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AT THE MOVIES From Sal Mineo in Rebel without a Cause to Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor, nerds have had a long-standing tradition in the movies. However, sometime in the '70s and '80s, nerds stepped away from being sidekicks and scientists, and took center stage. My Bodyguard, Lucas, Little Man Tate, 16 Candles, and Some Kind of Wonderful turned misfits into starring roles. It was only a matter of time before someone turned the trend into a headline. Revenge of the Nerds turned out to be a franchise movie, spawning sequels and then some. Had introverted and socially awkward English- major- turned- screenwriter nerds seized power in the back lots of Hollywood? Or was there simply a market to be filled? No matter, the aftershocks were deadly - in the cases of Heathers and River's Edge, literally. Since then, films like Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness, and Rushmore have deconstructed and dissected the nerd's plight, rather than serving as simple revenge fantasies. This serious treatment of nerds reflects a social change in which the bottom feeders have become top dogs. Their suffering is elevated and romanticized, seen as more human. Meanwhile the old protagonists, the beautiful people, are seen as corrupt and shallow beings. Twenty years ago, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller would have played each other's roles in There's Something About Mary. |
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BIG FUN When video games and computer games emerged from the Paleozoic vacuum-tube swamp, the square blips and tiny bleeps came to life only for kids and computer geeks. Games like Pong, Space Invaders, and Asteroids were banished to the corners of pizza parlors for zit-faced bike riders and shin-guard-wearing soccer kids. As the technology improved, the games became more interesting, but titles like Pac Man, Burger Time, and Joust didn't expand the game-playing audience much beyond the Saturday morning cartoon crowd and Little League scene. It took a fight to make video games cool in the '80s. In games like Streetfighter, new and cool graphics, the mystique of secret moves, and ultra-stylized violence appealed to (mostly male) players of all ages. Players lined up to watch the best players show off new combinations and reach unheard-of levels. The digital bloodlust has not diminished, as fighting games continue to dominate the arcades today. (And how many versions of Mortal Kombat exist for the PlayStation anyway?) Video game culture has given nerds and other physically unimpressive sorts a chance to beat up a person twice his or her age and weight. One can gain a badass reputation with hand-eye coordination alone. Much like chemical, nuclear, and germ warfare in the military arena, the ability to execute actual hand-to-hand combat has become optional in gaining clout on the streets. |