A brief contemplation on geekdom

[perpetual_motion]

I've been researching female comic book fans for my media paper, and it led me to this comment connected to an article about the supposed rise of female geeks [I say supposed because it's not that we're not around, it's that we don't get a lot of notice]:

"A geek" was the only fitting role model for a lot of us guys who weren't jocks or preppies and now that is being taken away from us!

I'll give a million dollars [or this bucket] to the first person who can explain to me how women being geeky takes away from men being geeky. Before anyone gets wiseass, "boobs" is not an acceptable answer.

I really am curious as to how women are "taking away" a concept. Geek guys have no problem sharing the title with other guys, so what's it matter if women are claiming the title as well? I mean, guys like this one might actually meet girls who like the geeky stuff they do. The horror.

I find this type of thought especially weird because, in my experience, I've never met a geek guy who thinks I'm trying to bogart his territory. Geeks, in general, tend to be happy with most fellow geeks because we're geeks. Much in the same way as the "jocks" and "preps" congregate because they have a common backing, so do geeks. I've never felt that having a vagina made my geekiness inherently different.

Someone at some point said to me, in regards to a mutual acquaintance, "He's to geeks what geeks are to non-geeks."

And I wonder if the people who agree with him would look at me and think something similar: "She says she's a geek, but she's a girl, so she's not really a geek."

And that, quite honestly, bums me the hell out. Because I am a geek, and I've been a geek, and I wasn't aware that my gender was an actual factor to some people. Because it shouldn't, plain and simple, be a factor at all. I read comics. I'm scarily into movies. I learned HTML at fourteen for fun, and I started learning CSS for the same reason. I know more about Magic: The Gathering than I do about poker, and the only reason I don't play video games is because my hand-eye coordination is shit. I will, however, watch a good game from start to finish and try to help you out [Left! No, LEFT! No, your OTHER FUCKING LEFT!]. I wasn't aware that these things were less geeky because I have fleshier bits and lack a penis.

What are your thoughts, flist?

Comments

[moonsong42.livejournal.com]

Well, I just came away from the Penny Arcade Expo, which is now the largest video game convention in the US, and there was a girl at the "Wil Wheaton Hour of Awesome" panel who thanked everyone for being geeky and finally giving her a place where she felt at home and welcomed. She put it much better (ostracized when young, isolating interests, cut herself off from geekdom to fit in, rejoined after marrying geeky guy) and most of us in the audience were tearing up.

Now, granted, there were probably 20 guys for each girl there, but there is a growing visible presence. So I think it depends on the person, and on the group. There will always be jerks in any situation, and one thing about geeks is that we tend to be somewhat socially awkward, so others don't notice as much that we haven't emotionally or mentally had to mature since...9th grade/form/class/whatever.

So some people think that girls=bad, or that including more people into our increasingly less sidelined group means that we become the mainstream, which decreases their sense of importance. You can't be an intentional outcast, hoarding your sense of personal importance in spite of public rejection, if your group starts allowing anyone to enter. Or something.

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

You went to Pax? Were that not complete awesome, I would totally shun you. Because you got to go and I didn't.

I think it comes down to some people want to be socially important by being on the outskirts, and any attention brought to that group makes them more noticeable will make them feel like the people bringing the attention are making them lose their status.

Short version: Some people are jerks.

[moonsong42.livejournal.com]

Hey, the only reason I got to go was because I live in Seattle. I can't afford to go to anything that requires a hotel stay, and don't have a car to "easily" scoot back and forth.

But yeah. Some people are jerks. And some people want to feel elitist about something, and can't accept inclusion. Or what you said, cause I like that better.

[desrose.livejournal.com]

I've always wished I was more geeky. Honestly. All the things you listed sound so fucking cool! But I too suck at video games, could never get a handle on HTML (what the heck is CSS?!), would have LOVED to have played Magic: The Gathering but nobody ever taught me, and etc. etc.

(I am possibly going to get into D&D though... if I can figure it out!)

But I think if the world was populated with more geeks, it'd be a lot more peaceful. I happily await the day the jocks and cheerleaders get outnumbered.

[perpet-fic.livejournal.com]

CSS is what makes the HTML pretty. HTML gives you the structure of your webpage [headings, paragraphs, lists, and so on], and CSS gives it the pretty. If you want to give it another try, Strict XHTML 1.0 is the way to go. The commands are much, much simpler than old school HTML, and CSS has a very easy-to-understand structure once you get going on it.

Do you have a comic/card shop nearby? They'll happily explain the game to you if they're worth a damned thing, and the latest core set just came out, so it's a great time to get in. I don't play myself, but I married a Magic nerd and worked at a shop, so I picked up a lot.

Oh, totally do D&D! I have a bunch of friends who play and they keep getting really close to getting me in on it. D&D 4.0 was made to be friendlier to noobs, so much like Magic, no time like now. :)