Voice Post

One blog I found is "The Geek Girl," authored by Selina Wilken. She has a passion for sci-fi and fantasy entertainment: books, TV shows, videogames, conventions. While her blog is used for fan purposes—to vent or squeal about whatever develops in her fandoms—she also writes objectively about the state and perceptions of fandom, and issues pertaining in particular to female participants of online fandom. Hence the title of her blog, which draws attention to her gender, perhaps in defiance to the common perception that geeks are socially inept, WoW-obsessed boys who live in their parents’ basements, and not girls—or that girls, who should be at the mall buying make-up to improve themselves, are simply not supposed be geeks.

(This is something I’ve heard before—that girls are supposed to be rare in sci-fi fandoms. Now I don’t know if that was an older trend, but in my experience, most of the fan activity I’ve come across has been perpetrated overwhelmingly by girls.)

Regardless, this is the tone she takes to her blog: one of self-deprecation, resignation to her fate as a ‘geek girl,’ but still one who is proud to be what she is (almost even snobbish—in that way that fans for some reason can get to be), and eager to share with others who may be of the same condition as she is.

In her introductory post, “Are You Normal?” she answers that question in the opening sentences of her first paragraph: 

“In a word? No. And thank god for that, right? Because I bet that’s why you’re here – desperately combing through search engines looking for someone, anyone on the interweb who feels like you do: isolated, confused, yet strangely proud of your geekdom.”

Here’s the thing about almost all fans participating in online fandom, and she sums it up accurately: they are for the most part aware that their hobbies are not considered ‘normal,’ and are somewhat ashamed of this fact, yet at the same time they think that makes them in a way better than those who aren’t—and are somehow missing out on the joke, the fun.

“In a word? No,” sounds resigned: neither you, nor her, will ever be normal. But the subsequent, “And thank god for that, right?” demonstrates her cheekiness, and sets her blog up right off the bat as one which will abound no doubt in quick, self-deprecating humor.

In a more recent, similarly-related post, titled “I laugh at people who laugh at fandom,” Selina talks about being a fan, the constant feeling of having to hide her fan identity, and how absurd that is.

“I am in particular referring to fans of “geeky things” (anything entertainment), because for some reason our society is way more accepting of sports fans (not people who play sport, people who dress up in crazy costumes and shout at the players. I never get it when these people judge us for our obsessions). Whatever your passion is, if it in any way goes beyond what I’ll classify as mild enjoyment, to many people whose interests are considered normal, you are fair game for heckling, eye-rolling and generic “get a life”-themed comments.”

Her reference to sports fans is humorous because she employs such a matter-of-fact tone, and puts emphasis in just the right places so that you can almost see her rolling her eyes at what society accepts and considers normal. Her phrasing and diction also show her as someone who is perceptive and sarcastic—not in a mean way, but in a down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is kind of way.

“Whatever your passion is, if it in any way goes beyond what I’ll classify as mild enjoyment, …”

In this sentence she’s picking fun not only at herself and other geeks, but the emphasis on “mild enjoyment” is also cleverly, humorously condescending to those who she considers ‘normal.’ In a way, she’s poking fun at the fact that they cannot attain any deeper connection to the material than mild enjoyment, mild enough to kill time whist waiting for other, regular things to preoccupy themselves with.

The subject of her blog is one that invites poking fun. Spending time on something that is in no way considered productive (other than sports fandom, apparently) invites ridicule. And Selina takes that quality to her blog, and as a result she presents herself as witty and smart, but as someone who doesn’t take herself too seriously. Which a good thing, because above all, the people who take themselves too seriously are the ones who are ostracized and ridiculed the most.