The nature of geek-dom
POSTED BY: reginaroadie
UPDATED: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 23:05
VIEWED: 6583
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Hey all
I was thinking about geek culture and all that, and I hit on something that I think could open up to some interesting discussions.
To me, a geek is someone who has a larger than normal fascination or obsession with a specific thing. By that definition, I think the majority of people are geeks. Even non-geeky types could be described as geeks. But there seems to be sort of a caste system with geeks.
For example, if someone were to dress up as a character from a sci-fi movie or tv show, they're derided and made fun of and laughed at. But if someone wears a melon on their head or paint either their face or body of a specific color of a sports team, that somehow makes them ok or cool. It's even better if you re-enact some centuries old battle in authentic clothing and realistic wounds. Ands to know the inner workings of a warp drive gets jeers, but to know the inner workings of a motor of some classic car makes you the coolest guy in the room.
To me, this just seems a bit dumb that in a world of geeks, that motorheads or sports fanatics or civil war buffs or gun nuts or other people that have passionate obsessions with specific human endeavours do not get the same derision as, well...us.
Is what I'm saying making any sense to you guys?
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"There's only one "Return" ok, and it ain't "of the King", it's "of the Jedi."
"Maybe we should start calling your friend 'Padme' because he loves 'Mannequin Skywalker' so much, Right? (imitating robot) Danger...danger...my name is Anakin...my shitty acting is ruining saga."
Excerpt of internet teaser for CLERKS 2.
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"Short for computer geek, an individual with a passion for computers, to the exclusion of other normal human interests. Depending on the context, it can be used in either a derogatory or affectionate manner. Basically, geek and nerd are synonymous."
Therefore to BE a geek, one must be extremely intelligent.
This is what sets US apart from the cheesehead wearing masses.
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Bestower of Titles, Designer of Tshirts, Maker of Mottos, Keeper of the Pyre
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"
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I don't know, i think its less a 'caste system' and more the general fear of the unknown. Football if more widespread and mainstream, therefore donning the warpaint and behaving like an ape is socially acceptable. Most sci-fi/computer/other fandom is, by comparison anyway, still niche, and your average guy dressed as a trekki is still exotic enough to elicite fear in the average close minded adult. So the usual impulses to cope with the fear by rejecting, ridiculing and belittling kick in.
Basically, most folks can't cope with what they don't understand, and more of them lost the ability to embrace the new long before they sold their childhood toys on ebay.
Writing this its occured to me that geeks are still guilty of that sort of thing to some extent - and the caste system is their doing (witness the trekki/trekker schism, and the fact that we all spent the whole weekend at dragon con carefully avoiding the gaming rooms) (ok, mainly for reasons of the smell, but we could have gone on the first day)
I just love 'geeks' for their honesty and joy - they are brave enough to openly admit their passions, and thankfully those passions don't freak me out (unlike the furries and the fetishists, but thats my issue) and the rest of the world can go play on a motorway in heavy traffic.
Was that bitter? That sounded bitter didn't it? Oooh, bitter, bitter, bitter.
Liverpudlian, nevermind me.
http://www.myspace.com/seryndippyt
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Everyone is a Geek about something. Ask an otherwise normal accountant to talk about accountancy (no don't really, it's an example, I will not be held responcible for murder) my brother is a bigger football geek than I am a FireFly geek, seriously. But his geekdom is socially acceptable, sports geeks are considered normal, thus extreme knowledge in that area is to be praised and envied, not ridiculed.
It's like a bunch of trekkies praising each other on their knowledge of which button data presses in episode 36 that is the same button Riker presses in episode 73 to do a completely different thing.
Though seriously, who doesn't find Trekkies scary? People dressing up as their favorite characters and making whoosh sounds as they walk through doors. It's the Geek equivelent of hitting yourself on the head and muttering about the voices.
They scare the hell outta me...
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
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gee, i thought they just bit the heads off of chickens...
Geek
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It is commonly believed that the word "geek" originates with side-show "circus geeks" — performers at carnivals who swallow various live animals, live insects, and so forth. Sometimes this would extend to biting the heads off of chickens or other small livestock.[
Many lexicographers source geek to an Americanism of Shakespeare's 16th century word, geck, originally of Middle Saxon (Germanic) origin; meaning "fool" or "an object of scorn; a dupe"
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well, yes, the trekkis scare me to, but then so do accountants.
ah, the sideshow geek - wierd wierd things that people can be paid to do.
I have always said we need to reclaim the word 'geek' - the way black people have reclaimed nigger (sorry, 'niggaz') and homosexuals have reclaimed fag and gay.
I reckon we should have campains and and buttons and banners emblazoned with 'GEEK PRIDE' and one weekend in the year we should get women to dance in virtually nothing while parading up and down in bright costumes selling overpriced souvenirs and generally getting in the way of traffic.
Ah, we already do that don't we? its called a con.
well... carry on...
no, i think Geek Pride is still do able, we need patchs buttons and net banners, in a years time i don't want a single trekki whooshing through a dorway without a geek pride patch sewn to his butt.
Its time we rose up and stood our ground against our mainstream opressors! It time that we let the world know that we are proud to be who we are! Its time that i shut up and got on with my sewing.
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Quote:
Is what I'm saying making any sense to you guys?
Does that seem right to you?
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I feel yet another tshirt coming on..............
Firefly Geek - We aim to Geek.....hmmmm I will have to work on it.
----
Bestower of Titles, Designer of Tshirts, Maker of Mottos, Keeper of the Pyre
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"
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I'm a geek and I'm proud to be one.
Have been one since I sprouted up taller than the boys in first grade and donned my horn rimmed glasses in fourth. And got straight A's most of the time in school-OK, I had a few B's now and then if I slacked off.
I've always had my nose in a book and even read the encyclopedia when I had read everything else. Was the first in my family to touch a computer.
Now I perm my Cher straight hair curly, wear contact lenses and dress semi-fashionably, for a middle aged woman, but at heart I'm still a geek and now I proudly wear the name-FIREFLY/SERENITY GEEK!
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We'll take the Galaticans and the Browncoats, but we don't want the Trekkies .
Geek Pride sounds dangerous, someone might start a fight...
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
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