In Praise of Geekiness

Technical difficulties solved!





I know you think I am in danger of engaging in self-adulatory behavior here - but I have always really been more of a nerd than a geek. Geekiness is something to which I can only anxiously aspire.



What am I talking about? We both wish we knew the answer to that question. I realized that I had this feeling of awe for geekiness, but couldn't really put it into words, so off to the online dictionary for a flashlight into the darkness:

geek Slang. –noun 1. a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp. one who is perceived to be overly intellectual. 2. a computer expert or enthusiast (a term of pride as self-reference, but often considered offensive when used by outsiders.) 3. a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken. [Origin: 1915- 20; prob. var. of geck (mainly Scots) fool < D or LG gek] From dictionary.com

Okay, yeah - that's part of it - not the intellectual reference, but if one combines definitions number 3 and number 1, then the heart of the matter gets a little more palpable.

Reading on, I noticed this extremely illuminating paragraph. (Are you paying attention Corky?)

Our Living Language : Our word geek is now chiefly associated with contemporary student and computer slang, as in computer geek. In fact, geek is first attested in 1876 with the meaning "fool," and it later also came to mean "a performer engaging in bizarre acts like biting the head off a live chicken." Perhaps the use of geek to describe a circus sideshow has contributed to its current popularity. The circus was a much more significant source of entertainment in the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries than it is now, and large numbers of traveling circuses left a cultural legacy in various unexpected ways. Superman and other comic book superheroes owe much of their look to circus acrobats, who were similarly costumed in capes and tights. ... (From the American Heritage Dictionary)

What I've decided I admire about geeks is their bravery. Yes, I know this goes against the traditional (non)wisdom, that portrays geeks as spineless, unattractive and emasculated beings who are hopelessly asocial and can't fit into normal society,



but as I look at the beautiful people of the renaissance festival (whom society most likely terms geeks) I see untold beauty and bravery. In a society that criticizes women for being just ounces heavier than a barbie doll, it takes real courage to wear lycra or a belly dance costume. In a culture that sees men as needing to be brawny, but only in the right



places, it takes nerve to wear tights and brocade. I think frequently about all the years I secretly envied the Trekkies and the people in Dungeons and Dragons or the Society for Creative Anachronisms because they were bold enough to ignore public castigation and do what made them happy. They had strong communities, solid friendships and always seemed to be having such a good time and yet somehow I just couldn't take those tiny little steps to go over and join in the merriment.



So the next time you (or I) think of that Babylon Five gal dressed up like a Minbari Ambassador or the guy wearing green spandex with question marks and a bowler as losers - think about whose loss it really is.



My goodness, the world is full of grace and magnificence!