You’ve got nothing to prove (you really don’t)

I’m a nerd.

That used to be a “brave” thing to say because it wasn’t cool. Which was fine, though I didn’t realize that at the time because like everyone else, I wanted to be cool.

Nowadays it’s considered cool to be a nerd. Of course, it was always cool to be a nerd—because everyone was a nerd for something.

Most people just didn’t realize it.

When I worked on Justice League Unlimited many moons ago, one of my bosses and I were teasing one of the production coordinators on the crew that he was a nerd, but didn’t know it.

He was a big sports fan, not a comic or sci-fi type of guy. In his mind, he was not a geek. Until my boss Shaun pointed out that the fact that he had painted his face to attend a game and cheer at the top of his lungs was pretty geeky.

Our friend and co-worker was passionate about Ohio State basketball.

Being a nerd is about passion (always has been), not what you’re passionate about.

Wil Wheaton, former Wesley Crusher and current writer and geek icon, puts it best:

image via dftba.com and Wil Wheaton, evil or not

Yet, as is always the case, there are fractures in the community. For some reason, despite being ostracized all our lives for being outside the realm of normal, the nerd community has decided that for some reason people are faking it and don’t belong.

It seems as if the fakers are frequently women, but there is absolutely infighting elsewhere.

I’ve known geek girls all my life. I’m married to one, though I think I’ve made it worse since I’m a horrible influence on her and forced her into watching Battlestar Galactica (the remake) and Shaun of the Dead.

You should be welcomed. Men, women, children—you should be welcomed into the community of nerds, be they Star Wars fans, comic book readers, Harry Potter cosplayers or insane sports fans. There’s room for each and every one of you.

Or at least there is in my world and will be in the world I teach my kids about.

With that in mind, I present to you this video, which I found on Mr. Wheaton’s page yesterday.

No matter who you are, what you love, your gender, age or any other of a billion factors, you are always welcome in my geeky world.

Hey, are you following Dad Moon Rising on Twitter or Facebook? Why the hell not?