Poison within the Nerd Culture - Perspective Post
The 2000s came with growth of technology and ease of access growing for entertainment from outside the US, as well a subtle shift happening.
Previously any passionate interests of fictional stories or non-traditional games was seen as abnormal hobbies; sign of lack of ambition for life and recluse social nature. Example being- Those who either played D&D or watched anime would be target for bullying in their peer groups; at times target of media negative attention by previous generation paranoia. It was a misunderstood sapling within the developing new modern world being demonized, while small voices of the communities tried to advocate why their passion wasn't anything bad at all.
Inviting those who judged them to give it a try, wanting to show the reasons why they were so passionate and wasn't as anti-social as it seemed from the outside. These efforts would turn successful. Peering back since 2020, when all that people had to entertain their entrapment was anything available online. That being access to anime, manga, comics, cartoons, and any social media presence of nerd aligned interest. When all reality TV became dull and all Hollywood shows had been finished, that was what they went to. Rushing in those who before had no interests through the gates of the once smaller community, suddenly becoming known to those who'd otherwise never knew it existed.
Within perspective, this would be taken as a win of uniting the entire world to a passion once misunderstood. Further support towards these hobbies to help them grow, more events over seas, and opened easier access within other languages. Though, there is no such thing as a true utopia, because there are unheard worries of the damage this sudden growth has caused.
Not exactly unheard... More so, argued against by a divide among the community.
Those who love the genre for what is it and as it is; the other those who want it to change and shift to their interests. A gap becoming wider thus more noticeable, now unable to be ignored as the damage destroys what was loved of these interests.
What exactly has been happening?
Hollywood had started to become uninspiring and rather dull over the decades. New releases were either milked franchises or re-imagines of previously existing films, especially the TV shows offering little for entertainment anymore. Instead of hiring based on talent, it was on celebrity name which didn't always promise the best acting. Most of all, stories were no longer stories in Hollywood. They had become a preaching out-source to the public about morality justice and corrective thinking.
May it be subtle visually or directly told to you, the genuine writers were slowly let go from these companies. You can see it everywhere today.
Little Mermaid, the live action. It was almost exactly the same movie, aside replacing the ethnicity of the characters and changing Erik's heroic moment. Why does it exist? Validation. It's only purpose was to validate younger children of that skin tone that they too, can be Ariel. That Ariel didn't need to be saved in the end, she saved herself by driving the ship's spike into the sea witch. Taking away the mutual return for Erik when she saved his life before. Again, the story is more over exactly the same only with music that barely holds a candle to the original.
It would be much different if this was done by a different company with a new imagined story based off 'The Little Mermaid', but it isn't. Same company. Same script from the animated original. Same gowns- names- almost everything. Just, not the soul.
Girls of all design never needed to look like Ariel to imagine themselves as her. I mean, could any of them grow a fish tail? No, absolutely not. Ariel was a fictional character. What these children related to, especially as they grew up, was the personal meaning through her songs and her story within the film. They never needed the same hair or skin to see themselves in Ariel, their lives already connected them to her.
If they really wanted more color among their princesses, then why not a new mermaid tale from a different sea? Plenty of folk lore from all across the world! A darker skinned mermaid was never the issue, the fact that this version of Ariel will now only ever be compared to the original. Not of her own story. Her own journey. Her own songs of longing. Yet, this movie was praised blindly as many more movies would be that do similar.
The Witcher TV show. A, a golden example of true disappointment.
The series was first a book and game, very well known among the nerd community as amazingly written world and story. A rather long one at that, but very much worth the time investment. All those fans of this series were thrilled to see it into a tv series, especially with a certain actor as Geralt.
Henry Cavill.
He is wildly known as a genuine, passionate, and devoted nerd among the Hollywood star struts. Handsome, heavily into Warhammer, and most importantly- a huge fan of the Witcher series. Perfect to be the lead as the main character himself for the series. A blessing and ray of hope after seeing how other franchises were treated. This was going to be an amazing series remembered for generations!
He... left. Henry Cavill left the series and was replaced by another actor.
Why though? Apparently it was rumored the people behind bringing the series to life didn't care for the Witcher. That Henry himself tried to honor the lore and story while debating the script with them, having painful creative differences. After some time he had enough. A franchise he poured his heart into as a genuine fan was being disrespected by people who could care less. They wanted the script to go how they wanted, even if it meant disregarding the source material.
Once again, something very lovingly crafted is disrespected by those who don't care about its origins. More over, only caring about their vision of what they rather see it become. Turning it more into a fan-fiction than work of fiction.
These two examples wouldn't be the last, as since then it hasn't stopped. All because Hollywood no longer has writers or genuine fans, it has social activist in the rooms. The goal is now to preach; to shame, to morally judge, and to correct the audience. That original fans are wrong in every way; that 'mother knows best' and will fix everything. When in truth, its control and narcissism. So called 'writers' for majority of recent media over the decade want nothing more than to see themselves reflected into everything they touch. Not in the creative sense, but in their logic 'to be represented' which in turn includes changing all lore and world build to make work.
The Barbie movie was more about preaching toxicity of men and critique of women, than inspiring and magical. Mulan was turned into a mary-sue who had powers to solve her problems than her own will and resolve. Recent Star Trek live action series, bending the canon lore to fit in ideologies of trans-activisim and modern-feminist mindset. Anime consistency being pushed to have more 'representation', but under strict and changing rules how they're allowed to write said characters. As of recently, a handful of mangaka creators being ran off platforms, all because a character wasn't in canon 'african-american' or gay in some way.
All of which you can easily go see or research for yourself. It becomes a blaring red sign of warning that creative media is losing its freedom of expression; all because of those who originally had nothing to do with these franchises now suddenly believe they have the right to demand changes.
Conclusion- My message in all this observation?
Art is freedom. Art is self expression. Write or draw whatever the hell you want, because it shouldn't be controlled by anybody. Not by the government; not the church, not Karen mothers, and not be a single activist. By controlling the end result an art process the true self expression is taken away- just like under a dictatorship.
if any of these activist truly cared about having media that represents them, then they'd have focused on their own creations. They'd lift up original works rather than attacking what others make.
Ignore them. Don't apologize or bend to them. Stop giving them power and go about your life, because they're nothing but controlling dictators who can't create and only destroy.
All of recent media and large community drama proves all of my points.