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Hope you'll all been well! ^^

If you don't like soap-box rants, then I suggest you don't have a look at David Mitchell's YouTube channel, either...

Now then, I find certain things very annoying...And most of the annoyances are annoying because I can't express how they annoy me so! So bare with me...

You see, I'm certain you'll know how much I love my science-fiction...But did you also know that it doesn't necessarily make me a 'geek' or a 'nerd'?

Astonishing, isn't it...?

Simply, I cannot abide the terms 'geek' and 'nerd' and such, because they are extremely vague classifications of 'social groups' that are fuelled by popular media perceptions (also why I don't like 'emo', 'mosher', 'goth', etc or worst of all; 'Hipster').

Media perceptions force people who like particular things under a particular umbrella (he likes 'Star Trek', he's definitely a 'geek'! That girl has a Twitter account! She must be a 'computer-nerd'! And so on...) and as such, the people are not seem in any other way (aka STEREOTYPING).
   Take for example the dramas that the US comes up with...One of my favourites is 'NCIS', but even that is saturated with stereotypes; Abby, the forensic scientist who is 'classified' as a 'goth' and seems to like nothing else apart from black and death (but wait! She's cute and really clever with a 'surprisingly' lovely personality, which makes her 'kinda quirky' -_-). And then there's Dr. Mallard, the wonderful British (yep, the Americans can't distinguish between English and Scottish, so they just call him British) pathologist who always shares historical yarns and tales of his past exploits. Nothing stereotypical there, really...But once you know he's of a 'certain age' and tells his stories to the cadavers he operates on, it's the point where you think 'here we go...' Moving on, there is a former Isreali Mossad agent operating within the team who frequently gets US colloquialisms muddled (borderline racism there, I think). And not forgetting McGee, who is a whizz with computers and loves all things tech (have a wild guess what others call him) and lastly; DiNozzo, the egotistical womaniser who loves films. 'Hang on' I see you think in your face 'don't most people like films?' Oh yes, but this is American television and as such, DiNozzo is really the only person in the main cast who ever watches, quotes, enjoys and talks about films...Everytime a film or something related is mentioned to/between other characters, they round it off by stating that DiNozzo needs to know! (Newsflash, NCIS! More than one-out-of-eight people like films, y'know!)

The point is; media seems to think that once a character has a particular like/dislike, then the whole essence of that figure must be based around it and they must not be allowed to stray into other territories!

Only one quote from a Mel Brooks classic can help me here; "Bullshit!"

And it's seeping over here too; like all the fast food eateries, the language, the humour...American styles of media presentation are here, destroying all that isn't! (Okay, a bit dramatic, but the point still stands!) Take for example, 'The Fades' which started on BBC Three recently...It was a nice little dark-fantasy idea, kept you asking questions and displayed potential. However, one of the characters would not shut up comparing situations to films and quoting them (oh hello DiNozzo) so, naturally, he was the only person who ever talked films! Bravo BBC, you're not commercial, but you're getting there!

The worst affected are comedies; when things such as the aforementioned happen, programmes can flatline easily and they all too easily rely on cheap laughs and 'abnormalities' to display humour (the media seems to have a problem with anybody who they do not deem 'normal'...It's perception-based; NOBODY IS 'NORMAL'), which is why I'm not really all that keen to watch 'New Girl' (but I'll check it out), despite the fact that the incredible Zooey Deschanel is in the impersonal eponymous role. Zooey is a wonderful, free-spirited lady, which was perfectly shown in 'Yes Man' without being too patronising, so to me, Fox (evil anyway) casting her based on how they see her as 'different' and branding her as 'quirky' & 'adorkable' *VOMIT* is basically on par with humiliating the disabled or people of other ethnic origins, saying 'hey world! Look how 'abnormal' this person is! Let's laugh at her! It's funny because 'normal' people don't act like her, right?!'

*Pause*

And that is also why I do not find 'The Big Bang Theory' as funny as others do.

So there you have it; media is just a group of bullies, mocking and laughing at those who are 'different', forgetting one fundamental truth that makes us who we are...

We're all different...And it's absolutely marvellous.

AM