Popular Culture Review Volume 30, Number 2, Summer 2019 | Page 44

Space at the Con : Conversations About Representation in Popular Culture at Comic Conventions
have been dubbed “ manels ” and spawed a Tumblr page called “ Congratulations , you have a Manel .”
Perhaps due to the firestorms created with each new manel , or perhaps out of a sincere dedication to make cons more intersectional , fall 2015 was dubbed “ The Year of the Woman ” at San Diego Comic-Con International . It was noted that more women attended and more panels were dedicated to discussing sexual and racial equality : “ The default Comic-Con panelist is still a white man , but it does seem that more of an effort has been made to correct this lazy lopsidedness ” ( Scott ). The dream of a more intersectional geek community will not be without a struggle , though .
GEEK CULTURE
The terms geek and nerd are often used interchangeably , and while there are similarities between the two categories , there are also distinctions . The term “ nerd ” is associated with above average intelligence and lower social acumen ; and the geek is obsessed with certain types of fandoms ( science fiction , fantasy , comics and superheroes , and anime ) and socializes around those fandoms . In the Venn diagram of these two descriptions , there is often overlap . Nerds can be geeks , but not always . And not all geeks are brilliant . 3 Where the stereotypes are most similar is in their rather specific demographic assumptions : they are white , male , straight , and cis-gender .
Tilton attempted to further categorize the geek / nerd / dweeb / dork using the four temperaments , or humours of sanguine , choleric , melancholic , and phlegmatic . The sanguine , represented by blood , is a warm loving , charmer ; the choleric is seen as the practical leader , often a hard worker ; the melancholic is the conservative , loyal perfectionist ; and
35