With not that much geek worthy news to talk about in the u-nerd-verse this week, I thought I would take this time to write about my life in geek culture. For as long as I can recall, I have always been a geek. It was never an easy thing to be growing up. It was not the badge of honor in those days like it is today. There was always constant ridicule from the “cool kids.” Thankfully, now those days feel like a distant memory. In recent years, the “cool kids” have embraced the very things (comic books, video games etc.) that made me the outcast. Being a geek is still not always cool but it is ok.
I never knew being a geek was a life style so to speak. I never paid attention to the different clicks/groups in school. What I am getting at is who is or was the so called "cool kids"? What made them cool? In movies they put out this persona that the jocks and cheerleaders are the cool kids... I was a cheerleader for a few years and let me say most of them are stuck up, self centered and not anyone I'd want to be friends with. I dated jocks and jocks sounds and acts alot like jerks.
ReplyDelete"Cool kids" is just a generic term. It is something that very hard to put into words but is easily recognizable when you see it. It is the ever present societal pecking order.
DeleteI can see what you mean, I had a couple of friends that where considered a geek. It was not easy for them to be around the “cool kids”, but I knew that they were different. Sometimes people would called me a geek just because I did my homework and study all the time, so I don’t mind if I was called a geek.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about geek-ness. Having an interest in life that amuses you and that you like to spend free time on is good, a mark of your human-ness and unique-ness. But if a person obsesses to the point of hurting themselves or others then I think they've gone over the edge. Usually a person doesn't realize that a focus on violence or self (as in the case of the jocks and cheerleaders), academic pursuits, or whatever, is hurting them in some way. But pulling away from one's obsession just a little, to add some balance to life, could change a person's future. Only honest introspection could help a person evaluate whether their hobby is truly enjoyable or a form of masochism. Where the line is between the two extremes and where geek-ness falls on that line is the question for me.
ReplyDeleteThe line between the two extremes, as long as the individual is not imposing on another person, should be left up to the individual. No one should be allowed to dictate what level of passion/obsession another person has. I also do not believe that masochism is a fair assessment of geek-dom. I do not see someone choosing to be a geek for the sole purpose of being ridiculed. The real masochistic behavior would be hiding who you are.
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