[Yes, everytime people mock geeks, I get a sense of protectiveness, I get an Obama-moment, I feel suddenly patriotic, I feel like grabbing flags, speaking in the podium and educating these people from their narrow-mindedness!]
And this is a common misconception that geeks have lousy social skills. In fact, they don't, really. And geeks don't look like Napoleon Dynamite, mind you. And, to set the records straight; geeks are those who are overly obsessed with one or more things including intellectuality, electronics, gaming, etc. In fact, there's no mention about popularity or the sort of thing people normally associate them with.
They are simply put,
A derogatory reference to a person obsessed with intellectual pursuits for their own sake.
A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media. Geeks are adept with computers.
A person who relates academic subjects to the real world outside of academic studies; for example, using multivariate calculus to determine how they should correctly optimize the dimensions of a pan to bake a cake.
A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance.
A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest.
Now what is so mockable about these fine qualities? Damn, I think intelligence is attractive, for one. And interest in technology is really not a bad thing, isn't it? [Eric used to help me with all kinds of computer-related problems that I was just happy enough being technically retarded as I was. Yes, he was somewhat a geek, bless him.] A person who doesn't care much about social acceptance? Doesn't that mean they're just comfortable enough being themselves? And it's good, you know.
I think I should have just stopped at the 'intelligence is attractive' bit because that would have been suffficent enough to prove my point.
And it goes more that people we call geeks normally don't really pay that much attention to how they look, because computers and technology don't go hand-in-hand with well, fashion. It's not like they're unwashed and their clothes date back to the 17th century, but they are simply, well, nonchalant, at least when it comes to that aspect. And that's attractive. I can't stand guys any other way.
The glasses does it for me too, but that's just a perk.
Not all smart men are geeks, but all geeks are smart, I'd say.
My sister had her fair share going to MIT for her master degree last year, and when she came back and I asked all sorts of questions about the people there, she said well, we think MIT students would be all studious and diligent, monogamous type of people with big thick glasses carrying books everywhere, because face it, they are probably among the smartest students in the world. And indeed they are, but they're not at all like that. There was a caucasian guy with long unruly hair like a rock star who would ocassionaly sleep during the lecture.
But go figure, he's a MIT student. I'm just saying that sometimes people surprise you, how they look and how they actually are can be entirely different.
Yes, I have a taste for geeks, but contrary to popular belief, it's really not weird. I certainly don't deserve a mockery laugh, or a pitiful stare as if my pool is an unattractive one noone wants to be near to. Some say they go for the fit, sporty, fitness-type, some go for the adventureous kind, well then what's the difference with a taste for the geeks?
[Which is essentially more than just the looks, really. But we all are guilty of thinslicing and making fast generalization upon first impression, so pinpointing someone as 'geeky' just because he's tall, skinny and wears glasses is hardly fair, but oh, we do that all the time.
What I'm saying is, geekiness is a perfectly attractive quality. I dig it, you don't, big deal. Just no need to get all 'gosh, tina, you are so weird!' because there are much weirder things in the world, trust me.
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