Going Home

Today h47's getting a little heavy, but coming straight out of almost an entire work week of Con, I think it a fitting musing.

I've watched Nerdcore Rising and a clip or two of the concert at PAX. I've been consuming everything Penny Arcade for the last 3 years (twitter, PATV) and I want to go "home" to PAX.
What is that? that sense of geek home, where all us geeks are accepted and valid as human beings?
Is that our issue? We have become so accustomed to being "other?" Is it so intrinsic to the nature of nerdery that we be pariahs?

I have been reduced to tears, literally, at least 3 times because of an awareness of that experience, that "home" feeling. Wil Wheaton mentions it, you can SEE Scott Kurtz live it on the latest episode of PATV, I definitely get that vibe from Front when I see him reference the PAX concerts.

It fascinates me.

My buddy Epyon Avenger has mentioned how at Fanime the convention center slowly evolves into a nerd molded shanty-town. Chairs get moved into circles, music jams start to occur and the "community" assembles and reconnects every year.

To be clear, I fully support this and think it is wonderful. The thing that stays with me is why?
I guess I feel the same way about it as I do about Nerdcore. It would be awesome if it became the norm and our world was full of fluffy killer bunnies and school girls. But then I don't think it would be the same. I would guess that an essential part of the experience is the fact that there is a common bond from the shared memory of our exclusion from "the normals." From that, these institutions become havens where we understand each other or at least tolerate and revel in our "off-ness."

Maybe that's it then. I think I knew it in my life meter, but it wasn't in my spell-book. In doing a little mental craft grinding I discovered something. And from this I hope I can foster that emotion in my own corner of cyberspace as well as at S.G.I.S.Con. As long as my readers understand what I just said, or at least get the gist of it, I think the nerd world will be just a little bit better and grow in scope. But not too much, for perhaps that etheral thing, that light, intangible concept might press L2 & R2 if we try to force it.

Thanks for listening inter-natives, see you at home.