Using Geek Powers for Good

Maybe it’s because I got to see Melissa Etheridge in concert on July 18 while visiting family in Massachusetts. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been stuffing myself on Trigun lately (seriously, geeky ones, the manga is just as good as the anime, even if some of the action scenes are a little hard to follow), but I’m in a “love and peace” kind of mood lately. And when it’s regularly 100 degrees outside and your neighbors kept you up all damn night on the 24th setting off fireworks and being obnoxious, it’s probably a good mood to experience. Then again, maybe my awesome mood has something to do with some awesome friends of mine being, well, awesome. You see, while I was geeking out about Melissa Etheridge and pacifist gunmen, they were using their geek powers for good. 

By staying up really, really late making posts to their online journals. For charity.

Back when I was a little geeky girl of nine, the students at my elementary school held an event called a jump-a-thon. The idea was to get people (mostly our families) to sponsor us for each minute we jumped rope (say for a nickel a minute, as this was the 1980s when gas was 75 cents a gallon or so). At the end of the ‘thon, we turned in the pledges to our teachers, who donated them to the American Heart Association. Each year, the folks who participate in Blogathon do roughly the same thing – only this time, they pick their own charities. For 24 hours, these intrepid souls post to an online journal, or blog, every 30 minutes. They publicize what they’re doing through the Blogathon Web site, and with any luck, people donate directly to their charity of choice. At least, that’s how it usually works. This year, you see, Blogathon’s organizers needed a break and put the event on hiatus.

That’s where my friend Song and her doughty crew stepped in to pick up the slack. On their own and in groups, they blogged for a number of charities on July 26 including Planned Parenthood, the American Cancer Society and, Song’s personal choice, the Boston Rape Crisis Center. Although they haven’t yet tallied up their pledges (I’m writing this, after all, one day after their unofficial ‘thon), let me tell you, they’ve brought in an impressive amount. Song, for example, raised about $1,700 for BRCC through a charity eBay auction, to which I and other artists contributed hand made jewelry, clothing and even cloth sanitary napkins. In the end, a lot of charities got much-needed money, and my friends had a lot of fun – and let me tell you, reading their surreal sleep-deprived ramblings the next morning was pretty fun for me, too.

Now, projects like Blogathon have their critics, people who roll their eyes at the idea of people shelling out cash to watch people, well, sit around and play with their Blogspots all day. But to me, a 24-hour blog event is no different from its more active cousins, like the Walk for Life or the Best Dam Bike Ride. Also, it’s an event that draws a lot of participation from geeks – as bloggers and donators. This is what I call using our geeky powers for good.

Let’s face it. Although pursuits and interests typically described as “geeky,” like science fiction, anime and gaming, are more popular than ever these days, our culture still looks down on geeks as being lazy, awkward and, well, too inept to ever do something like pool our talents, resources and stamina to raise money for a worthy cause like helping rape survivors or cancer patients. Yet, that’s exactly what a bunch of geeks spent their weekend doing – and doing so in a very creative and non-traditional way. You can do the same thing.

See, that’s what I love most about you, geeky ones: your ingenuity, your passion, your zest for life and your ability to have a hell of a good time whether you’re playing or working. And there is a lot of work to be done in this sorry world that only our geek super powers can solve – especially if, to take a leaf out of Troy Williams’ column, you’re a gay geek. Want to work for an end to HIV/AIDS? Why not hold a masquerade cosplay ball and donate all the funds to the Utah AIDS Foundation. Want to help the fight to keep gay marriage legal in California? How about holding your own 24 hour blog event and donating all pledges to Equality California, Marriage Equality USA or Equality for All? A bunch of geeks formed a project called “Live Long and Marry” earlier this summer and raised a nearly $50,000 for these three organizations. Want to get Sen. Chris Buttars out of office? I’m sure his Democratic challenger John Rendell wouldn’t turn down a geeky campaign volunteer. Just as I’m sure the People with AIDS Coalition of Utah wouldn’t say no to Browncoats, Trekkers, Jedis and Potterheads who could help them answer phones, do filing and stuff envelopes. After all, not all good deeds need to involve money or complex event planning – just a willingness to be compassionate, helpful, and above all, to show up.

So, geeky ones, remember: Summer doesn’t have to suck, despite what South Park says, and your power to do good doesn’t just lie in your wallet, or your interest in running/walking/biking for a worthy cause. Whether working in a group or by ourselves, there’s a lot of good we can accomplish when we put our imaginations, initiatives and senses of fun to the test. If we can’t be super heroes, who can?