“ She knew her stuff, and could beat you at it.”

This doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m constantly hearing that there’s no room for women in geek circles, but I don’t remember it being that way when I was young. Things may have changed, but when I was a kid, sincerity was the only thing you needed to be accepted as a real “geek.” If you were genuinely interested in scifi/fantasy/comic book stuff, and you had a decent knowledge of the material, it really didn’t matter if you were a boy or girl; as long as you weren’t a jerk or anything, you’d be accepted into those circles without much resistance.

“ After eighth grade, though, the group broke up, and I discovered punk rock. I was not cool enough for that clique, so I was the guy with a mohawk who always was surrounded by computer enthusiasts, and I am not a computer guy. To paraphrase Kevin Smith, they were overweight or underweight males.”

That’s actually really interesting! I’ve always wondered why some people in the punk scene gravitate a bit towards the tech scene, and vice versa. I’m guessing the answer can be found somewhere in the cyberpunk genre, but I haven’t really given it that much thought.

“As a side note, I moved around a lot, and I found comic books and sci-fi more prevalent in cities and suburbia, and Medieval stuff in rural areas. It was an interesting divide.”

I’ve noticed this too. I’ve always assumed it’s just that medieval culture closely resembles the culture of rural America with its emphases on self-sufficiency, familial loyalty, and traditional values, while sci-fi is more concerned with the sorts of things that drive urban/suburban culture (diversity, community building, technological progress).

“ I like how your observations are nicely balanced. There’s no hostility in it. I appreciate that.”

Thanks for the compliment! Truth be told, I always prefer a good discussion to a heated argument. I mean, you obviously can’t always avoid the latter, and that’s okay. Passionate disagreements can be totally healthy and are often necessary. But I’m much more interested in uncovering important truths than I am with winning arguments, which is why I try to keep a cool head about whatever subject I’m discussing. :)