Mundanes should not write articles about geeks if they do not understand us, but they do, and we have to beat them. On June 12, The Los Angeles Time published an article called "The Girls guide to Comic-Con", a list of people and events that they thought girls would like to see. The list works if you are a 14 year old girl only obsessed with boys. The article failed to notice that there are adult women who attend the show every year. And that there are programs, presentations, and orginizations that are like geek women, a vital part of Comic-Con International San Diego.
GeekRoundTable panelist Mary Sturhann has a blog that she posts weekly about her place in the world of geek. When she found out about this article, lets just say she was not pleased. Rather than paraphrase what she wrote, I will present in it's entirety the blog entry she posted....
Posted to Live Journal 6-24-09
Girls Guide to Comic-Con, Balderdash!
Did
you happen to read that silly little article in the LA Times (6-12)? I
refuse to post a link. I will paraphrase: "Girls go to see big media
panels with hunky movie stars or cute TV stars." That is all.
Balderdash! Men & Women alike prefer to see attractive people. No
shock there. But Damn It, women help run Comic-Con! Women Help Run
Everything! Until fairly recently, the last 10 yrs, CCI did not even
have a lot of flashy media events that these imaginary "girls" are
going to see. It always had something awesome, just not so many. Since
this is the 40th Anniversary I would like to ask the lazy writer of
that Fluff piece what he thought "Girls" were doing at Comic-Con the
previous 30 years?
I
would also like to ask the LA Times writer some basic logic questions
based on stupid stereotypes they are helping to promote. I'll take it
slow so they can follow along:
#1 Where is the best place for all Geeks & Nerds to meet? Answer: Conventions like Comic-Con, Anime Expo & E3.
#2
When people with similar interests meet they tend to date &
eventually marry. Doesn't this usually require a girl? Answer: Yes,
Girls Rock!
#3
Where do Comic-Con attendees come from? If Geeky men are the only ones
who attend Comic-Con who gave birth to them and who are they dating?
Answer: Geeky parents! Once again this usually require a girl.
#4 Who do you think reads all the female lead comic books? Answer: Everyone, not just men!
#5
Who do you think reads all the Harry Potter, Dresden Files, True Blood
books before they were ever put on film? Answer: Everyone!
I
did want to wait until the CCI schedule was posted online before I
commented on this silly article, but my rant could not wait. There are
plenty of legitimate panels & programs that are totally female
centric. But I thought I would focus on just a few of the couples or
teams. There are several well-known husband & wife teams including:
Gene & Majel Roddenberry who, before their deaths, did more SciFi than just Star Trek. Look it up!
Phil & Kaja Folio who produce Girl Genius - http://www.studiofoglio.com/girlgenius.html
Batton Lash & Jackie Estrada who produce Supernatural Law: Wolff and Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre - http://www.webcomicsnation.com/supernaturallaw/index.php
Richard
& Wendy Pini who created Elfquest. At the time this wonderful
universe was created they were a husband & wife team. They are
still creating - http://www.elfquest.com/
Clamp is a prolific female Manga group from Japan. Their work is Great and it is not just for women - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clamp_(manga_artists)
There
are so many more examples of women artists, writers & filmmakers
the list is wonderfully endless with possibilities. I attended my first
Comic-Con in the very early 1980's and I assure you I was not the only
woman in the building at the time. In 2009 I am literally surrounded by
other women. Yea, Girl Power!
