Recently Read: Oh Myyy! by George Takei

Oh Myyy! by George Takei
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In a nutshell, this is a quick, entertaining read, somewhat informative and highly amusing and funny.

Let me start with full disclosure. I have a strange fascination with George Takei, or “Uncle George” as many of his fans now call him. I was raised on reruns of “Star Trek: TOS” and am enough of a Trekkie and sci fi junkie to use the abbreviation “TOS.” Asian faces are rare on television even today, with the exception of shows like “M*A*S*H” in which they were required. In a way, minorities already have a special spotlight, as you can’t help but notice them sprinkled amidst a sea of Caucasian cast members. Nichelle Nichols stood out in her miniskirt and go-go boots, whereas the Captain’s eye candy de jour nearly blended in with the set by comparison. So, when I, as a young girl, saw a strapping Japanese man run shirtless through the halls of a spaceship wielding a katana, it was even more striking than the numerous times Kirk went shirtless. (Side note, we should have seen Sulu shirtless much more often. He must have worked out back then.) Then, decades later, George Takei reemerges on Howard Stern with his trademark bass voice and impeccable diction. By this time, I am a mom of a biracial child and notice that there are only a few Japanese American role models for my son. Then he discovers Twitter, and the world discovers that he is a comic genius and skilled opportunist. By the time he joined Facebook, I was hooked. And then I was following.

Oh Myyy! There Goes the Internet is exactly what it claims to be. It’s not an autobiography. Pick up one of the two actual autobiographies Takei wrote if you are interested in his life and career. This book is pretty much all about how George Takei won the internet. All in all, it’s a pretty quick read, easily digested is sporadic bursts. Basically, Uncle George tells the story of his two year rise to online infamy: how and why he started tweeting, how he came to have a catch phrase (and thus the title of this book), why he does it, highlights of his activist career, milestones along the journey so far, etc. He wraps up the book with a candid explanation of how he attracted and maintains a fan base of over three (now six) million followers and what it takes to maintain his virtual empire.

This was an amusing read, and I enjoyed reliving some of the glorious moments of Takei’s initial two years of internet stardom. The book includes numerous screenshots of various posts and memes to highlight stories and crack jokes throughout the book. However, I've seen them all numerous times before. While the book was entertaining, for the most part it was all old information for me. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't just witnessed it all first hand by being one of his legions of fans. It sort of felt like reading a scrapbook of an event I recently participated in. I mostly enjoyed this book for nostalgic reasons. It commemorates a cultural phenomenon I was lucky enough to be in the right place and the right time to be a part of. For that reason, I will probably always treasure this book.

I did get a bit more out of the last few chapters in the book. In those, Takei goes into more detail of how Facebook (and social media in general, really) works and how to maximize your reach and influence. He talks about what kind of posts most appeal to followers, which posts they are more likely to share, how often to post and what times of day are best, how EdgeRank works and how to work the system, the pitfalls of “promoted” posts, how he picks content and determines (or rather doesn’t determine) sourcing, etc. Clearly, it is an entrepreneurial science. I found a few key points worth taking note of, should I ever find myself trying to make a presence on the internet. Hey, you never know.

In one chapter, Uncle George discusses grammar nazis. That chapter is titled “Grammar Nazis.” This is something I am often accused of being. He mocks us lovingly, as he is one of us.
“I confess, I love English. I make every reasonable attempt to craft my public comments within the accepted confines and strictures of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. The irony of this endeavor is palpable, for English itself is a hopeless hodgepodge of other tongues, with more exceptions than rules, more chaos than order, and enough new words created each day to keep the Oxford English Dictionary folks very, very busy.”
Indeed, I have never read any book regarding the internet or social media so well-written. Modern technology is a catalyst for change, and our language is not immune. It is alive, ever changing and evolving, influenced by the methods people choose to communicate. The internet has made it easier for us to communicate, so we tend to do it much more often. Even more so than email, the age of social media and texting has made dialogue convenient and instantaneous. Letter writing is quickly becoming a lost art, though some of us keep trying to revive it. Before, presentation, neatness, accuracy, and clearness of meaning were the crucial elements in written communication. Now those are trumped by speed and volume. Typos and texting “shorthand” are deemed acceptable as long as you can still be understood. Later on in the book, Takei mentions how typos became so common place they became acceptable spelling alternatives, such as “pwned” and “zOMG.” Takei ends the “Grammar Nazis” chapter with these words of advice:
“So Grammar Nazis be warned: For each rule and principle you cling to with your fierce, unyielding, and yes, admirable determination, new and dynamic forces are at work that inevitably will undermine your efforts. Antecedents will dangle, prepositions will complete sentences, and infinitives will be split.
After all, it is our continuing mission ‘to boldly go where no one has gone before.’”
I guess the logical thing would be for us to let go and evolve with the rest of society. Just go with the flow. That would be the logical thing. Yes, indeed. It would be logical, perhaps not feasible, but definitely logical. Someone pat my head and soothingly whisper “There, their, they’re.”

Okay. I’m better now.

Overall, you may learn one or two things from this book, or maybe not. If you decide to pick up this book, most likely you are already a fan of George Takei and expect to be entertained. This book does that, and one thing is for sure. You will most likely laugh in amusement. And, even if you don’t get the audio version of the book, you will still hear it in his deep, trademark voice as you read.

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