merc. 😳 *hides*Ravanelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447777640056476366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-1675492114886650622016-05-26T17:23:58.116+02:002016-05-26T17:23:58.116+02:00I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through a p...I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through a phase like that. I absolutely *hate* group pressure, and I know all about it. When I grew up I made the opposite decision: I decided that the people that thought I wasn't "cool" because of my nerdy interests weren't worth it. Of course, this soon meant that I had few friends and I was widely known throughout the school as 'the weird girl'. There were some people in my class that really hated me, and I still don't understand why. For instance, I recognized a former classmate at my first week of university and greeted her; she looked straight past me and acted as if I didn't exist (even though we had been in the same class for 3 years)!<br /><br />Anyway, this was more than 10 years ago and the friends that I did make at that school are still my best friends. I strongly believe that everyone should do and like what they do, and not be hated for it. I had no idea that starting your blog was such a defining moment for you (even though I could've guessed if I'd have taken a bit more attention to the title :$), but I think it's really, really cool that you made the step. *fangirl highfive*Ravanelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03447777640056476366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-24406410173693878482016-05-25T21:29:05.363+02:002016-05-25T21:29:05.363+02:00I find it very difficult to comprehend why there a...I find it very difficult to comprehend why there are still people who readily accept that men can do all these various "geeky" things without a second thought and yet criticise, patronise, and outright dismiss women for even so much as aspiring to do the exact same things. Geeking and nerding out, no matter to which degree, is something which is absolutely gender-neutral, and it's about time that more people began accepting this. <br /><br />As others have said, fantastic article. The nerddom is strong with this one. :DCalphayanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-8517629992204659652016-05-25T19:27:40.750+02:002016-05-25T19:27:40.750+02:00I am a man. Totally Lord of the Rings fan. Read th...I am a man. Totally Lord of the Rings fan. Read the books, saw the movies, play the game. Read the books once, saw the movies twice (only because I went to the last premiere in a movie-marathon), play the game daily. I forget names, I am a very poor quoter. I never concidered myself as a nerd when I was young (51 now), I was (am) a rocker, but lets face it, I am one. Love computers, like intellectual conversations, read a lot of comics when I was young (Superman-fan), wear T-shirts with funny texts, I blog and I game for hours a day. Just one game, I don't concider myself a gamer either. But I am...<br /><br />But... NOBODY ever judged me for that. Weird faces sometimes, when I say I read The Lord of the Rings only once (rather read new info, brain wants info), but never anyone doubted me to be a real fan/nerd. <br /><br />TOTALLY absurd when a woman is the same degree of fan/nerd, and gets judged for that.<br /><br />Great article again Rav, and Healthy.Nappy.Nerdy.Mommy, I think you are a true nerd!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05781155613101321133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-64311649154999560572016-05-25T18:49:46.851+02:002016-05-25T18:49:46.851+02:00Awesome post! The ridiculous amount of hate female...Awesome post! The ridiculous amount of hate female gamers and geeks tend to have to deal with is just absurd. We really are part of such an open-minded group with our little blogging community, but there are still so many people out there that accuse women of being fake nerds simply because they don't know everything there is to know about everything nerdy...if that makes any sense, haha. It's all so silly to me, but it does break my heart when girls start feeling badly about who they are because someone put them down. Anyway, our group is awesome, and you're awesome too<3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-78007487689688836302016-05-25T18:42:45.233+02:002016-05-25T18:42:45.233+02:00Love this post! I get crap from idiots who don'...Love this post! I get crap from idiots who don't think I'm the "right kind of person" to be a nerd; jokes on them when I school their asses on LoZ trivia.<br /><br />I wrote something similar awhile back about these types of gatekeepers if you have any interest(: http://katsyxo.com/2016/01/27/spot-fake-fan/<br /><br />xoxo - www.katsyxo.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13399908392125556526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-79662731179915693412016-05-25T09:02:28.482+02:002016-05-25T09:02:28.482+02:00I don't know how it is with Dutch, but in Germ...I don't know how it is with Dutch, but in German we don't even have a proper word for geek or nerd - I think that's changing now, but growing up I just knew that I had weird hobbies that hardly anyone else seemed to share and that I didn't quite fit in anywhere. Finding the internet and this new "identity" was so exciting! I still don't get the notion that people apparently think that there are too many fans of this kind of stuff now and they somehow need to be divided into worthy and unworthy. Like Bhag said, our natural reaction should be to share the love, not the opposite.Shintarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16758343475446510635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-80879186569643153262016-05-25T04:13:14.893+02:002016-05-25T04:13:14.893+02:00The whole hobby could do with a lot less hate, in ...The whole hobby could do with a lot less hate, in any form. <br /><br />Though I suspect the majority are really just trolling for the sake of trolling, especially in this internet day and age, out of a need for attention or a misplaced sense of humor, rather than any real hate per se.<br /><br />I'm personally happy when my hobbies and fandoms grow more mainstream and widely accepted. Many battles were fought with family and teachers in an age when 'fantasy' and 'roleplaying' was seen as something distracting from grades or even satanic. The more gamers and fans the merrier, cultural takeover = overall victory.<br /><br />I do admit to sometimes wielding age and trivial knowledge like a club though, but I usually reserve it for people who judge a book by its cover. I like to 'out-nerd' or 'out-geek' someone who measures by that yardstick, if only to startle them into silence. ;) <br /><br />It's a bit like that story Rubi Bayer shared on the GW2 reddit where she saw an elderly woman hovering around the ArenaNet booth eyeing the computers, and she approached her to offer to help her walk through the demo... Then the venerable old lady gave her a -look- and said, "I have nine level 80s."<br /><br />Rekt by Grandma Hardcore. I wanna grow up to be like them. :)Jeromaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02206083433625986970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-20781902691117839192016-05-25T02:22:08.832+02:002016-05-25T02:22:08.832+02:00I just read her post and it was like all of my ner...I just read her post and it was like all of my nerdy fears written down. I'm a very late in life bloomer of loving "nerd" stuff. There were some things I enjoyed when I was growing up (LOTR) but I saw how ruthlessly my brother was picked on for being a nerd, so I hid anything I liked that wasn't "cool" and basically steered clear of things I wanted to watch or do that were considered nerdy. I only started my blog a year ago, but that was the moment I said f*ck it, I'm going to try out all of these fandoms I've secretly longed to dive into and see how it goes. I'm always worried someone will think I'm just a big phony because I don't know all of the facts or have years and years of knowledge about fandoms so her post really resonated with me. Thanks for sharing this!Danielle Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15432659542347555085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-82296091360174820452016-05-25T00:07:15.683+02:002016-05-25T00:07:15.683+02:00Thanks for sharing that G+ group. It will be cross...Thanks for sharing that G+ group. It will be crossing the streams, but I may just follow them from my RL/work account. <br />I think most people are laid back and accepting. I haven't seen any hate vibes, but I think the hate vibes come from people just wanting to be outraged by things who have no filters. I actually doubt that they really do hate the things they say they hate, it is just a word they trot out and misuse.Gamer Lady Phttps://gamerladyp.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-88879669987523391812016-05-24T20:56:33.574+02:002016-05-24T20:56:33.574+02:00I personally have as little time for "hipster...I personally have as little time for "hipster hate" as I do for this kind of nerd hierarchy. When I read definitions of what a "hipster" is supposed to be it frequently reminds me very strongly of myself and my friends aged from mid-teens onwards and in my late fifties I would still tick a lot of the "hipster" boxes.<br /><br />What both surprises and annoys me about this is that many, most of those tropes and behaviors used to be assigned to the terms "nerd" or "geek" or, most especially, "fan". It seems very redolent to me of my days in comics fandom in the 1980s, when comics fans looked down on science fiction fans who looked down on fantasy fans who were looking down on comics fans in some kind of Escheresque nightmare spiral.<br /><br />Hipsters, geeks, nerds...they all have far more in common than they are willing to admit. There really is no excuse for any of them taking the moral high ground at the expense of the rest. <br /><br />As for hating newcomers to the fold, that's utterly unacceptable and, in my personal experience over the years, very unusual. I would say that one of the defining characteristics of fans of all kinds is evangelism. When a fan finds someone who doesn't know much about the subject of their fandom but who looks even the slightest bit not completely uninterested the problem is stopping the fan drowning the newbie in vast torrents of information and enthusiasm in the hope of gaining a convert. If that's not how it works any more then I must have missed that memo!<br /><br />One of the reasons we all blog is to share our obsessions and hope we can get a few more people to share them, isn't it? What on earth would be the point in trying to push people away from the things you want to tell the world are so great? The thing newbies ought to fear is being overwhelmed with well-meaning attention (seen that happen - often) not being ridiculed for their lack of experience.Bhagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499162165023939880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-11903896592446448082016-05-24T18:52:04.462+02:002016-05-24T18:52:04.462+02:00I'll be following along with her for sure! I c...I'll be following along with her for sure! I completely agree that it is saddening to see people who question 'nerd status' based on WHEN you got into it or how much you know. That is so silly, and basically the opposite of what you'd want in a community. If you're a fan, you're a fan, no matter how long or what your knowledge base!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01497362042395902485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5922857679980740630.post-46478128040251388302016-05-24T17:02:28.421+02:002016-05-24T17:02:28.421+02:00Amen.
I've been guilty of that during my teen...Amen.<br /><br />I've been guilty of that during my teenage years. The idea was that if you weren't as knowledgeable was that you weren't "passionate" enough. Which is a pretty idiotic kind of thinking and I'd like to think I am past that. In fact, now I think that if a person shows interest on something it is a good opportunity to share and introduce them to the stuff you love. Then you both can talk about it. :)<br /><br />As for the term Nerd, I never liked it much because as I was growing up it only had negative connotations. Which didn't help with all my feelings of inadequacy (which I still have to a large extend but at least I know some of the reasons now) so it is term I prefer not to use for myself. But I have no strong feelings one way or another if people want to use them for themselves.<br /><br />Same thing with the gamer term but that one is more due to my own logic. I don't understand the need for a new term when we already have a perfectly valid one for a person who play games: player. For me it is like a person who loves basketball and plays it with his friends whenever he can calling himself "basketballer" to differentiate himself from other people who only watch basketball games occasionally or who don't watch basketball at all. But again I have no strong feelings one way or another if people want to use that term for themselves. Live and let live I guess.<br /><br />Also that motivational image is perfect.Rakunohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00253609981961681014noreply@blogger.com