Nerdly Advice – 09/15/09
I’m thinking both about people who make factual mistakes and people who simply have Bad Opinions.
Regarding the former, even a moderately socialized nerd knows that starting a sentence with “Actually” and then linking to your own fan-written thesis on the subject is a dick move, but on the other hand, you have something to contribute to the conversation and you’d like the correct information to get out there. How *do* you do this without being a dick?
Regarding the latter, I’m not concerned at the moment with people who express views that are actually offensive by some articulable philsophical standard, as those who simply insist on believing Wrong Things (such as: Transformers is a better movie than Iron Man; Bucky Barnes is a better Captain America than Steve Rogers; Cyclops and Emma make a better couple than Cyclops and Jean — you know, Wrong Things). Intellectually I think most of us try to believe that there’s a beautiful diversity of views in fandom and that’s what makes our conversations so interesting. But there’s still some part of the lizard brain going “How could any human being actually believe such a thing, let alone type it???”
Signed,
Right but Trying Not to Be a Jackass About It
Nerdly Advice – 09/15/09
Sep 15Nerds have questions, but nerds have to appear authoritative or risk losing their nerdy cred.
That’s why, as a recurring feature on Alert Nerd, Jeff answers these conundrums anonymously. It’s like Dear Abby as written by Danny Chase. We call it Nerdly Advice.
This week’s question is one that’s probably familiar to all of us, but is one we’re never sure how to answer.
Dear Nerdly Advice —
Do you have any special tips for dealing with people who are wrong on the Internet?
I’m thinking both about people who make factual mistakes and people who simply have Bad Opinions.
Regarding the former, even a moderately socialized nerd knows that starting a sentence with “Actually” and then linking to your own fan-written thesis on the subject is a dick move, but on the other hand, you have something to contribute to the conversation and you’d like the correct information to get out there. How *do* you do this without being a dick?
Regarding the latter, I’m not concerned at the moment with people who express views that are actually offensive by some articulable philsophical standard, as those who simply insist on believing Wrong Things (such as: Transformers is a better movie than Iron Man; Bucky Barnes is a better Captain America than Steve Rogers; Cyclops and Emma make a better couple than Cyclops and Jean — you know, Wrong Things). Intellectually I think most of us try to believe that there’s a beautiful diversity of views in fandom and that’s what makes our conversations so interesting. But there’s still some part of the lizard brain going “How could any human being actually believe such a thing, let alone type it???”
Signed,
Right but Trying Not to Be a Jackass About It
RbTNtbaJAI,
Correcting people who are factually wrong is tricky business, even offline. Online, where the specter of snark can be read into literally every digital word, the problem is magnified a billion-fold.
The nerdosphere is a bit like academia (unsurprisingly because many nerds are, aspire to be or have the pretension of being scholars), so all of the same mores and tactics that apply there work in online nerd fights, too.
1. Produce impartial evidence. If Case4Steph77 is telling you that Cecilia Reyes is dead, the best thing to do is link to Mike Marts’ interview in which he stated that Cece would be shown dead on panel if she were dead. Follow this up with a scan from NYX vol. 2 #4 for good measure.
2. Cite your sources. Nerd fights quickly devolve into ad hominem attacks. If you are citing information as part of an argument, at least state where it comes from and at best link to it. It shifts immature reactions from you to the source, which can save you precious seconds of sanity before the battle passion descends upon you.
3. Sometimes, you just have to be a dick. It’s not often that this arises, but you’ll know it when you see it.
As for the second part of your question, if someone is out there loudly proclaiming that Colossus/Psylocke is Piotr’s OTP, there is nothing that you can realistically do to convince them otherwise, except perhaps stage a dramatic reading of X-Men #110. If you’re involved in an argument that is wholly emotional and tempers begin to flare, the best thing to do is step aside, acknowledge that you can’t talk about it rationally, and let it be. Ignore it. It’s tough, but the toughest route is usually the most noble. Or something.
Hope that helps, RbTNtbaJAI!
That’s it for this installment of Nerdly Advice. If YOU have a question for the nerdiest advice columnist there is, drop us a line at nerdlyadvice@gmail.com or leave your question in the comments.
See you next time, True Believers!
Well done, Nerdly Advice!
I’m now starting to think that cons should include more dramatic readings from crucial issues, btw.
I think the Fantastic Fangirls should start this in Baltimore. I will videotape it and everything.
Ha! You saw Jen with the Cap comic, right? I’m pretty sure I recorded myself reading an issue of ‘Cable & Deadpool’ once.