Where did I read that girls were the first geeks?

January 16, 2013 3:43 PM

I seem to remember a comment on MetaFilter on the subject of "fake geek girls", that stated that actually women were the first geeks and vastly outnumbered men in the early scifi conventions. Does anyone remember the comment?
posted by Deathalicious to MetaFilter-Related at 3:43 PM (26 comments total)

Women invented media culture when they invented fanfiction for Man from Uncle and Star Trek, and then mounted the very first media convention for Star Trek, and all the subsequent ones for the next 10 years or so.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 3:46 PM on January 16 [13 favorites]

Note that those are specifically media conventions. The early SF conventions were predominantly, though not exclusively, attended by men.
posted by Justinian at 3:51 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]

Thanks Snarl, that was it! My wife was playing a clip about more recent drama about so-called fake geek girls and I remembered that a comment like this existed but couldn't find it.
posted by Deathalicious at 3:56 PM on January 16

Fan conventions go back a long way. The first World Science Fiction Convention was held in 1939.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:28 PM on January 16 [2 favorites]

Well, at least the primary understanding of the word geek is no longer a person who, in a carnival or sideshow setting, bites the heads off living chickens for a living.
posted by y2karl at 6:08 PM on January 16 [1 favorite]

So women were the driving force behind the early days of Star Trek cosplay... And yet here we are, in 2013, and mods are deleting awesome Star Trek cosplay posts. Possible side effect of the patriarchy?

I would also like to complain to the mods that my browser spellcheck apparently doesn't recognize "cosplay"
posted by Greg Nog at 7:00 PM on January 16 [4 favorites]

So women were the driving force behind the early days of Star Trek cosplay... And yet here we are, in 2013, and mods are deleting awesome Star Trek cosplay posts. Possible side effect of the patriarchy?

I would also like to complain to the mods that my browser spellcheck apparently doesn't recognize "cosplay"

Fair enough.
posted by Talez at 7:58 PM on January 16

likeso is going to be so confused until she finds this Meta
posted by Blasdelb at 1:02 AM on January 17

Well, at least the primary understanding of the word geek is no longer a person who, in a carnival or sideshow setting, bites the heads off living chickens for a living.

Ah, fuck. I've been doing it wrong all these years? You, my friend, have made some chickens very happy today!
posted by atrazine at 1:44 AM on January 17

"cosplay"

Ah, yes, the act of mutual splaying.
posted by Grangousier at 1:52 AM on January 17 [3 favorites]

I would also like to complain to the mods that my browser spellcheck apparently doesn't recognize "cosplay"

pretty sure that's pb's area.
posted by jacalata at 1:55 AM on January 17

I am aware that one should not carry on the discussion of a deleted post in the MeTa about its deletion.

But.

The reason I need women is that the story is about getting stuck on a shuttlecraft.

How does that follow?
posted by running order squabble fest at 2:19 AM on January 17

[T]he programming field was once stereotyped as female.
posted by TheCavorter at 3:06 AM on January 17 [6 favorites]

"How does that follow?"

I suspect that the narrow range of possibilities is part of why it got deleted.
posted by Blasdelb at 6:07 AM on January 17

[T]he programming field was once stereotyped as female.

Totally, especially considering they used to be 100% of the industry!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:46 AM on January 17 [3 favorites]

I would also like to complain to the mods that my browser spellcheck apparently doesn't recognize "cosplay"

My spellchecker doesn't recognize "kanji" and insists on "ganja." I am pretty sure my computer wants to prevent me from learning to read Japanese by getting my high all the time, but why would my computer care? I am thinking of posting this question to AskMe, but I will pre-delete it in the concept stage, as I do not want to get the "oh, that guy" from any mods I might happen to meet.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:58 AM on January 17 [1 favorite]

pretty sure that's pb's area.

Sounds like fun, but I'm not really into cosplay.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:25 AM on January 17 [4 favorites]

Very interesting.

Could someone who knows about these things explain to me what the difference is between "media conventions" and other conventions as described in this thread and in the linked comment?

Does "media convention" just mean "fan fiction convention"? Apologies: I'm starting from a point of zero familiarity with convention culture.
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 8:30 AM on January 17

"Media" convention implies TV or film media, as opposed to books and other paper stuff.

As far as I know, it was originally meant to be a putdown against people who like Star Trek and never went to Worldcon to hang out with Forrest J. Ackerman in hotel rooms singing filks and drinking homemade booze.
posted by SMPA at 9:13 AM on January 17 [1 favorite]

(Fan fiction started centuries if not millennia ago - it's arguable, for instance, that Dante's Inferno is fanfic, since it's a blatant author insert being given a tour - led by his favorite producer ever - through a fantastic world populated by mythological beings and even more awesome writers & legendary producers.)
posted by SMPA at 9:15 AM on January 17 [1 favorite]

I've said it before, but Virgil was the first fanfic author.

And Aeneas was a total Marty-Stu.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:21 AM on January 17

Nonsense. Euripides was writing Aeschylus parody fanfic long before Virgil joined the scene.
posted by kyrademon at 10:58 AM on January 17 [4 favorites]

Those french cave paintings, yep, fantasy hunting fiction.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 11:03 AM on January 17 [1 favorite]

GregNog: So women were the driving force behind the early days of Star Trek cosplay... And yet here we are, in 2013, and mods are deleting awesome Star Trek cosplay posts. Possible side effect of the patriarchy?

I would also like to complain to the mods that my browser spellcheck apparently doesn't recognize "cosplay"

I'm hanging my head in shame because I flagged the awesome Star Trek cosplay post, even though I am a Trekkie from way back (TOS represent!), and have even attended a Star Trek convention with my (then not yet) spouse.

I would love to debate all things Trek (for instance, Captain Sisko is the worst captain, obviously), but the Craigslist thing seemed like an excuse to make fun of this poor Trekkie cosplaying guy, which isn't cool.

I mean, so what if he needs a woman? Maybe he just wants her to be the voice of the shuttlecraft computer. We have his earnest assurance that "nothing weird is going to happen", so she probably won't have to take on the role of Companion to his Zephram Cochran and assimilate with him in sparklemotion or anything. Probably.

Anyway, GregNog, if my flag was a major factor in the deletion of the awesome Star Trek Cosplay post, I sincerely apologize for Trekblocking you.
posted by misha at 12:22 PM on January 17 [1 favorite]

Captain Sisko is the worst captain, obviously

YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY A POOPYHEAD.
posted by jeoc at 1:55 PM on January 18 [2 favorites]

Captain Sisko is the worst captain, obviously

Not even close.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:52 PM on January 19