Around a couple of days ago, I visited a local comic shop to pick up a couple issues of the New 52 when I saw a couple of girls walk in. Although this might sound weird, it's not often you see girls as attractive as they were walk into a comic store filled with geeky teens like me and grown men like the owners. They walked in and started to pick up a couple of Hawkeye comics and conversed about it.
I didn't particularly mind them, but one of the patrons in the store that was next to me started talking to his friends that it was impossible for someone to like comics and be an attractive girl. That made me feel... uneasy. Their words were not as blunt as I am putting it now, they were saying some pretty nasty things like how girls like them are only "fake fans" and that they're just liking comics to feel better about themselves. Simply put, these guys thought that these girls didn't really like Hawkeye and went in to only show off their hotness towards us.
This same mentality is also put into the movie theater and at Hall H when I went to Comic Con during the summer. All these guys in the men's restroom were complaining about how only losers watch the films and the real fans are the people who read the comics and lament about how they wish the MCU or DC films were better.
What exactly constitutes a "fan"? I'll be honest, I don't like Star Trek all that much, but I certainly saw the film and enjoyed both of them when they both came out. Would Trekkies hate on me if I were to claim to like Star Trek casually? I find it quite sad when guys and even to some extent girls complain about casual fans or fans that aren't as deep into the lore as others.
The "fake geek girl" and "fake geek" scenario was a major thing on Tumblr and stuff like the sort way back when; even though it died down, there are still guys out there that do this. No wonder why girls hate comic guys, cause we are such jerks to them always purporting that they aren't "true fans".
I guess what I'm trying to say is that everyone should understand that there are casual fans out there. Yes, sometimes there are those hipsters that always claim to be a "geek" or a "nerd" like they always do, but not everyone is a hipster, and likewise not everyone is a hardcore comic fan.
Just my two cents.
-Tim
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