Anyone else watching this show? Anyone else finding themselves kind of offended by it...but unable to not watch?
I feel like it's bad enough we've got shows like The Guild and Big Bang Theory, which are, to my mind, not really celebrating "nerd culture," but contributing to the consolidation and monetization of a variety of subcultures that *used* to be defined by being on the "outside" or whatever you want to call it.
I'm responding to King of the Nerds on two levels: first, I find it annoying that its clearly written/produced by people who have no respect for what makes nerds nerds. I'm thinking, "they're getting it wrong!" which I guess means I'm a nerd--the kind of person who's going to complain on the internet about a TV show getting things wrong
Second, I find myself thinking Dungeons and Dragons, Cosplaying, Chess, Batman, tattoos, etc. etc. are less cool--less desirable for me to admit to liking. Because many of the contestants are just unlikable (especially Alana). Which means I'm kind of becoming "mainstream" because I don't want to like the things these nerds like.
Not wanting to like the things I like, because I perceive them and therefore myself as uncool?? So--on another level it means I *am* kind of like Alana, who clearly dislikes herself.
So yeah, I don't know. Ever since my school days, my reaction to trends was to do the opposite. The show, and the cultural shift it is riding, make me unsure where to stand.
Am I just way over-analyzing this? What do you think about all this?
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