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Show OPINIONS A8 Geek chic Geek culture is on the rise, or so they say By Cameron Simek Opinions Editor camsimek@gmail.com Popular culture is a constantly shifting mire. Trying to wade through and understand the fluid nature of pop culture isn't exactly easy. There is one thing that has become clear to me in my understanding of pop culture though: Geek culture is on the rise. Geek culture is something that remained on the outskirts of popular culture for a long time. Growing up being a geek meant you were on the outside. You have a passion for something off the beaten path. Whether it be books, Dungeons and Dragons or comics, connecting with people who didn't share that driving passion for your chosen hobby wasn't easy. Now it seems, thanks to the Internet, that geeks are finally seeing their moment in the sun. Though it still burns a bit, and we're not used to the brightness at all. Just look to the movie theaters for a sign of this takeover. "The Avengers" is the third-highest grossing film of all time, according to Box Office Mojo. Looking down the list we can see many nerdy or geeky properties. This is just one sign demonstrating how we have let comic book culture into mainstream popular culture. If we look at the diverse Internet cultural markets, we see valued content generators on YouTube aimed at geek culture. "Geek and Sundry" and "The Nerdist" are successful channels that cater their content to the geek audience. "The Nerdist" has expended from a blog to a full-fledged media empire, spanning TV, podcasts and original video content. With popular culture finally embracing geek culture, there has been some backlash from various groups that believe that geek culture is somehow sacred, and all the people treading on their hobby are somehow wrong. They see their culture as co-opted by those that don't really care about it. They lash out at those they consider "fake geeks." One of the most obvious cases of this is rage against "fake geek girls." These people who consider themselves defenders of their culture have decided to hate anyone who makes any small misstep that could show that they might not know everything about the culture. They are wolves in sheep's clothing; the women are referred to as whores who only want attention from the other geeks at conventions and on the Internet. This is where the issue lies. Because geek culture has been an outside popular culture for so long, it's easy to feel that your life has been watered down thanks to its introduction into the public space. Now that other people who used to torment you like the same things you do, that somehow invalidates your hobby. This simply isn't true. Just because others happen to now enjoy what you do doesn't mean your hobby is less meaningful, or that you now have the right to lord yourself over the conversation: creating some master race of "true geeks" made up of people that really care, geeks that suffered for their passions. Geek culture has become woven into popular culture, but hasn't really merged due to the backlash from those who seek to defend it. They sit on their iron thrones and look down at those considered inferior. When I was younger I was saddened by those that wouldn't share my hobbies. Now it makes me happy that Marvel is in the public eye. I love that I can go see superhero movies with my friends and we all have a good time. They may not read comics, or know the back story of every character, but that's ok. I at least get to share some of what I love with others, and that should be all that matters. Venezuela PHOTO COURTESY OF STOCKXCHNG.COM Two men seek the Venezuelan presidency, one wants change and the other seeks to continue the legacy Chavez left behind. In the wake of Chavez's death, South America must find a strong political lender By Mara Orchard Opinions Writer orchard_mj@hotmail.com President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has died, and this key South American state finds itself going through another political transitional moment with an uncertain future. The Venezuelan electorate finds themselves looking to their nation's constitution and asking what's next. What is important to understand is the fact that just because a country holds elections and has referendum power doesn't mean democracy is alive. Chavez had been clear from the beginning that his intention was to write a new constitution for Venezuela. In December of 1998 the Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled in favor of Chavez writing a new constitution, and with this they opened the path to dictatorship. Naively they didn't expect him to become a social revolutionary that would single handedly shift the country in a totally new direction of radical social policy. His vision was one of Venezuela's strategic integration with select South American countries as well as Cuba and Iran. Chavez said that abolishing presidential term limits was necessary to implement his social programs. He slowly started concentrating more power in the presidency and dominating the legislative and judiciary branches of government. With a weak or non-existent check and balance in government enabling executive power, government can Capriles and his supporters have everything against them. be vague in policy and Chavez could rule as a supreme power. Typically the military becomes the protector of the government, not the citizens. For this reason the opposition to power has to be careful in its manifestations against the government. The example of Venezuela and the road it has traveled is a lesion in government and the caution that needs to be exercised by the electorate. President Hugo Chavez won the presidential elections back in October of 2012. It was the hardest presidential battle for Chavez in his fourteen years of government. For the first time Chavez had a great opponent. The young Henrique Capriles Rasdonsky would emerge as the image of leadership for the opposition. The young Capriles lost the presidential elections, but many people still support him. On March 5, 2013 Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez Frias died before formally taking the third term of his presidency. His second presidential term ended January of 2013, and he was set to officially start his third term on March 3, two days before he died. However, after a long battle with cancer he was submitted to surgery in December and was physical unable to officially take the presidency The electorate base on the constitution called for presidential elections on April 14, 2013. The leader of the opposition, Capriles Rasdonsky, is their presidential candidate. They will try one more time to end the arbitrary government. Rasdonsky says continuing the fight is his responsibility. On the other hand, Nicolas Maduro, the vice-president and now interim president, will try to continue the path left by President Chavez. Capriles and his supporters have everything against them. Based on the constitution, Nicolas Maduro should not have to run for president because he is the interim president left in place by Chavez. However, the electorate of Venezuela has sent a strong message to the opposition to respect the results. So what's next after Chavez death? We are about to find out. Class times and dates to be announced Classes may be available, but mystery schedules aren't filling up By Collin Lawrence Assistant Opinions Editor claw1116@gnnail.conn JEREMY WILBURN/UVU REVIEW Nobody has time or money to spend on a class that could be at any time on any day. Finding the perfect combination of classes while maximizing your time on campus is a challenge for anyone. Working from a limited number of options makes getting to that desired degree harder every semester it seems. Add in the complications of only coming to school on a Monday Wednesday Friday block or Tuesday Thursday, and you'll be left with a list of classes offered that reminds you of high school electives. The university wants to figure out what its students want to learn about in their chosen fields. It only serves them a benefit if they offer classes they can fill. Paying an instructor to teach ten people isn't quite the financially efficient model that benefits the establishment. So why aren't they asking students directly? Every opportunity to capture their target audience is available. Utah Valley University knows it has a diverse student pool to draw from. But are they on the map? For a trade school specializing in a few industry supplying programs and expanding on others, knowing the market and supplying the current demand are going to make this a regionally impressive university. Some are just out of high school or back from a mission. Many are working students trying to balance a schedule that is already packed with commitments. UVU is on the map. The state legislature has set aside $ 54 million for a new classroom building. Our administration knows it has a huge student population to support. Utah County is a Mecca for business and haven for growing families. There couldn't be a more critical time to focus on what the community and its college attendees need and want in their collegiate education. Some professors are more comfortable teaching some classes in lieu of others, but all teachers want students engaged in their own education. If they have a chance to choose the focus of classes and an early opportunity to sign up for them, the administration ought to be more responsive. Gauging interest by posting classes during open registration with no times and no dates is not a very intelligent way to figure out what students want. Nobody has time for that nonsense. Limited budgets, part time jobs, full time parents, transportation schedules and a variety of campus locations make this lackadaisical and free-form registration process almost insulting. The amount of classes offered online is encouraging. Every effort to provide an environment for maximum efficiency and minimal difficulty is preferred. Some classes are not so easily learned or taught with a Wi-Fi connection. Cutting into a cadaver, conjugating French nouns, playing a Pizzicato piece in f-minor, you get the idea. Sometimes you just need to be at school. The unfortunate part of the confines and requirements of a chosen minor may leave you with limited options for electives and various classes within your chosen field. Finally seeing that option available and having no idea when it might be scheduled is frustrating. Perhaps a dozen more people saw it too, but were reluctant to sign up because they needed a full course load with a set schedule. No matter how you slice it, there is a better way. Department chairs and tenured professors can make up a simple survey. It doesn't take much work to ask a class to fill out a form, mark their top five classes they would be interested in taking over the next two semesters. I'm no college graduate yet, but the current way this academic institution approaches student interest in the variety of courses offered could use an overhaul. |