“Fake geeks”? Gaiman isn’t having any of it, as this excerpt indicates:
‘Some people haven’t read/seen/done as much as others. Some people haven’t been around as long. Some people wear T-shirts without knowing everything about what the T-shirt represents. But they are still real, and (and this is the important bit) everybody starts somewhere.’
It’s somewhat comforting that the whole “fake geek” “fake geek girl” and even the loathesome GamerGate thangs are signs of how our geekly hobbies are spreading and going mainstream — they are the signs of people who have gotten too comfortable in their little clubs and coteries, and resent the Outsiders (especially girls!) climbing into their clubhouses.
That’s the future, though. And that’s a good thing.
Neil Gaiman Has No Truck With Any Of That “Fake Geek” Nonsense
The desire to keep outsiders out is everywhere. If you recall the early days of Google+, it was thought to be cool because only the cool people were here and the unwashed were on (shudder) Facebook.
And perspective is everything. In some…um…circles, I'd win a "geekier than thou" contest, while in others I wouldn't make it out of the group stage.
+John E. Bredehoft I think there's a difference between being "geekier than thou" and being exclusionary. Showing off your trivia chops is on of the rewards of being a geek. Telling someone to sit at the other table because they can't answer the five key questions is counter-productive.