I will let out an unequivocal sigh before I begin writing this post. Okay ready? 1...2...3...
:::SIGH:::
Now that I have released all of the carbon dioxide out of my lungs, allow me to elaborate on why I feel discouraged, upset, and concerned about what is missing from this video. I would like to allow you the opportunity to watch it before I start my rant and then we will take it from here.
Can you tell me what is missing from the video? I know that black geeks are still an anomaly in mainstream media and I know that term "Nerd" a term first coined in the 50's, depicted an archetype represented only by white males. I totally get that. However, I would hope by now that perhaps someone would whisper into the ears of content creators who birth ideas such as "Geek Week" that they would direct, write, and produce videos that are demonstrative of geeks of all races. One could argue...."well wait, there's an Asian girl in the video, she's a person of color right?"
Not exactly.
Asians are considered a white minority in nerd culture. Nerd culture also embraces Asians to a relatively large extent. Anime and Manga has made is easy for Asian nerds to be welcomed with open arms in nerd/geek culture. Listening to J-Pop and watching K-Dramas are well received by many nerds of all races. However, seeing a black geek for some reason or another is just well...rare.
Why?
What is it about us that is so different from any other race? I want to shift back for a moment and talk about the term Nerd. Nerds were initially identified as white and male. Today white women still have difficulty maintain their "nerd status" among social circles because of the Nerd archetype that still holds strong today. Black men still struggle to hold onto their nerd credentials, but they are not questioned as often as women are.
Remember this meme?
What about Black Women? Black female nerds are virtually non-existent. I have to struggle to think of black women who classify themselves openly as being nerdy. If I were to Google images of nerdy black women there are only a select few that come up. So back to the video, why oh why are we still fighting to stay relevant in the world of geekdom? It frustrates me to see a social media entity like YouTube miss a major oversight here and not show one single man or woman of color who portrays their identity as geek.
I get some critics on Twitter who say, "well what difference does it make?"
It makes a difference to me. I saw a young woman today tweet about the new 12th Doctor that was announced. The 12th Doctor was yet another white male. I can't pretend that I wasn't disappointed, and although I knew the likelihood of a new Doctor would be non-Black, I was crossing my fingers that at least she would be female. The person on Twitter (who was a black female by the way) made some strong statements about the vitriol from black nerds everywhere venting about the new Doctor.
I will paraphrase what she said, she questioned why must blacks always have to see themselves on TV? The show is a classic for a reason, and they stick with the same formula because simply that is what works for them. She believed that black people shouldn't always have to see minorities represented in predominately white spaces (i.e., Doctor Who, comic book characters, and cartoons).
I clutched my pearls when I read her tweets, and although I was incredibly tempted to respond back, I knew it was not the appropriate time to do so, because otherwise it may come off as being combative, bellicose, and down right rude.
Her tweets really pissed me off.
I want to see myself on TV because I don't want to feel isolated and alone. I don't want to feel like I am the only person of color out there that loves nerdy things. I don't want to feel like because I am black and female that I am obligated to be an extrovert. I don't want to feel like because of the color of my skin that I have predisposition to act, speak, and think a certain way. Community building is important. The worst thing you can do is diminish a person's value by allowing them to believe that they are suited under the radar rather than being a part of a large society. I'm not exactly a status quo/mainstream kind of girl, but damn it, I want to see more women of my ilk in TV/Film/Media.
Even if it is for some week long social media launch through YouTube. Just show me a girl who I can identify with! White men and women don't have this problem and even black men can still look to more role models than us when it comes to Geek Identity.
Step it up YouTube. You can do better.
J.
