“And Blessed are the Nerds;
For They Shall Inherit the Earth . . .” Post-Coronavirus 2020 AD
Okay Nerds, we all know the world is a hot, steaming mess right now. There’s no need to recap the chaos. pandemonium and sheer insanity going on outside our doors. But trust me, we got this. In fact, I’d argue Nerds have got this more than anyone else on the planet.
This is in no way intended to make light of the current global plight or anyone who has lost loved ones or friends to COVID-19. Or the hundreds of thousands of people affected beyond the mere inconvenience of a quarantine. Mother nature tossed life in the blender and hit puree months ago, disrupting the entire planet’s economy and bringing whole nations to their knees in ways we had never imagined before.
And if we’re being honest with each other we can pretty much write off the rest of 2020 (destined to be the most forgettable year in most of our lifetimes). Lockdowns are likely to persist for several more weeks or months and the entire world is facing a deep recession (if it isn’t in one already).
This is perhaps the most blunt take on the situation. While he doesn’t sugarcoat anything, he doesn’t indulge in fear mongering either. He also refuses to wallow in pity, pointing out that, while we may have to face a lot of challenges in the coming days, some positives may come out of this as well.
The truth is this; it’s bad. And it could get even worse before we see the proverbial daylight at the end of the proverbial tunnel. But we got this Nerds. And without getting lost in stereotypes, here’s why.
The first sign that things were bad was when movie studios started postponing major releases (MGM was the first player to read those particular tea leaves when they moved No Time To Die) before entire sports league shuttered their doors, most during the primetime of their seasons. From there it was one major domino after another, with global super-corporations closing shop, international travel quickly drying up and entire counties locking down. All in a matter of days.
And Nerds are in a better position to weather this storm than just about anyone else.
Think about it. Social isolation? Most of the people who call themselves Nerds (or Geeks) had to put up with a lot during their childhood and public school years. Bullies, social ostracization, branded with incorrect and often cruel stigmas (sometimes by family members) that persisted for years, it was often all part of the bargain of liking what you wanted. Without getting too deep into stereotypes, the adolescent and teenage years for too many members of the Nerd community were often long and dark. But instead of giving up, the majority adapted, sculpting their social awareness and needs accordingly.
Two weeks in self isolation? A month or two in lockdown? While other people are bitching and or going stir crazy, Nerds are doing it standing on their heads.
That analysis is not meant to equate what many Nerds went through with what far too many suffered as a result of racism, homophobia or sexism growing up. There is no equal comparison. But as a result of the foolishness many members of Nerd-dom had to endure, their community became more tolerant and open, embracing diversity instead of fearing and reviling it.
How many people are just now discovering online streaming? Nerds have been on that train since the birth of the Internet, pioneering the future’s most dominant entertainment platform while the rest of the world was enthralled by reality TV. Millions of people are just now realizing how much reading material they would need to get through this, horrified to discover they don’t have enough to keep either themselves or their children entertained. Every Nerd has a “to be read” pile so tall they’d need en elevator to get to the top. Hell, bookshelf hungry Nerds are Ikea’s best customers.
How many people threw up their arms in outrage when the NBA and the NHL suspended their seasons? How many fell to their knees and surrendered their will to live when Major League Baseball cancelled spring training and postponed opening day (full disclosure, I got punched in the feels when the NHL put the brakes on its season. But while I’m still going through ho key withdrawal, I’m dealing)? Nerds have spent the better part of the past two decades expecting to wait a year or more for new seasons of their favourite TV shows.
Many are (justifiably) stressed out about their finances, wondering how they’ll pay the rent or keep food on the table (or where they’ll buy said food) or keep the lights on. Not to belittle anyone’s genuine economic concerns, but Nerds learned how to stretch a dollar as far as possible pretty much out of the crib.
And while far too many people are ignoring the advice of virologists, biologists, doctors and other assorted scientists and health professionals in favour of high school educated Youtubers and partisan talking suits on the news, the majority of Nerds have always known the value of actual scientific knowledge. While thousands of people are waiting for some magical concoction of essential oils or snake medicine to solve the problem, Nerds will be the first ones in line for a working vaccine. Hell, Nerds will create the vaccine (seriously, how many jocks do you think went into biochemistry?).
In a world full of flat-earthers, climate change deniers, evolution hoaxers and anti-vaxxers, plenty of Nerds were building starships from legos and could recite the name of every dinosaur-in latin-by he time they were in kindergarten.
The best part? Our chosen hobbies, the artistic interests that burned our blood while inviting so much scorn from the people around us growing up (and even into adulthood) are not only what’s preserving our sanity during this ordeal, but our happiness as well. Next time you hear someone bash the arts or the “Hollywood elite,” remind them that if it weren’t for Netflix, Spotify and a bookshelf of novels, they probably would have thrown themselves out the window two days into their quarantine. ‘Nuff said.
(On that note, how many musicians, authors and actors are giving stuff away for free right now? How many ballets and plays and music concerts can you watch online, free of charge? All of that is brought to the world by the blood, sweat and creative tears of a Nerd).
Now make no mistake, Nerd-dom has it’s share of douchebags. I broke my own cardinal rule a few weeks ago (the world was an entirely different place even then) when it was reported that guests and vendors were pulling out of Seattle’s Emerald City Comic-Con as a result of the novel Coronavirus. Normally I don’t engage people on the Internet, but when someone responded that it was stupid for people to be afraid of the flu, I couldn’t help but politely point out that this was much more than the flu. That prompted the offender in question to ask what it was like to be sheep that ate anything and everything the ever dreaded “mainstream media” spoon fed me (further back and forth revealed he also thought little of science and doctors). He was the definition of an ass and has either eaten a heaping dose of crow by now or is terrified to go beyond his front door.
But the majority of Nerd-dom? They’re taking this in stride, even though their own lives are severely disrupted or on indefinite hiatus.
And when this is all over, don’t be surprised to see Nerds using the fruits of their isolated labours to help out as many people as they can. And wether it’s a bestselling author or an A-list actor making a million dollar donation or a music concert starring everyone from world caliber names to local indie talent or someone selling handmade Doctor Who shirts at a local craft sale, Nerds will almost certainly do more good than any religious group or the billionaires we’re always being told are necessary to the existence of our civilization.
In the end, when the world emerges from the dark and can rest easy again (until the next crisis or pandemic), Nerds will inherit the Earth. Because while COVID-19 is a crisis for everyone else (or something to be ignored or denied by the foolish and stupid) it’s nothing more than a speed bump in life’s road for Nerds.
Image via medscape.com
