I have never claimed to be someone with immaculate taste, I simply know what I like and i’m not afraid to admit it. I think is a good thing, in fact I would go so far as to say it’s better to be someone who is passionate about something lowbrow than someone who is more cerbreal but displays no passion for them. I have touched on this subject before but a couple of recent conversations have made me want to revisit it, however in this case I want to talk about something that irks me more than an elitist nerd – the closet nerd.
There are two types of closet nerd as I see it. The first is the person who is passionate about something but keeps it secret for fear of reprisal. This I understand, there are many reasons why you might want to keep secrets from non nerdy friends and colleagues, not limited to ridicule or social outcast. Its the second I don’t get, the nerd who hides what he truly loves from other nerds. To be more specific a nerd who pretends to hate Chuck Norris movies (for example) when talking to other geeks but goes home and begs forgiveness in front of his Chuck Norris shrine. *
Screw that, be proud of what you love.
One of my favorite posters on this very board is Duke Fleed. Here is a man who has very non mainstream taste but is always happy to talk about the subjects he loves. This, is a very healthy attitude to have and personally I respect him more for doing it. We are all geeks after all, we come together to talk about what we love so why would you want to waste your time pretending to want to see Gone With the Wind (again for example) when you really want to talk about how much you love Double Impact?
This attitude even extends to some areas of fandom I really don’t get. Like for example my wife who loves Sex and the City, sure she gets some good natured ribbing from my friends and I, about how Sarah Jessica Parker is a horse with a rubber face mask. Or how the films are among the worst examples of things mankind has produced, but they are just that – good natured ribbing.
The truth is I like Masters of the Universe and Bon Jovi, so who the hell am I to judge.
*not literally, but you get the idea.