So why begin blogging? I ask myself as I type this at 6am on a Friday morning a few hours before I begin to pack to return to Derbyshire after the winter break! Could it be due to the need to vent my anger at much of what I see and hear everyday? Could it be to pass the time and provide myself with something to do whilst excitement is lacking in my life? Could it be because despite being at university I still have no idea what I am going to pursue as a career once I leave? Or could it simply be because I am an opinionated twat? I really don't know but here I am typing this poorly constructed blog post anyway hoping this won't be yet another awful web page adding to the plentiful bounty of shit online.
So who am I? I am a 26 year old studying Sociology at the University of Derby. A 'Marxist' in thought although I would be the first to admit it isn't exactly a perfect fit. Better than those blue Labour lot, but that's for another day and another post. When friends describe me I am often called the nicest miserable bastard they will ever know so I guess once I get used to this that's what I will be posting, things that have pissed me off that is.
So to the first post concerning an E4 show called 'Geeks' which angered me greatly earlier this evemorning at 3am. The show if you haven't seen it documents the transformation of two groups of "nerdy" friends from socially awkward outcasts into 'normal' people. This particular episode angered me more than previous episodes which I had managed to somewhat shrug off as idiotic tv due to it personal subject matter. The two groups consisted of three young females who enjoyed cosplay and four young males who played the yugioh card game. Transported to Las Vegas to experience what would be considered a 'normal' 20 somethings lifestyle the show delights in labelling those within the show as somehow inferior due to their interests, or their unease with drinking vast quantities of alcohol and all that comes with clubbing.
Now I will freely admit I am worse than many when it comes to disgraceful overdrinking on a night out and would never dream of preaching about responsible drinking. That is not what I object to here. I object to these people who do not conform to these socially constructed ideas about normality being paraded onto our screens like a freakshow for our enjoyment under the guise of providing them an opportunity to become more than they are.
To highlight the real reason behind the show they do nothing to help them deal with actual and real issues they are suffering with such as the social anxiety expressed by some of them. Instead the viewer is provided with scene after scene of these 'nerds' being placed in uncomfortable situations and when it becomes too much for them the narration provides a 'humorous' commentary to further demean the individuals on put screen. After four..... Yes FOUR whole days the transformation is complete. Now let me tell you going to two clubs (one for the girls), a pool party, and one casino visit does not a complete transformation from socially awkward to confident make.
Back to the personal connection we come! I was and still have an obsession with superheroes (writing my dissertation on it) and used to play yugioh cards until I was 18/19. Since then I have moved into the clubbing scene etc... Let me express to you just how little that few days in Las Vegas would have made to me and them in terms of confidence. I was awkward in social situations especially with unknown people when I first stepped forth a played down my yugioh deck. In many respects I still am such as the confidence speaking to women has grown within me but going from there to expressing my feelings to her (without copious amounts of chemical courage) remains impossible. So why does this programme exist? It's simply really to label the non conformist other as deficient and to laugh at their awkwardness....
Now I will freely admit I am worse than many when it comes to disgraceful overdrinking on a night out and would never dream of preaching about responsible drinking. That is not what I object to here. I object to these people who do not conform to these socially constructed ideas about normality being paraded onto our screens like a freakshow for our enjoyment under the guise of providing them an opportunity to become more than they are.
To highlight the real reason behind the show they do nothing to help them deal with actual and real issues they are suffering with such as the social anxiety expressed by some of them. Instead the viewer is provided with scene after scene of these 'nerds' being placed in uncomfortable situations and when it becomes too much for them the narration provides a 'humorous' commentary to further demean the individuals on put screen. After four..... Yes FOUR whole days the transformation is complete. Now let me tell you going to two clubs (one for the girls), a pool party, and one casino visit does not a complete transformation from socially awkward to confident make.
Back to the personal connection we come! I was and still have an obsession with superheroes (writing my dissertation on it) and used to play yugioh cards until I was 18/19. Since then I have moved into the clubbing scene etc... Let me express to you just how little that few days in Las Vegas would have made to me and them in terms of confidence. I was awkward in social situations especially with unknown people when I first stepped forth a played down my yugioh deck. In many respects I still am such as the confidence speaking to women has grown within me but going from there to expressing my feelings to her (without copious amounts of chemical courage) remains impossible. So why does this programme exist? It's simply really to label the non conformist other as deficient and to laugh at their awkwardness....
Fuck you E4 and fuck you 'Geeks'
Post Scripture. This was written on an auto-correcting touch screen phone apologies for any typos
