When my son grows up, I want him to be a geek. Sure he can be a firefighter, marine biologist, claims adjuster, whatever, as long as he is a nerd. Why? Because a dork, a geek, a nerd, a treckie, a LARPER, a movie enthusiast, whatever you want to call them, are simply just one word....awesome. And sure, I may use the word a lot, this is awesome, that is awesome, but being a geek, is the awesomist. Here is why...
We don't like Justin Beiber, and if we do, that is what we are embarrassed to share, not our daydreams of being on the Star Ship Enterprise, not the fact that we practice our lightsaber duels in a room late at night. Our collection of Magic cards are our most precious possessions, and we would rather be IG88 than I-Carly. As a whole we humans live in a world that is full of just AWFUL things: suicides, shootings, hunger, and most of the times, the bad guys DO win, so why can't we just escape into a world where the Joker will always lose, no matter how many times he tries. Why do we make fun of the ones who run to the comic book store when the new addition of their favorite series comes out (Buffy season 9 represent over here). Better that then hang out with the "cool kids" loitering at the park, smoking, drinking, breaking into cars...(this isn't a generalization, these kids do do this across the street from where I live... Although after I ran out of the house with my Darth Vadar Mask and Lightsaber, they seemed to stop coming by... weird.) Let my kid stay in someone's basement talking about what's better: Star Wars Trilogy (original) or the Lord of the Rings.
Sci-fi, Comic books, movies, cult classics like Firefly, or Doctor Who, these are all awesome ways for our children to have an escape from the world, I even support video games, in healthy doses, no I am not talking Grand Theft Auto, more like Skyrim, because it gets our kids engaged in a very unique world full of possibilities and the graphics are wicked cool.
I am not saying that your kid has to be the typical geek, with the glasses, and the pocket protector, all the better if he or she is a baseball player geek, a varsity football player dork, a track star Treckie, who cares, as long as it is there, in his blood, that Star Wars, 4,5,6 will always rank top three in their top five list of greatest movies, and that upon request or not he will show you his rare blue Snaggletooth toy from the 1978 Kenner Sears Cantinia Set.
The people who think of these products, movies, books and comics are called visionaries, and that's what I want my kid to be, a visionary. I want him to enjoy a bit of fantasy in his life. I want him to be able to think of a world just a little different than the one he lives in now, and not hop on the Abercrombie and Fitch bandwagon. Many a child have used these outlets as a means to create an identity of their own and hopefully as inspirations to create something just as awesome. I want my son to like what he likes because he likes it, not because it is cool. I want him to be proud of the fact that he still collects toys at the age of 40 and display them proudly on the wall if that's what he wants to do.
The Britney Spears's and Christina Aguilera's idolization is promoting sex, sexuality, unoriginal ideas, along with catchy tunes and sweet sweet dance moves, and while I enjoy them, where did that get them? Both of them on Reality T.V. shows, whereas Han Solo helped save the Rebellion and got the girl. I want my kid to kick the Dark side's bum, not judge other people on a semi-high ranked TV show. Kevin Smith idolized Batman, Superman, and Star Wars, and he is one of the coolest directors and creative minds out there. I'd rather my son be a Kevin Smith of the world than a Jonas brother, (Although as a mom I have to say this...Kevin WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!! :)
So, in conclusion I guess I just want my kid to follow what he wants to follow, not fall in line. I don't want all the main stream media to control his thoughts and get implanted in his brain. I'd rather he relax and think of the Muppets (pre-Disney) than the latest fashion trend, with the hope that this will all stir a bit of creativity from within him. Of course, just because you are a fan of Sci-fi and the like does not mean that you are more creative than the next, I just feel that when you experience creativity you gain inspiration. You can accomplish this by going to museums, hiking, touring cities or wherever you find inspiration personally, not just by partaking in awesome dork-like activities. The main thing about this post is that I want my son to color outside the lines, not inside-also, I kind of want him to like what I like.. hahaha, no j/k...?
