Understanding the Nerd Mentality
“They’re doing a reboot of my favorite comic? That’s awesome. I love seeing new creative takes on things!
“They’re making it grim and gritty? Super. The old comics were too childish, with all those happy endings and nice people. That’s not the way the real world works. Make it with a lot of scowling people, filled with angst and alcoholism and real-world issues. Turn old friends into rivals? Make everyone a little more self-centered? That is awesome.
“And they’re making it extra-violent, too? Holy fuck, that’s great! The old comic books were from a simpler time – you never saw the hero sweat. Let’s throw some fountains of blood in there, a couple of women stuffed in refrigerators to show the bad guy is really bad, and when the hero fights he should have, like, I dunno, guts oozing out his ribs. And people should die in buckets around them as they collapse buildings. That’s making things match today’s modern society!
“Whoa! Of course they’re putting in sex. This isn’t the namby-pamby days of old where the hero and heroine kissed chastely! Naw, they gotta get down and dirty! Show some tits! Have them clawing at each other on a bed! And when the girl comes out, she should be dressed real slutty – all leather and sado-masochistic, desperate to fuck the men she hates, wanting to hurt herself! Yeah, that’s the way women work!
“What? Making the lead character black? What bullshit is this? Nobody’s black. Or gay. Or female. It’s horrible that they’re making these pandering changes just to get sales! Why do they have to mess with the status quo?”