I spend so much time reading about, writing about and talking about different nerdclinations. I’ve always been a nerd, but the recent explosion in nerd culture has pushed all of my favorite nerdclinations to the forefront.
With as much as I think about and discuss all the nerdy things in the world, it’s easy to forget that there are real people behind all of my favorite nerdclinations. There are actors, writers, directors, artists and so many more people behind everything that I love.
It’s easy to forget the people behind the nerdclinations. The amount of vitriol spewed at The Phantom Menace definitely didn’t take into account that Jake Lloyd was 10 years old and just a kid. Even something as terrible as Ultraviolet had hundreds of people working their best to produce something of quality. I may think those hundreds of people failed, but they’re still people.
Other than George Lucas, no one has received as much nerd rage as Zack Snyder. The director of 300, Watchmen and Batman v Superman, as well as the mastermind behind the DCEU, is not well loved in many nerdy circles. I enjoyed Man of Steel and didn’t hate BvS, but Snyder is a lightning rod for think pieces and articles about the death of super hero movies.
I myself have participated in similar conversations, often forgetting that Zack Snyder is a real person with hopes, dreams, feelings and aspirations. Unfortunately, it often takes tragedy for us to remember how human all of these creators are.
Snyder is stepping down from his duties as director of Justice League after the death of his daughter by suicide.
I’ve never met Snyder and I’ve never directed any outrageous vitriol in his direction, but I didn’t really think of him as a person. In my mind he was the guy in charge of the DCEU that other nerds hate. I saw everything written about him on the Internet and didn’t feel anything for him because he was just a name attached to a project.
My heart broke for Snyder and his family; I can’t even imagine that kind of loss. Instead of seeing him as a credit before a movie, I saw him as a father dealing with unconscionable tragedy. I prayed for him and his family and will continue to do so, hoping that he experiences God’s peace in the midst of heartbreak.
Clearly there is more significance to this loss than me being reminded that actors, writers, directors and artists are real people. It’s easy to forget, though, and not just for people that we’ll never meet. I forget about plenty of people in my life that I see on a daily basis; it’s easy to miss their needs when I’m selfishly focused on my own life. I don’t want to be that kind of person, though; I want to see everyone as God sees them and do everything I can to meet their needs. Even directors who have had their unfair share of nerd rage.
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