The Death of G4: Is this the beginning of the backlash?

We've been blessed to experience the renaissance of geek culture expand and blow up, integrating itself firmly into the progressiveness of what is considered pop culture.

I hate using the word "normal", because it is very limiting in its own definition when describing what the geek community is about.  Instead I'll say we've finally achieved some sort of place and comfort zone within the world.

One such cable channel that caters to that place within the world is G4.  The channel rose to fame within geek culture when it featured many special interest shows on technology and video games.  They spoke to gamers and geeks, not at them.

As years past by, their programming decisions became more and more idiotic and started to ostracize the G4 fans.  What programing guru decided to cancel a number of G4's shows and put in their place non-stop episodes of COPS?

And just recently there were a couple mysterious exits from two of G4's most popular hosts, Adam Sessler and Kevin Pereira.

Without much surprise NBC, who owns G4, announced a week ago that they are intentionally doing away with the only two shows that have anything left to do with geek interests and are "re-branding" for more of a D-bag crowd (or as they put it, readers of GQ).

Read an article on the subject HERE.

This comes as no surprise for anyone who witnessed the decline and downfall of what was once a pretty cool outlet for the geek community.  Their own stupid decisions throughout the years have lead to this.

I don't mean to turn this post into a eulogy for G4.  G4 has been brain dead for years.  What I am wondering is if this a harbinger of a backlash to the Geek / Nerd subculture that has been growing and moving forward for the last decade.

Trends come and go, and some seemingly wear out their welcome.  If you over publicize any one trend for too long, there tends to be a backlash against it.  Take for example the Heavy Metal scene of the 80's.  Sure Heavy Metal is still  going strong, but it is nowhere as popular as it once was back in the day.

Once the Grunge bands started to infiltrate the heavy music scene, there became a period where Heavy Metal had to retreat back underground.  I worry that the same may happen to geek culture.

After all, it is the elitist powers that control corporate America.  It is the frat boys and sorority girls (or "cool kids") that run the companies that turn the gears of America.  How many of them are going to understand or care about the geek culture and our importance within the consumer economy?

Just another dark thought that has been tooling around in my mind-skull for the last few days and I thought I'd share this little depressing morsel with the rest of you to ponder on about.


Speaking of DARK, you'll be seeing the changes of the annual Halloween make-over of my blog by the next post, because I can contain my excitement for the macabre holiday no longer!

Until next time, watch you back, because that shadow you thought you saw moving at night out of the corner of your eye was probably something undead and just waiting for you to fall asleep tonight so that it may pounce!

Zangz.