Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

Have More Stereotype-Fu!

If you enjoyed our previous columns on the art of Stereotype Fu, I've made a video presentation using my original columns!

http://youtu.be/96FOBFA-ICc

- Steven Savage

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 13, - Realism vs. Reality vs. Realization vs. Real Estate? (Quick, Come Up With Another Word!)

As we discussed yesterday, research is the key to getting everything right - or at least plausible - in your works.  But in all that, there's a question that should really be asked.

Why?

Or rather, does everything need to be true and accurate in all details?  Yes, it helps to know that the point end of the sword is not the part that you hold, and that the moon is not made of green cheese.  But what it if was?  What if ol' Luna were composed of Swiss? (sorry, couldn't come up with a gouda enough variety).  What if there was air in space?  What if we just threw the book out?

And, of course, it goes without saying that some things just don't mesh well in a realistic setting.

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 18 - Originality is SO Original, Part 1: Been There, Done That, Got the Franchise

Okay, today we're going to spend the next couple of days talking about originality...and why it doesn't count.  Yup, you heard me.

What, you thought you always had to be original?  That anyone going for something that isn't original is dull and just copying?  I'm sure that you've heard the old maxim that there are only five/seven/twelve different stories (or if you haven't, read Tamara's outstanding article from earlier in the week) or that Joseph Campbell only thinks there's just one - albeit with a thousand variations.  And of course, the old saying that "there's nothing new under the sun."

So there you have it: originality doesn't count.  Still don't believe me?  Well, I guess the words - or rather the images - speak for themselves.

 

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 22 - Fonts, Part 1: Comic Sans MUST DIE

Okay, for today's little lesson, I'm going to be sending you to another site.  Yeah, really.  I want you to go here, look it over, and then come back.  No worries, we'll be right here when you return. 

Okay, for those of you who are convinced, you can just skip the next sentence.  For those of you who still think Comic Sans is a whimsical, cute font, read this, then meet me after the jump.

Harness the Powers of Progeekery - With Magic!

In J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, First Years are sorted into houses based on their dominant personality trait.  Even though the students of all the houses learn the same magic, we’ve witnessed how differing skill sets* can skew the balance.  So why limit yourself?  You’re not at Hogwarts** so there’s no point in defining yourself by, say, your dominant trait at age eleven.***  Instead, you can look to all the houses as guides for how to bring out the best in yourself.

By the way, a translation of this blog is available in Parseltongue: SSssssssSSSSsssssSSSsssss....

Where was I?  Oh, yes...

Ravenclaw
As a progeek, your brain is your best friend, regardless of where the Sorting Hat places you.  The power of Ravenclaw is the spark of all things geeky.  The Ravenclaw in all of us loves learning and exploring information.  When you get lost in a Wikipedia time warp, or quote statistics, or daydream about how that new scientific tidbit you just learned will affect your steampunk fic, that’s Ravenclaw.  It’s the initial spark that powers your creative hobbies and outside-the-box thinking.  It allows you to plan and get organized.  Nobody can keep you down if you have wit beyond measure.

Hufflepuff
This one is straightforward.  Work hard.  When your inner Ravenclaw gives you an idea, the next thing to do is tap into your Hufflepuff stores to carry the idea out.  Your journey will present you with challenges, but your Hufflepuffian stamina will sustain you through them.  Even though Hufflepuffs get the bad rep for being flighty or cowardly, the opposite is actually the case.  Any courageous Gryffindor can get themselves into all kinds of trouble, but it takes the persistence of a Hufflepuff to work through the situation and put together a viable solution.  We Hufflepuffs are not merely “all the rest.”  We are compassionate and peace-loving.  We are diligent.  We are also particularly good finders.

Gryffindor
So let’s say you’ve developed your awesome idea and it’s time to get it out there.  Or maybe you’re at the limit of what you can do yourself and you need to enlist others’ help.  That means it’s time for networking, promoting your idea/product, and taking it to the big time.  If that thought scares you, then it’s also time for Gryffindor.  Courage isn’t about a lack of fear; it’s about having the strength to confront your fears.  Those out of touch with their inner Gryffindor will be too shy and isolated to do their ideas justice, or they will lack the confidence to sell their finished product.  Call upon the power of Gryffindor and get out there.

Slytherin
Wait a minute... Slytherin?  But Slytherins are teh eebils!

Well, no, they’re not.  Slytherin’s trait is ambition.  The Deatheaters are an example of what happens when ambition goes corrupt, but any house’s trait can be corrupted:

Ravenclaw’s intelligence - Don’t be That Guy.
Hufflepuff’s stability - Don’t stay the course if you’d be better off revising your strategy.
Gryffindor’s bravery - ...right, like you can’t think of an example where too much bravery has created problems.

So, yes, you need your inner Slytherin too.

The ambitious Slytherin slithers in when you first get your idea and dream ‘til its title is in a fancy logo and your name is up in lights.  It then snakes away but comes back from the dead when times are tough and you need to keep your head up.  Hufflepuff makes sure you do your work, but Slytherin is the one giving you hope and keeping you confident.

All the houses of Hogwarts are necessary keys to success.  Don’t fall for the labels and stereotypes.  Maybe you’re not called a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor, but I’m sure you’ve been called an art geek (and therefore bad at math) or a math geek (and therefore bad with people).  Don’t believe the hype, don’t ignore your hidden potential, and for the love of Dumbledore, don’t limit yourself to who you thought you once were.

*and sometimes teachers’ favouritism
**But don’t you wish you were?  I wish I was.
***Your guidance counsellor was wrong.

- Tamara Hecht

Stereotype-Fu: Bring Them Along

Well I guess I wasn't done with my stereotype-fu columns was I?

If you're dealing with geek stereotyping on the job or career-wise (and I will go on about related issues Friday), there's many strategies I've detailed.

Another one I'd like to suggest is this - invite your stereotyper to experience just how neat what you're a fan or geek of IS.  In short, find a way to invite them along.

Take them to a film, lend them a DVD or a game or a book, invite them to have lunch with you at a local convention.  Get an appropriate "crossover" gift (give a baseball fan a DVD of "Princess 9" to show them anime, or a mystery fan a "Surrogates" graphic novel to introduce them to comics and sci-fi).  Show them how neat it is.

I think people are often afraid to be inclusive when the stereotypes come out - they don't want to be judged, they don't want to be humiliated, and they probably worry the stereotyper MIGHT be right.

Well forget that.  You've got enough common sense to know what they may or may not understand.

This has two advantages:
* First, you do something FOR the person.  This helps you connect with them and develops a bond period.
* Second, you get a chance to show them things are different and help them understand and appreciate you and what you care about.
* Third, the deliberate inviting-of people can help break many stereotypes applied to fans and geeks (which are often images of fans being antisocial).

Next time you're stereotyped in your career, invite people along for the ride.  Build some bridges and show people just how interesting what care about is - and make some friends!

- Steven Savage

Stereotype-Fu: Stereotype Evolved

This is the wrap-up to my original "run" of Stereotype-fu columns.  I'm sure there will be more, but I've covered most of my intended materials. 

I'm going to close with a piece of advice near and dear to my heart: Being Stereotype Evolved.

Stereotype-Fu: Be yourself!

Continuing the series on dealing with stereotypes in your career, one thing people rarely consider is that you can fight the negative stereotypes you face as a fan, techhead, sports nut, etc. by BEING that role to the hilt.

If people hold stereotypes of you, it may be best to not worry about it and go around BEING that fan, b-movie fanatic, comic book reader, etc. to the hilt.  In short, be less repressed and more open about your interests and your geekery - without being aggressive.

This doesn't work in every situation - it won't work in the case of hostility, extreme negativity, and conflict.  This is more a tactic to help defuse more passive or just plain ignorant stereotyping by BEING the fan you are.

Stereotype-Fu - Draw Them In

As I have noted ad nauseum (and as we've seen ad nauseum), stereotypes often raise their heads in the business/career world.  We, being fanboys, fangirls, geeks, otaku, metalheads, what have you, can face some pretty annoying stereotypes in our professional lives.  Dealing with it intelligently is a way to both keep our sanity - and we can always turn it around to our advantage.

One of the oddest cases of being stereotypes in the work world, from an interview to a client discussion, is when the people stereotyping us FIT the very stereotype they're inflicting on us.  The person that jokes about you being a game geek themselves can repeat dialogue from Final Fantasy 7 verbatim (with voices).  The person that jokes about your body piercings has enough metal in their body to make a toolkit.  The person who snubs your taste in emo music listens to songs so depressing they're banned in several countries.

This is annoying.  This is hypocritical.

THIS is a chance to engage in some stereotype-fu and turn the stereotyping to your advantage - by connecting with the person in a way that changes their views and relations to you.

Stereotype-Fu: Find the Positive

So when confronted with people stereotyping you on the job there are many ways to turn it to your advantage.  This is a necessary strategy to learn as:
A) People will use stereotypes - often with no malice.
B) You're a geek, fanboy, fangirl, otaku, tech-head, game fanatic, etc.  As of this writing people like us do get stereotyped.

One method you may use, when you realize an interviewer, client, or co-worker is accidentally stereotyping you is to dive straight into the stereotype - and find the positive in it.