Geek Wars - Our Own Culture Clash

In the geek subculture, there are a few things most of us can agree on.

Han shot first.

Bacon should have its own food group.

There Should Have Been Only One.

It is easier to enjoy Highlander and The Matrix if you insist there were never sequels.

And most of us really, really like The Goddamn Batman, and feel kinda icky about furries.

What about more controversial geek topics? Star Wars, or Star Trek? Consoles or computer gaming? Marvel or DC comics? Piracy: scourge of the struggling game content creator, or customer's (semi)legitimate protest over hyperinflated game prices and substandard content?

Pages and pages of geeks flaming each other have been written in internet forums, blogs, anywhere someone can make their opinions known. Geeks identify themselves by their feelings on these topics, and I think it is almost more about what they dislike, then defending or expressing support for their favorites. Namecalling, insults, and the inevitable decline from "civil discourse" to "invocation of Godwin's Law," it all happens too fast, and in the name of what someone does or does not find entertaining.

In the 1994 movie Witch Hunt, there's a quote that I think sums it up, "Let me tell you about the people... put ten of them in a room, and they may not elect a leader, but I guarantee they'll pick someone to hate." As intelligent men and women, we should be able to rise above needing to despise others for different opinions. We laugh at hardcore sports fans for getting angry at each other over which burly guys wearing what colors the other guy cheers for, but are we really above it all? Hell, in some ways, we're worse.

I'm going to do my part to accept other geeks, even if they don't like what I do.

Except furries. They still creep me out.

A slight change of direction.

 
After my first few posts, a couple things are clear:

1.  I underestimated how addictive blogging is.

2.  Everyone who has visited my runt of a beginner's attempt at blogging has made me appreciate the human race more than before.

This with only a week's experience, and with a blog smaller than most.  It has been eye-opening to say the least!  I've learned so much from blogs that I get to from my comments - from new cars and music, to beautiful photography and backgrounds, to enlightening science articles and dreams.  I am humbled by the internet, and by the sheer coolness of those who have visited me so far.

So while the paint is still wet in my shoebox-sized blog cabin, I want to shift things to bring content that more people will enjoy more often.

Because hey, no one - not even me - wants to read what I churn out all the time.

From now on I will be sharing links to web publication of fiction and poetry, an excerpt from said link, and a small review from me.  I'll still put out my own stuff, every other post or so.  Also, these links will not have linkbucks or any other advertising between you and the content.

Offering #1

"What Comes of Darkness," poem by Langston Kerman

Excerpt (click the poem title for the full length poem):

My biggest fear:
walking into a silent black room
flipping a switch & finding
someone staring back at me

Langston Kerman is clearly a gifted poet.  With this short poem he opens up your subconscious, calls up your childhood, and flashes chilling sense-memories through your mind with ease.  He then pushes all of that into the present and future.  With a kind of nostalgic sadness that many writers would fumble, he gets it all right.