Banned Books Week Focuses On Comics And Graphic Novels

Here’s the news on that one.

May I humbly suggest that as per my post on Banned Books:

  • This gives you great material for your comics site or group.
  • This could inspire a good convention event.
  • Would be great for a reading room.
  • Have a giveaway at your convention, store, or shop.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

Geek As Citizen: Talking Is OK

Discussion Communication

It’s been an eventful few weeks in geekery, with many a thing to make us discuss problems in geekdom and society in general – and what we can do to make things better.

Now a lot of my posts are often calls to action Indeed for all I write, I hope mostly it provides tools and resources for people to do things. I’m always leery of “calls to action” that just seem to keep making more calls to action without becoming anything.

I actually think this is a culture problem. In a culture where overpaid punditry blotivates endlessly, we’re used to not calls for action, but plenty of complaining and words. It discourages action and replaces it with talking.

However, there is a time to talk. When the “Game of Thrones” rape controversy came up, one of the people in the discussion at Geek Girl Diva noted that she’d seen highly productive talks about the controversy. These talks helped people think of what they do, decide on action, and question themselves.

This is where talking actually does make a difference. So though I’ve often decrited the talk-talk-talk of our culture that rarely results in action, I want to note talking has a point. Sometimes the goal literally should be “talk amongst yourselves.”

It’s just that it’s a specific kind of talking that’s important . . .

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Geek As Citizen: David Goyer And Lessons Learned

So let’s go where this all started.  The podcast called Scriptnotes  included an interview with David S. Goyer – who is writer and producer on Sandman, writer on justice League, tapped for a Superman sequel.

The host suggested rather colorfully that She-hulk was intended as a kind of male fantasy.  Goyer then suggested she was intended to be a sexual partner for the Hulk (despite being cousins),  and meant to appeal to geeks.

Now having insulted a character that was popular, he then discussed the Martian Manhunter that led into a crude She-Hulk Joke, and insulted geeks by suggesting those who heard of the character were probably virgins.

As you may guess, people reacted to this mix of sexism, anti-geekery, and disrespect rather forcefully.  Just a sample:

There’s a lot to learn here relating to geek citizenship ( as well as the general lesson of “don’t be an a-hole.”). Let’s break it down.

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