Nerds have questions, but nerds have to appear authoritative or risk losing their nerdy cred.<\/p>\n
That’s why, as a recurring feature on Alert Nerd, Jeff answers these conundrums anonymously.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s like Dear Abby as written by Danny Chase. We call it Nerdly Advice.<\/p>\n
This week’s question is one that’s probably familiar to all of us, but is one we’re never sure how to answer.<\/p>\n
RbTNtbaJAI,<\/p>\n
Correcting people who are factually wrong is tricky business, even offline.\u00c2\u00a0 Online, where the specter of snark can be read into literally every digital word, the problem is magnified a billion-fold.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
1. Produce impartial evidence.\u00c2\u00a0 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.\u00c2\u00a0 Follow this up with a scan from NYX<\/em> vol. 2 #4 for good measure.<\/p>\n 2. Cite your sources. Nerd fights quickly devolve into ad hominem attacks.\u00c2\u00a0 If you are citing information as part of an argument, at least state where it comes from and at best link to it.\u00c2\u00a0 It shifts immature reactions from you to the source, which can save you precious seconds of sanity before the battle passion descends upon you.<\/p>\n 3. Sometimes, you just have to be a dick.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not often that this arises, but you’ll know it when you see it.<\/p>\n 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.\u00c2\u00a0 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.\u00c2\u00a0 Ignore it.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s tough, but the toughest route is usually the most noble.\u00c2\u00a0 Or something.<\/p>\n Hope that helps, RbTNtbaJAI!<\/p>\n