It's a sad sad day when I make a post to a so-called "Uber Geek" Forum about Carl Sagan (it was Carl Sagan day just the other day, you know) and the only response I get is a "didn't know, didn't care" shrug off.
I realize that being a geek now is considered "in" but I'm starting to wonder...
Where did all the real geeks go???
Don't get me wrong; I am elated that so many are now embracing their inner "nerd". But perhaps there are too many who are donning the uniform without following the mindset.
Just the other night I was at work and some kid was wearing a science themed tee and was bragging about his Spiderman underwear. So of course, I start discussing some of the more recent arcs in the Spiderman series and Joe Quesada's (asinine) comments at Comic Con about said arcs...and this kid just stood there with blank look on his face and admitted "I actually never read a Spiderman comic before."
It is like this all the time for me now. With the rise in popularity of comic book heroes, video game characters, and nerdy accessories...it takes a clever eye to spot the real from the fake. Now let me repeat what I said before, as my intentions are not to offend, nor to sway anyone from delving into traditionally geeky hobbies and pastimes: I condone and even encourage others to jump on this particular bandwagon.
But! Is it too much to ask that you at least learn something in the process????
After all, you wouldn't wear a band tee without listening to the music first, right?
So why would you wear a Iron Man tee without having ever having flipped through the pages of an Iron Man or Avengers comic???
Or wear a shirt with Master Chief on it without ever having played a single game of Halo??
There is a lot more to being a geek then wearing the clothes and using the vernacular. (Online gaming slang has pretty much been ruined for me now.) Honestly, most people will never really know how it feels to be geeky...and that is a good thing to some extent! It isn't all peaches and cream you know. I have spent most of my life hiding some of my more embarrassing hobbies (many of which I don't have to hide anymore simply because most people see "hot chick" first and...well...we all know "hot chick" trumps "geek"). I still struggle with social anxiety, shyness, and my overall introverted-ness. I hate the fact that anytime I am faced with crowds or intimidating social situations, my stomach gets upset and I am confined to the bathroom much of the night. I hate that no matter how well I know someone, I still dread going out in public "to hang" and I have butterflies in my stomach worrying about if they are bored or discontent with me. And I hate that when I get scared or shy, my voice gets higher and lighter to the point of being almost inaudible.
It is not a normal life. But I've learned to accept it and even love it. I may never be the social butterfly or the extroverted party girl that I always wished I had the guts to pull off. But I have found a small circle of friends who share many of the same problems and personality glitches that I do...and we have much in common as far as interests go.
And I have my family too. They are some of the most intelligent, well spoken people I have ever known; yet the most likely the cause of my geekiness. My dad is the founder of the Chestmont Astronomical Society and my mother is hardcore into the SCA. Oh, and my sister works at GameStop and hopes to one day join the Fragdolls or program video games. And my boyfriend of seven years is an Actuary and competes in National Sudoku Championships (and finished third last year!).
So yeah...not a lot of cool kids in my crowd...but I like it that way.
But I digress. Back to point!
My point is...yes, try on the geeky lifestyle. Read some comic books, join your local Astronomy club, try currency tracking, go to a Sci-Fi Convention, get some books on Astrophysics, or whatever floats your boat.
Don't just look like you know it...actually KNOW it.
Because not enough of us have an interest in science and mathematics.
Because Marvel needs better writers and artists.
Because NASA gets less than 1% of federal funding.
And most importantly...
Because I don't want to live in a world where no one knows who Carl Sagan is.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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