Geekdom explained (by me, anyway)

Being a geek, or nerd, I'd like to explain what it is to be a geek. I can't explain why, especially since I have no idea that anyone reads this, but I'll explain anyway as a sort of message in a bottle.

Now, I'm aware in recent years that somehow, being a geek is now cool. Some call it emo or indie, probably to separate the geek chic from the degrading connotation, thereby preserving the latter. I think it's popular because it acknowledges and legitimizes human vulnerability and also because there's a lot of geeks in our culture. Especially now that computers and the internet are such staples in our lives.

I have to digress, though. I'm interested in explaining the derogatory geek. The ones that were beat up by jocks and bullies in school since the '60s, maybe earlier. The ones that were beat up because they didn't care for sports, looked goofy in those thick-framed glasses, actually did well with their homework, liked being praised by teachers, watched Star Trek, and read comics and Lord of the Rings. The ones that always tucked in their shirts and buttoned them all the way because they didn't understand fashion and just wore what their parents put on them.

Yeah, those geeks.

Even by today's standards, there are those geeks. The ones that never emerge from their basements or leave their computers for long because they have a raid in World of Warcraft. The ones that talk almost ceaselessly about slightly obscure video games, superhero comics, computer software, and computer hardware. The ones that don't date very often and probably have never had a girlfriend, and naturally are often virgins (I have to wonder if this is why being a virgin is looked down upon in our culture...).

So, a big part of being a geek is geek interests. The sci-fi/fantasy books, horror books, comic books, sci-fi/fantasy/horror films, TV shows of the same genres, video games, computer games, and so on. What draws a geek to an old, badly-produced British TV show called Doctor Who(from a couple decades ago)? Why do geeks like to play table top role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons? Why do geeks get so wrapped up in online RPGs like World of Warcraft?

There's a few reasons for this, actually. One is technology. The more it progresses, the more it isolates people. We actually become more and more distant from one another. What did we do before we had cell phones? We memorized our friends' and families' phone numbers and we made plans in advance. Before TV? We went out to clubs and bars and we danced to live jazz music. Before the internet? We got our news from newspapers, magazines, the radio, and TV. We watched TV for entertainment. We mailed résumés, dropped them off, and actually drove to places of business to pick up applications, fill them out, and drop them off in turn. We also drove to department stores, malls, and other places of business to buy things in person. We also used the phone book to book reservations and order out for pizza. And we met other people in person and actually exchanged phone numbers. Once in a while, we'd see a movie on a whim or with no knowledge of a critic's opinion of that film. In general, we took more risks with meeting people and buying goods and services.

Another reason--and I personally think this is the biggest--is that life sucks. Generally speaking, of course, but especially for geeks. To explain, let's say you and I are going to play a make-believe game, sort of like Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, and Doctor for the adventurous boys and girls who actually played together before puberty hit. This game we're going to play will be called Medieval Times. Basically a game where we pretend we're in the Medieval era of kings and queens, knights and dragons, and so on. Now, since I'm the one who came up with the idea, I'll say you get to be a knight or a princess (depending on your gender). You'll be admired by your peers, valiant or beautiful, armored and riding a horse or pampered by servants, romantically risking your life or your family honor for the one you love...

Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Now, let's say we're playing Medieval Times, and instead of being a knight or princess, I tell you you're going to be the troll under the bridge or the wart-encrusted witch in a cave. You would have no peers as even peasants would spit at you, you'd be forced to live away from people in a cold and dirty place, and so hideous you would shy away from even your own reflection.

Doesn't sound like fun anymore, does it?

Okay. Now, let's consider life in high school. Not anybody's in particular, just of the different cliques that populate the halls of a high school. Following the status quo of high school life, you have jocks, preppies, cheerleaders, and the pretty, popular girls. The preppies, cheerleaders, and popular girls are liked by everyone because they're pretty. Also, many of them are financially well-to-do. The jocks are regarded well because athletic men are sexy to girls and being good in sports means they do well on their school sports teams. Add that the preppies, cheerleaders, and popular girls have some school spirit and this elevates the jocks in their eyes even further. There's also the slightly gritty rebels, the ones that wear leather jackets and get in trouble with their teachers, sometimes cutting class to smoke or just ditching school altogether for a day. There are few things a girl--especially an adolescent girl--like more than a bad boy, so these guys are pretty popular, too.

Naturally, life isn't so bad for all these people. They like reality because they're well-liked in the real world.

But for the geeks, the nerds, and the weirdos? They missed a few social steps somewhere in grade school and they've been lagging a few social steps behind their peers ever since. They're picked on, teased, beaten, and humiliated by their peers just because they didn't fit in the status quo. They didn't measure up to the superficial social requirements set by their better appreciated peers.

In short, life sucks for the geeks. So, just to get by, they indulge in fantasy. And the more in-depth and fantastic the fantasy, the more they like it. It's no wonder comic books are so popular, especially Spider-Man. You know, the one about the awkward teenager who gets picked on, spat at, and made fun of by his peers and becomes a powerful, wall-crawling person who, as Spider-Man, earns respect and admiration from those same peers and many others besides. And the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And Dungeons & Dragons. And so on.

They sort of perpetuate their own isolation because they share very few interests with their less-than-geeky peers. Even if they do talk to pretty girls, all they can talk about is video games or Star Trek, two things popular kids don't indulge in because, well, they don't have to.

You know what that means? That means we're all geeks in our own little ways. Have you ever noticed the irony of jocks and sports fans playing Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Football with the enthusiasm of a die-hard Rifts player? Or how about girls who follow their teen drama TV shows loaded with he said/she said arguments and relationships ruined by infidelity? Shows that, to a non-fan, would be considered convoluted and ridiculous. Heck, even people who love their cars get obsessive about ricing out their rides and modding their engines.

Everybody has their interests. Sometimes they're given the OK by MTV and other facets of popular culture media. Sometimes they go under the radar and are only acknowledged by die-hard fans of....whatever it is (like comics or independent film). It takes a lot to accept people in spite of differing interests, but it's something we all should do. Heck, if we can do that, maybe we can accept people for being gay, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, black, or hispanic?