In which I compare the MSM's and its bitterness toward blogs...
...to the narrative and characters of Revenge of the Nerds. If you've never seen this movie, you might be a little lost. And you should see it, as it is a true classic.
The story takes place at Adams College. And as with every college campus and every social ecosystem, there are the big men on campus: the Alpha Betas. They're attractive; they're popular. They're the football stars. They're successful and rich, and they have the default respect of everyone. Problem is, though -- they're arrogant. They think they're better than everyone else. They have an attitude of entitlement, like they own the place. You get the impression that everyone would stop paying them any attention or respect if there were only a better alternative that would pay them the same respect in return.
Well, along come the nerds. They're pretty goofy-looking, and not as socially adept. They would spend all day long on their computers if it weren't still 1984 and personal computers being a little beyond their means. They're smart. They're naive. They have a sense of what's right and wrong. They're not attractive or rich or well-known, but they're likable. They have integrity, these. Ultimately, all they really want is to fit in and be free to do their thing like anyone else.
But the powers that be -- the Alpha Betas -- aren't hearing it. They make the nerds their laughing stock. They're dismissive. They refuse to acknowledge them. They ridicule the nerds as they sleep (in their pajamas) in the gym. They try to discredit them and intimidate them. They call the nerds worthless and try to get them to go away.
"Those nerds are a threat to our way of life," they say.
But strangely the nerds are undaunted. The Alpha Betas' good looks and power don't intimidate them; rather, they accept the fact that they're a little rough around the edges. They buck up and take the blows and get determined to flush out the jerks in the Alpha Betas so that no one has to put up with their derision anymore!
And what do you know -- the tables start to turn. The campus-wide carnival comes along; and while the Alpha Betas are boring their audience with the same old hackneyed routines, the nerds thrill the people and give them what they want.
People start to realize that those attractive, rich jerks aren't doing anything to earn their respect. And yeah -- the nerds might not be the most svelte guys on campus, there's something to them, and they're worth listening to.
The moral of the story is clear. If you're gifted with the looks and the power and the money, the only thing that can bring you down is your own arrogance. Once people realize that you're not the only game in town, they'll desert your drag show. And steal your girlfriend. Because on the Internet, all that polish doesn't account for squat. There's a big darth-vader mask that's firmly in place, and all the public's going to care about is how well they're being served.
Posted by Matt at February 17, 2005 9:32 AM
