Thoughts: Black Female Nerds

I’m always a “late arrival” when it comes to the greatest or newest phenomena to sweep the Internet. I was late with Sh*t People Say videos, Nyan- Cat, Keenu Reeves and his sad photo, etc. I guess I’m just not on the Internet enough to be able to catch these memes and laugh about them like everyone else (Or I really just don’t care about Internet memes and news… not sure yet. Either that or I really need to use my Reddit account more).

Whatever the case of my tardiness may be, I still enjoy the feeling of coming across something new and entertaining. I did that a couple of days ago when I found “ABG.”

What does that stand for? It’s the initials for a Web Series called The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl or Awkward Black Girl for short.

If you’re a nerd, a black female or even both (which is supposedly rare), then you’ve probably heard of it. If not, then this may be something that could keep you entertained for a good three hours. It could also be added to your memorable list of Web Series like Dr. Horrible (which is one hell of a web series). I’m also new when it comes to viewing a Web Series in general. I didn’t know that there were a ton of them on the Internet. Mostly appearing on You Tube, internet web series are growing rapidly in popularity. This could be due to the fact that a lot of stereotypes, ethnicity, personalities and genres are not prominent on local or network television.

One popular web series that a lot of nerds and gamers adore is The Guild. I, sadly, have yet to watch it, but I hear it is fantastic and represents the gamer crowd immensely. It also presents the point of the web series in such a great way, which is the representation of Girl Gamers.

Considering that I am a gamer myself, I’m quite happy that girls are finally getting the respect that they deserve when it comes to gaming. Whether it’s board games, RPGs, RTS, video games, etc. I’ve been playing since I could read the crappy translations of SNES games sent over from Japan and I want to be treated with respect just like any other gamer out there.

But back to the main point of this entry: Black Female Nerds.

See? We can be pretty nerdy too!

I’m black, a female, and down-right nerdy. Can’t help it. It’s been ingrained in me since I was first called a teacher’s pet. I love to read, listen to pretty diverse music, love intellectual debates, read comics, play video games, and mess with computers, do RPGs, and so much more that would classify other nerds/geeks.

But it’s hard to find other nerds like myself. What I mean by that is the existence other black/African-American nerds. Especially female ones. During primary school, I never had this problem, considering that I went to a very diverse school in regards to ethnicity. My best friend was Vietnamese and all my other friends were from the Middle East (Iran and Iraq), Spain, Mexico and Philippines. There were also a ton of black nerds. I didn’t recognize race growing up. All I knew was that they were kids just like me, had the same interests and enjoyed the same things that I did.

Once middle school hit, this became sparse. The school was predominantly black and not many of them where the type of nerd that I had grown to become. A lot of people hadn’t heard of Anime and Manga, considering that it had just reached the US a few years before. Those were the days when I could come home after school, do my homework, head down into my grandmother’s basement, turn on Toonmai and not move, except between commercial breaks to get snacks and go to the bathroom. Not many black kids my age did this, either that or I hadn’t met them in person.

This continued well into high school, until about sophomore year when I transferred to a different district in the city that was predominately white. There were other races at the school, but their numbers were few. This is when I learned that race began to matter. I knew it did, but not on such a large-scale. There were a few mixed teenagers who were having trouble trying to fit into crowds because of their race. There were black kids who weren’t sure if they wanted to fit into the stereotypical black crowd or just label themselves as black kids who “act white” (That statement always sends me into a rage, but that’s a rant for another day).

I, however, just didn’t really cared and sat with whomever I wanted or who invited me to do so. I had a large group of friends of many backgrounds and races. I had plenty of friends who were jocks, preps, nerds, band geeks, theater kids, over achievers, punks, and goths or just down-right average. I didn’t give a crap about their skin color. What I cared about most was their personality and similar interests.

High school was indeed annoying, but those were the years that began to move me from the shy, bashful nerd that I had always been, into the open-minded, blunt and outspoken woman I am today. College was a whole other story, but it increased my growing behavior and became a staple to my overall being.

Issa Rae

Having pretty much stumbled across this the ABG web series, I grew to love it by the end of the series, which is supposedly going to be forever called season one. The creator, Issa Rae, is considering making a season 2, which I hope she does.

There are a ton of instances where any human being can feel awkward, and I must say that I have always had these instances. I’ve had weird, annoying and bitchy co-workers, odd bosses and crushes, as well as a “White Jay,” who is a character the series.

Issa stated in an interview that the reason that she finally decided to create the series was due to an article that she read. It pointed out that a proper representation of a black, female nerd in movies, television or any form of media did not exist. Having thought it over myself, I found that she was pretty much right in this category (Save Zoe from Firefly, but she is of Cuban decent).

Why is it that there are not enough quirky, nerdy black female characters out there? We exist (believe me, we do), but we do not get a proper recognition in the entertainment industry. Black male nerds have their representation and a lot of people find them to be quite attractive (Need a reminder? Think back to the 90s. Steve Urkel. Need a more recent character? Turk from Scrubs).

Why is this? Why is it that we don’t have a Liz Lemon or Jessica Day?

I wish I had the ability (and money) to start my own web series. I have ideas buzzing around in my head that focus on the involvement of a nerdy black girl in so many different situations that a lot of other races experience. Hell, not even a nerdy one, just a black female period. A black woman who isn’t crazy or a stereotypically black. There’s nothing wrong with them, as they can be just as quirky and loveable as anyone else, but a shy, quiet-type of black female character doesn’t really exist or isn’t fully represented in the world of media.

And it’s about time that we saw them.

Screw it. I’m writing a script. It’s been in my head forever and I’m going to do it. If Issa Rae can do it and get great recognition, then the rest of us need to step up and do it as well.

Thoughts – Interracial Relationships

I remember posting something earlier in regards to Internet dating sites in relation to African-American females. There are some studies that show that black females are very open to meeting and dating people outside of their race and are quick to reply to messages that they receive. However, when they send messages to people they are interested in, it is rare for them to receive one back. It also appears that white males are pretty crappy when it comes to messages and communication overall.

This is just one example in regards to interracial dating. I am a black female, in case no one could tell. I’ve dated outside of my race several, if not most, times in my life. However, the majority of my significant others have all been white males (I’ve dated 1 asian male, 1 hispanic, 3 black and 1 male of mixed race). Now I have nothing against white males. I have nothing against any race at all, really. But I find it strange that mostly white and black males seek me out, if they even seek me out to start with.

I’m starting to think that there is still a stigma against dating outside of your race. Most usually “Stick to your own kind” or they go with a certain race that they are often led to believe is acceptable to be with by either personal or culture standards.  However, I have noticed that with my generation and on, there is an open and accepting view on interracial relationships. It is also noted that these are only seen in major cities and state capitals for most states. In my current city, it is a rare occurrence to see an interracial couple, where as in my state’s capital, it is normal.

Most wouldn’t consider this something to write about and must probably have negative and positive views on such a topic. But, since I have an analytical mind, I am one to ponder about such topics that just so happen to affect me personally. I always had the idea that emotion and love has no boundaries, and in that list of boundaries, race counts. I’ve listed myself on online dating sites before and the trend that I have noticed is that the majority of compatibilities are towards white males. However, this can indeed be because of the location, common interests and other factors. That is the problem with some online dating sites. Location can actually be the main factor.

I wonder if this trend will continue to either improve or digress over time.

Music: *REVIEW* Solider of Love – Sade

2010 is seriously the year for great music right now. I cannot help but make reviews and comments towards some of these fantastic artists. And its only April!

I grew up listening to Sade. My mother is an avid fan of her work and the band and I own all of the albums. My first song I heard as a child was “Is it a Crime?” and that is still a song that I play on my IPod from time to time.

I was not expecting Sade to drop an album this year, really. I plan to review it because it is just so good that I would be crazy not to.

This song, however, if impressive. My goodness, since it’s the title track, I wasn’t expecting much but this song is cleaver and wonderful as hell.

The instrumentation is unbelievable and the lyrics are very quirky and simple, but convey the message perfectly. Video is even pretty amazing. She is a very beautiful lady and always has been. Her voice is just so smooth and sexy, that I can’t help but swoon when I hear her sing.

It follows so well with the rest of the album too. The album is great and it’s already sold over a million copies. That’s highly impressive.

I’m not sure if I’m gonna have any money left this year, really because there are so many artists coming out with music that I just have to buy them. This one from Sade was a very unexpected surprise, but I’m glad it appeared. I will always be a fan of her.

Music: *REVIEW* Window Seat – Erykah Badu

A lot can happen when school starts. You miss out on so much stuff, but I’d rather miss it and find it than not at all.

First off, I’m going to review the song before I do anything else.

This song is beautifully composed and the lyrics are fantastic. I haven’t been listening to Erykah for a while, and I must say that I am very disappointed in myself that I haven’t. She is a wonderful artist with so much talent and her music is always so great and enjoyable to listen to. I’m gonna have to see if my mother still has most of her music and get it from her because I need to add her back to my music library. I’m really wondering what the rest of this album sounds like now.

As for the video itself, well I’m not sure how to take it. Overall, I’d have to say that I support it.

The concept behind it is very clear if you watch it all the way to the end. “Groupthink” appears and is stated in the video as well, along with the explanation of the idea behind it. The theory is very interesting to ponder over:

They play it safe. Are quick to assassinate what they do not understand. This is what we have become. Afraid to respect the individual.”

The controversy surrounding this video is what makes her point valid. However, I will say that there were some small concerns that can also be valid with the other side of the argument (Children being around, not having a permit, and the symbolism with JFK which I still think are all very silly things to consider in this video and I can argue why they’re ridiculous accusations), but there is an underlying point to this.

Groupthink is indeed what we have become. We cannot think for ourselves. We have to follow the crowd and try to find some place to fit into or try to understand the point behind things in a blinded view instead of seeing the truth. I’ve felt that our society has been this way for many, many decades and its about time that someone has finally made a statement about it in the best known possible way: Through Music and Art. Quit all the crap about how it traumatized children and how it involved nudity and such. Tell me why this video was bad without information that has already been spewed by other sources.

And Lady Gaga and her Telephone video shows that she is a musical genius… yeah, right. That was sarcasm in case no one caught that.

As for her body, hell, I saw nothing wrong with it. After having some kids and getting a little older, I think she still looks good for her age. Take a look at your mother’s nude body and then comment. I wonder if you’ll feel the same about Erykah’s.

Everyone has seen this video by now, and if they haven’t, then I’m quite sure that they will. Maybe it’s because I think outside of the box, but I thought it was a very creative and beautiful video and a fantastic song. Get rid of the controversy, people. Move on.

Thoughts – Are Black Women Intimidating?

Interesting Dating Site

I posted something on a dating site called OkCupid. I’m sure some people have heard of this site, so I may get mixed views and opinions about it. But, here’s what I posted:

Having read the blog post for OkCupid about ethnicities, browsed the forums viewing opinions from other black women, and views from black males and different ethnic backgrounds, this question comes to mind: Is it intimidating to be a black woman on an online dating site?

I am currently listed as seeing someone, so as far as dating goes, that’s out of the question for me. But even for just meeting some interesting people or making friends, it seems very hard for a black female to do so.

In case this question comes to someone’s mind, I’ve dated males from many different backgrounds and ethnicities, so I’m not ethnocentric. When seeing matches, I’ve been paired up with White males more than any other ethnicity on this site. That doesn’t surprise me seeing as how I am currently dating a White male and have been with White males for a long period of time.

There are plenty of black women who appear to be very intelligent and well-rounded in subjects, but have stated that they have had no luck when contacting males or males look at their profile but do not contact them.

I’m not looking to date anyone at the moment, but I was curious as to why its so difficult for black women to find people online. But, then there was a guy who gave me a good answer:

kerep:

An ugly woman, a fat woman, a psycho woman, a many-childrened woman, is intimidating, no matter what her racial or ethnic background is. I am glad you’re not a racist or ethnocentric, you can understand this.

The more gorgeous a woman is, the more she can get away with, for less work and more disregard by others to her shortcomings, personality- or lifestyle-wise. Try to pin this to race or ethnicity, and you’ll fail.

I failed to realize this.

People are just freakin’ picky, really. Unless they’re just looking for sex, but that’s really what it boils down to.