Post #22407 by the75stingray on Sat, Feb 8, 2003 9:32 AM

Ya know, originally this post was very funny. Now it’s just getting annoying. So, I’ll say this and then I’m done.

I believe Laney’s post was supposed to be humorous: Are we like Trekkies? That was funny! Yes, there are similarities. Yes, we very well may be ‘closet’ nerds. But didn’t the first day give you a smile or a chuckle? That’s what this is about!
Then the cool, uncool thing came in and I, for one, meant to be funny or silly at the least. Now it’s a post about “style” and "politics". Geeze, if any of us were in style, we wouldn’t be nerds now, would we?

BC, I don’t know quite how to take your replys in this thread.
You said: “I don’t know what is more pathetic, writing day after day on an internet board about plastic or ceramic collectibles, or doing just that and then trying to act like it is cool. For crissakes, get over it.”

I don’t believe anyone here claims to be ‘cool’ because they communicate with others of similar interest on a message board. That has never been a real good way, in my experience, to pick up members of the opposite sex. “Hey, baby…I, uh, post on Tiki Central…wanna come up to my room for a Mai Tai?”
Okay…so it worked once. But she was really, really drunk!

When I said Tikiphiles kick peoples asses, I was joking. Can some of us kick ass? I’m sure a few of us can if we felt like it. Can some Klingon costume wearing nerd? Probably so, if they wanted to. (Those damn Klingons are violent!)

So I guess my comments should’ve been: “Trekkies don’t pull peoples arms outta their sockets…Tikiphiles have been known to do that.” (Twist on an old Star Wars line for those of you who don’t see it.)

It’s humor. I know it looses something in the text translation, but my comments were not meant to be threatening. Can’t you picture a guy in a Tiki bar, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a lei, placing his hands proudly behind his head, flexing in a threatening gesture to some small guy in a Mr. Spock uniform?

But then we have the issue of style and coolness.

Frankly, I could give a good shit what people think of me in my personal time. In my work, I hang out with so many (allegedly) cool and (supposedly) uncool people that it really doesn’t effect me. The perception of being cool in today’s world is an act. I do it every day. In fact, it sickens me.
So for BC to imply that it does matter by saying “Get over it…” is completely wrong.

We collect. We do it out of whatever reasons we have. We don’t feel a need or a desire to “justify” ourselves to anyone. We don’t mind being nerds because that leaves less artifacts for us to ad to our own collections. THAT is the difference between us and Trekkies. We don’t mind being nerds and that, in a sense, makes us cool in our own rights.

Tekkies had a movie made about how nerd-uh, obsessive they are and they didn't care. That, to me, makes them cool because they love what they are into and they really don't care what others think.

Independence is cool.

“Cool” is different. There are many descriptions for the slang term, but bottom line is, cool is different and attractive to someone. (What a hot rodding motorhead may think is cool, a Trekkie may not and vice-versa. What is cool to a drug dealer may not be cool to a law abiding citizen.)
“Style” is all public perception. What is in style today may be out tomorrow. And yesterday’s styles will be back early next week. Who cares?

And politics? How the hell did that come into play? I suppose, to be politically correct, we should all try to convenience ourselves that we are nerds...Or, better yet, that there are no nerds at all, just collectors. Fine, we’re all nerds. If it makes someone feel better to think that, then so be it. Because we’re about making people feel good here.

(Guys, I guess a majority of us will have to be “womanizing nerds” because we ogle the chicks!)

For the record, I don’t find Trekkies in general to be nerds…just a little eccentric. But then again, what are we if not a little eccrentric ourselves?

Donhonyc said: “I guess we're just the bookworms of popular culture. In my opinion, not a bad avenue worth exploring. So screw the nay-sayers. Let them eat the cake of Britney Spears and Shakira. Long live the men and women that scour the thrift stores of culture to find the real origins of fun!!! “

Thanks for keeping some humor in this post, Don!

Beam me up, Scotty!