Why Conservatives Need To Reach Out To Nerd Culture
Do not disregard them.
Nerds do not exactly fit into a political sphere. We come from all different socioeconomic statuses, ethnicities, nationalities, and even political spheres. Some like comic books, anime/manga, gaming, RPGs, one or the other or all of the above.
Most tend to ignore nerds, seeing them as odd at the best or outright weird at the worst and not too important.
Recently, the far Left has been trying to infiltrate the nerd culture. Like the Left does with race, class, and pretty much every sub-group, they rile them up and get them angry, hoping they’ll vote for the next socialist in an election and then they will have another notch in their so-called intersectionality mind meld.
At first, they tried to guilt nerds into following them with the GamerGate debacle. However, when that backfired, they changed their tune.
Progressives have actively tried to recruit comic book industry captains to help them win over the nerd culture. From companies to trade magazines, many are trying to push progressive ideals onto the consumers. Story arcs have included turning originally heterosexual characters, including DC Comics’ Earth-Two incarnation of Green Lantern and Marvel Comics’ X-Men character Iceman, into homosexuals.
Both companies had previously created gay characters including DC’s Batwoman and Marvel’s Northstar, making it somewhat unnecessary for the change in the sexuality of these characters. We can surmise that this is a clear attempt at forcing a narrative onto the reader.
Marvel took it a step further, giving Thor’s hammer to Jane Foster, having Iron Man pass his mantle to a new female character named Ironheart, and having Bruce Banner somehow giving the Hulk’s power to Asian-American character Amadeus Cho. While many characters have passed down mantles, this was a move to incorporate intersectionality and it failed… in epic fashion.
The Left continues to try to push these tired socialist tropes, but nerds are not buying, at least not yet. There could come a time when they will win them over, especially if the industry keeps pushing ridiculous articles on toxic masculinity and third-wave feminism in comics.
Conservatives have a rare opportunity to make bridges to the nerd community. As stated earlier, nerds are from all across the political spectrum, but after being involved in this culture for some time, I can say most of them do not care to be preached to, they just want to enjoy their product. It is free-market thinking. They will buy their favorite characters in good plots but will rail against them when they don’t like the story.
A good example of this is the ‘Secret Empire’ story-arc which saw Captain America turn into a Nazi-sleeper agent. The backlash was tremendous and Marvel Comics abandoned it.
Conservatives have a prime chance to scoop up the nerds. Certainly, ideals of liberty, free market capitalism, and even politically incorrect free speech have a wide range of appeal to this culture.
Comic book fans can be eccentric, I among them. I mean, have you not seen my webshow StudioJake?
That being said, Conservatives can find that they are a great source of outreach to the culture. Thanks to comic-based films, whether you love or hate them, they have had a strong effect on the box office and audience. Nerds are responsible for bridging that gap. They are the link to these writers, artists, filmmakers, and creators who are influencing the masses today.
There is a roadblock, however. It is a pompous attitude in Conservatism, especially among the elite thought-leaders, that treats “nerd things” as trivial, shallow, or even childish. If the writer isn’t Shakespeare, Aristotle, Chaucer, or alive, there is push back.
While I’ll grant that Batman: Year One is not Coriolanus, these comic book tales do bring action, interesting characters, science fiction, and a little bit of reality suspension the likes most people have never even read. They prefer Neil Adams to Christopher Marlowe, who cares? Culture has many shapes and forms, and while it may not seem bourgeoisie, it is entertaining.
This ridicule only serves to alienate a small, but relevant part of the culture. The Left is actively trying to win nerds over and while their attempts at guilt-tripping us are failing, the progressives will soon catch on and try to win them over with bribery.
Conservatives have got to get their act together and instead of trying to shove their likes at them, accept the fact that some people are not into the same forms of entertainment.
Now, does this mean you have to go out and buy Todd MacFarlane’s run on Spider-Man, binge-watch Dragon Ball Z, or watch the entire Dark Knight Trilogy in one night? No, of course not. Just realize that nerds are a unique fan base with unique tastes.
With those imaginations, nerds can be an ally in promoting the ideals of freedom and liberty with a powerful creativity that no one else can bring.
Wow, a little bit of a rant, but needed to be said.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or anime you would like me to review.