Unpopular Fannish Opinion re the Geek

[scrollgirl]

This may be something of an unpopular opinion, or at least an odd one, considering fannish trends and tastes... Do you know how glad I am that White Collar does not have a Geek character? It is a genuine relief to be fannish about a show sans the Geek stereotype. Now, Mozzie treads close at times, but the fact that he's an eccentric, bald, middle-

Comments

[kita0610]

Can we please, please, please erase "bromance" from our fannish vocabulary?

But..but then we'd actually have to acknowledge that men have feelings! For other men! In a deep and serious way! And then everyone would turn gay!

[scrollgirl]

But I see even slashers using "bromance" to describe male friendships, which is what frustrates me! I hate how friendships turning romantic or sexual are pretty much par for the course on TV--it's nearly every canon het pairing--but we have to distance ourselves from the same when it's two men, because oh no, the gay??

Then there's female friendships, which are too rare for it to even be a concern, apparently!

[kita0610]

I think male friendships are what's rare in slash-dom... I've never seen two guys share a screen who we couldn't get into bed together. Shit, they don't even have to share a screen...

Female friendships are rare in media. But IRL, I think they're considered way more "natural" than two men being super close.

[scrollgirl]

I think male friendships are what's rare in slash-dom

Hmm. I totally get your point re slashing any two guys--my OTP is based on 5 minutes of on-screen interaction--but my experience has been plenty of male friendships, some of which turn slashy and some that stay platonic, with the non-slashed male being all supportive and protective in the face of his best buddy's ex-girlfriend's bitchiness/stalking.

I just wish we could have the spectrum of platonic friendship to romantic love without mocking it to make it "safe".

[glockgal]

I don't watch White Collar, but just wanted to chime in to agree with your unpopular fannish opinion because YES. OMG I am so tired of the male 'geek' character trope in media. I remember when it was novel (again) to have a character like that. I also remember the moment it started to get skeevy, where the writers gleefully used the 'geek' character to funnel all their self-centredness and misogyny and lack of empathy and did I mention misogyny (I'm thinking of Seth Cohen from The OC). Until they populate media with the female equivalent of the 'lovable male geek', I'd rather do without. Bleh. And then --

Randomly: Can we please, please, please erase "bromance" from our fannish vocabulary?

AHAHAHAHAH OMG I remember again when that was a novel term! And no one really knew about it! And now I just want it to stop and diaf. *high fives!*