A Call to Arms

Nerds – you are the heartbeat of human progress. Each step forward in the modern era was driven by you. You are the engineer and inventor of every new or improved technology. Your goal is to upgrade our quality of life. When the world seems to have abandoned reason, you are there to remind us that science still exists. Without you there would be no organ transplants or vaccinations, no personal computers or smartphones. Our planet would be more polluted and less understood.

Geeks – you are our modern raconteurs and minstrels. You tell the stories worth telling. You speak to the truth of the human existence through allegory in the fiction of superheroes, pirates, spies, and adorable anthropomorphic animals. You breathe life into our hopes and help us conquer our fears, you give life to our joys and animate our imaginations. We need your stories.

We ruled the box office. Of the top ten grossing movies of the last five years, nearly all of them were products of geekery. In 2017, four of the top ten grossing movies were based on comic books, five were in the fantasy or science fiction genres, and the one remaining movie was a part of the Fast & Furious franchise, a geeky fandom in its own way. Since 2012, nineteen comic book movies landed in the top ten money makers for the year they were released, twenty-three were fantasy or science fiction, and fifteen were from other fandoms. Hollywood has made over trillions of dollars of profits by bringing nerd culture to the masses.

We, the geeks, embody the opening line from O'Shaughnessy’s Ode: “We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams.” We are the artists and authors behind much of the entertainment and you consume. We are the scientists and foodies making the food you eat tastier, healthier, and more sustainable. We are also your bosses, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs. Economies revolve around our ambitions and visions of what the future could be. When Beyoncé sings “Who run the world?” our answer and reply is NERDS!

Before you malign the freaks and geeks, remember that we’ve saved the world more frequently than you brush your teeth. When our world is distressed and in dire predicaments, we don’t quit. Once bullied for our nerdiness, we grew up to sign the bully’s paychecks. We don’t know how to give up. We also know how to play the long game. Kicked down and pummeled is never the end for a geek; we will get back up. When we rise, great things happen.

It seems our world needs to be salvaged again. The number of hate groups are increasing and using recruiting methods like those used by ISIS. Racism and bigotry run rampant. Evangelicals threw their support behind a man who demonstrates everything they once opposed because he promised them power. Trump and his administration reversed numerous policies and regulations designed to protect the environment. The President’s antics, childish behavior, crass language, and boorish decorum dominates our headlines. When Trump isn’t the biggest news story in the land, we’re arguing about gun control after yet another school shooting or debating police violence after another unarmed (and usually) black man is killed. American life has been turned upside down.

Nerds will come to the rescue. Wherever the marginalized, the oppressed, the outcast, or the weak and powerless have been robbed of their safety or dignity, the geeks and nerds stepped up and played the role of hero. We punched Nazis in WWII and we still do today. When culture needs to change, we go first, paving the way for others to follow.

We might not have the best track record. Like any other human on earth, we have our flaws and a history of missteps. In our past we’ve objectified women, made jokes of the LGBT community, and accentuated the stereotypes of minorities. Those are not our greatest moments. Yet, when needed, we have made efforts to abandon and overcome our prejudices. We strive to empower those who we previously demeaned. As those populations continue to face hatred and discrimination, we stand beside them in solidarity and elevate their voices.

This is a call to all my fellow geeks to unite and use our nerd powers for good. Now is the time for us to act. Let’s model ourselves after the Green Lantern Corp (ignoring their disappointing cinematic legacy) as a force for all that is right and just in this world. In comics, the Corp was created to be protectors, recruited from those with strongest moral character, armed only with their creativity. And they swore a memorable oath: “In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!”

However, the Green Lantern oath has more than one version, and each carry the same weight of righteousness. “In loudest din or hush profound, My ears catch evil's slightest sound. Let those who toll out evil's knell, Beware my power.” Or, “In this place of black and grey and dark, the green shall be my light, my hope, my strength. All that is good is all I defend. I shall not falter.” Even the Blue Lanterns had an epic oath, “ In fearful day, in raging night, With strong hearts full, our souls ignite. When all seems lost in the War of Light, Look to the stars, for hope burns bright!”

These oaths should be our rallying cry. We should be beacons of hope defending all that is good. There is a lot of evil in our culture. People who pervert justice, distort the truth, and abuse their positions of power for their own selfish gain. Our voices are louder, it’s time to be heard. We see them. They cannot escape our sight. We’ve saved the world before, let’s do it again.