So, this is my last column for Metro. I wanted to not only say farewell to all of you guys, but to thank my amazing editor Matt Prigge for his support and awesomeness for the last two-and-a-half years. It’s been an honor to know you were reading, and it’s been wonderful to hear from some of you on social media. I hope you guys continue to send your thoughts.
For my final rant, I wanted to talk about the state of the geek world.
Since I’ve been writing for Metro, we’ve talked about Gamergate, the harassment of women and gender equality quite a bit. It’s strange how it’s changed in two-and-a-half years. We’re talking about it more these days, but the problem doesn’t seem to be going away. As an example, think of the women-only “Wonder Woman” screening announcement and the harassment we saw about that, or the attacks on the female Ghostbusters. It’s disheartening, but it’s certainly reflective of where we are in the world.
That said, there are definitely things that have changed for the better. We have a female lead in “Doctor Who” on the way! “Wonder Woman” blew away the box office and (I’m sure) surprised everyone at studios around the world. People are starting to make noise when there seems to be a gender/race disparity, and it’s at least beginning to make a difference.
When I went to San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, the discussion about intersectional feminism and how it’s not just about gender didn’t get a bunch of odd looks. People participated in the conversation. I saw people politely asking for cosplayers’ pictures instead of the ass grabs from years past. The developers of “Call of Duty: Nazi Zombies” talked about the importance of diversity on their panel and said they wanted to leave the game industry a better place than they found it. We have a very long way to go, but there are good things happening, albeit slowly.
All those predictions about geek movie/TV show fatigue were clearly wrong over the past few years. It’s less about not wanting to see them and more about not having time to watch all of them. We’ve got mutants, Defenders, Runaways and more on the way, and the shows are getting better. We’ve got Captain Marvel, a second Wonder Woman film and I don’t even recognize all the new comics titles in my local shop because there are so many that I haven’t had a chance to read them yet. Whatever is happening, at least we’re doing something right.
I’ll continue to talk, yell and write about all of this on all the sites I write for, as well as on social media. (Just look up my name and you’ll find them all.) I’ll continue to talk to you at conventions, and I’ll still be contributing to the “PsychGeeks” series of books. I’ll miss keeping you company on your subway rides, though. May you never get stuck in a car without air conditioning (I lived in NYC for years and it sucks when that happens), may your commute be free of manspreaders and instead full of people who take off their backpacks, and may all your geeky dreams come true.
And, of course, may the Force be with you.
Follow Jenna Busch on Twitter @jennabusch and visit her site, Legion of Leia
