The Sphinx’s Gaze: Don’t be a dick
The Sphinx’s Gaze
Column by Elysabeth Galati
After reading the New York Times Article “Geeks, you are no longer victims. Get over it” I was surprised how much of geek culture was put into perspective for me. My company, Sphinx Group, covers all areas of pop culture and one thing I have seen an increase of in all genres of fracture within that medium. From gamergate to gay comic groups, female video gamers; regardless of niche there is a group to support it and a segment that can attack another. That is not to say that diversity in any genre should not be encouraged and more importantly reflected in the mediums of their audience. However, the segmenting only seems to increase chips on shoulders and create an “us” vs “them” scenario. If the constant rebirth and transformation of heroes let us redefine ourselves, the lack of obstacles to conquer leaves us void.
I see all of this on a larger scale based off the fact that I live in Chicago. Chicago is a HIGHLY fractured city. Northside vs Southside. Sox vs Cubs. Deep dish vs flatbread. All joking aside, we have 1 trauma center on the entire southside of one of the largest cities in the country. If you get into an accident here on the southside, you are looking at an extra 7 minutes in an ambulance to get you to a hospital. This is regardless of race, income, type of accident.. period. Hopefully you have the time to spare. In a 5 mile radius, you can go from an area where 15% of families deal with food insecurities and don’t regularly have enough to eat to an area of abject wealth. You honestly think we’d riot, but we don’t. Why? Because winter comes every year and we are all too busy trying not to let it kill us to fight amongst ourselves. We are Chicagoans. The winter makes us stronger. We tolerate the Southside and the Northside and look down on all other cities as wimps for not putting up with the cold.
As Geeks we have no yearly winter. Why did Guardians of the Galaxy win at the box office? Yes, it was well written, fun and visually pretty. Still at the core it unified a variety of “losers” to come together and be more then just the sum of their parts. To feel important and to have friends are human needs and everyone ESPECIALLY geeks can relate. As nerds, our worlds are infinitely more colorful and vivid then the mainstream so I am sure that we can figure out ways to communicate and partner to stop the infighting. The iconography ALL geeks relate to is that of heroes. All heroes have a few things in common.
- Do what needs to be done regardless of personal gain for the better of the world.
- Be awesome
- Don’t be a dick. You don’t have to save everyone, but you do have to not put down others.
Our days in the sun as geeks will not last forever. Change is the only true constant and I truly hope that as a community that we can at some point remember that chips on shoulders can hold you down if you let them.
As heroes we must rise. And we must also remember to not be a dick.
About the Author
Elysabeth Galati Lys Galati (formerly Lys Fulda) has reigned as dictator for 13 years at Sphinx Group a boutique public relations, sales and marketing firm who works exclusively with pop culture clients.
Related Posts
The Sphinx’s Gaze: How Did I Wind Up Here… Why I Do What I Do! →
The Sphinx’s Gaze: What Is It Like Being A Girl In A Guys Industry? →
The Sphinx’s Gaze: Geek Entitlement →
