I remember saying this on my Tumblr that geek culture and the sciences can be and are mutually exclusive of one another, well at times, in the sense that one can be into astronomy and have little to no interest in geek culture. I guess it’s got to do with the belief if somebody’s smart about something, especially if it’s not mainstream or academic, they must be rather awkward even if it’s not always the case. I have known scientists who are experts in sociology, astronomy and biology but have no real or at least strong interest in geek culture whatsoever, a good number of the people I know who are deeply involved in geek culture are involved in the arts.
I guess that’s one aspect of geek culture that’s mostly ignored throughout the media, in the sense that most people expect scientists to be geeky but not artists. Even though the arts is (just) as important to geek culture, whereas the sciences may not always involve geek culture. Maybe to some extent, but so are the arts really. It probably does depend on the science, but I don’t think all people who’re into astronomy are geeky. There are people who get into biology because they like animals a lot, regardless if they’re geeky or not. Conversely speaking, some people get into illustration because they got inspired by something geeky like comic books for instance.
That’s actually the case with one children’s book illustrator, but he’s probably neither the first nor last example of such. Another became an art because of comics, no I’m not making this one up. There are some people who fit the science is geeky stereotype, but I don’t really know that much other than this one makeup maker and a chemist. Most of the geekiest people I know are deeply involved in the arts, be it illustration, comics or fiction writing. There may be some overlap between certain sciences, well not so much in others though it could also be said about the arts as well.
As for autism, it’s long been called the geek disorder but new research suggests that non-pathological narcissism is more commonly among geeks. I suspect it’s got more to do with how much of geek culture appeals to those with grandiose narcissism, especially when it comes to power fantasies. So much so it’s not always about being the underdog, but rather having such an elevated view of their own importance that having a power fantasy is one way to live it out. A lot of superhero stories are like this, especially when it comes to having a lot of above-average characters.
Many of them tend to be excellent fighters, have preternatural abilities or very enhanced skills and abilities like super-strength and superspeed that reading about them is to live out those narcissistic power fantasies. It’s easier to go with the awkward underdog angle because it plays into stereotypes about geekdom rather than geekdom as it actually is, without realising that superhero stories have traits that are very attractive to narcissists if it weren’t having so many above-average characters. Not that there aren’t any autistic people who’re into superheroes, but the nature of superhero comics is very appealing to narcissists.
If autism can be mutually exclusive of geek culture, perhaps we don’t really understand geeks as they are due to our expectations of them. Like their interests must so different from the rest that they’re supposed to be awkward underdogs, when in reality they’re more likely to have an inflated view of themselves that they get to live vicariously through fictional characters. Hence the preponderance of power fantasies and self inserts in fanfiction, and as I said before a lot of superheroes tend to be above-average anyways. Excellent in martial arts, espionage and technology.
This is why comic books like Cathy are unlikely to find a devoted audience among geeks because the characters tend to be rather average, not that they’re incompetent but they’re very normal people. They are interesting but never too flashy, since many geeks also have fantasy-proneness so they’ll gravitate to anything fantastical. It seems when it comes to geek culture, it’s easier to go with preconceptions than the reality of it. If because the actual reality is rather hard to describe at first for outsiders, but if being into science can be separate from geek culture so is autism since most geeks are rather narcissistic.
fynm 