When did Being Geeky Become Cool?

Geek, nerd, fan, dork.  Once upon a time, these where names and titles one strove to avoid being labeled.

I recently saw someone write about how being geeky has become main stream in the past year or so.  This is strange to me, having grown up in schools where I was not accepted for being a geeky person, and having a hard time finding and making friends for being so.  It was only in college that I found an incredible group of friends who were just as crazy as I was and accepted me for who I was and what I enjoyed, as well as being a Christian.

So why is it that all of a sudden being a geek or a fan such a cool thing?  One might point their finger at shows such as "The Big Bang Theory" and say that it's to blame for all the wannabes out there.  Others might say that it's the Hipster culture bleeding through into every day society.

I look around and think, is it so bad that being geeky has come into vogue?   I mean, I can find tons of products to express my many fandoms just about anywhere now, when years ago, I had to scour the net just to find a cool Arwen Evenstar tee shirt, or find a way to make my own tees.  Now I can hop into FYE or Hot Topic and buy any Doctor Who or Star Wars tee I could possibly imagine!

I think we've come full circle in the realm of fandom.  Years ago when my father was growing up, scifi novels were having their heyday.  Books such as the Dune and Princess of Mars series were being published.  Movies were limited to what technology existed, and the scifi films that were being made seemed corny or hoky to the casual filmgoer, and those who were true fans were the only ones who appreciated the art and time behind them.  Flash forward to today and we see these beloved classics having new life breathed into them:  Batman is more amazing than ever, The Lord of the Rings finally being made on an epic scale that it deserves, Doctor Who with better special effects than had ever been dreamed of upon its inception, and Star Trek seeing it's own rebirth.  Not to mention the Avengers finally becoming a reality!  Kids who grew up watching Transformers as a cartoon now have the pleasure of seeing the bots on the big screen, and those who enjoyed playing eight bit games on their original Nintendos were delighted with films such as Wreck It Ralph, hearkening back to their own childhood, and passing this love of games down to the next generation.

These filmmakers and TV producers who grew up on classic scifi and fantasy have found that technology has caught up with their imaginations, and what used to be corny is now epic.  And as humans, we love a good story--the more epic the better.  This is also why the Bible and its truths ring true for those who take the time to absorb its words: it is the most epic story of all time.  Frankly, I am wicked excited about The Bible the Series which premiered last night, as once again we can finally reflect the awesome story that is the Word of God.

So why is being geeky so cool? Well, what it comes down to is that all the stories that fall into the category of fandom are epically cool, and people see this and don't want to miss out on the fun.  Now they might not stay with the geek movement long, but it's caught on, and so long film makers take the time to make quality films and television, we will have amazing stories to enjoy.  After all, as the Doctor says, "We're all just stories in the end.  Just make it a good one."  We all want to be part of an epic story, to know we've made a difference.  These "geeky" stories show the best and worst of us all, and we want to come along for the ride, to know our lives had a meaning, to see that we had some kind of an impact upon the world.  That's what a story does for us.  As a Christian, I look at these stories and am inspired to know my story better, to see what The Greatest Story Ever Told did for my life and to live that out.  It's wonderful to be a fan and enjoy escaping to another world, but at the end of the day, I want to have an impact on others, such as my students, and pass down that Great Story to them.

So go ahead, label me a geek, nerd, fan.  I'm proud to call myself one, and I'm a fan of the best story of all: that of my salvation, when God became man and died for me, so that I could go live with Him for all eternity.