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Are Fake Geeks Dooming Real Ones?

mattnyc99 writes "In the wake of the Best Buy 'geek' trademarking and Miss USA calling herself 'a huge history geek,' writer (and self-proclaimed geek) Eryn Green has an interesting piece for Esquire on how so-called 'geek chic' is pervading the culture so much that no one appreciates an actual geek anymore. From the article: 'The difference between brains and beauty is that you're more or less born into good looks — entitled, if you will. Intelligence? That takes work. If the hallmark of real geekiness — of America — is determination, then we seem too determined to have an entitlement problem.'"

4 of 492 comments (clear)

  1. Nope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nobody apart from other geeks has ever appreciated an actual geek.

  2. real geekiness? by cheeks5965 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If the hallmark of real geekiness — of America — is determination, then we seem too determined to have an entitlement problem.

    LOLWUT? This statement makes no sense. It sounds like a perversion of a tea party truism. A salute to real American geekiness as our founding fathers envisioned!

    In my mind true geeks apply an overabundance of detailed knowledge to an overly technical project that wouldn't interest the general population. Count me in.

    -sent from my TI-92 graphing calculator.

    --
    -- Flame me and I will happily flame you back. Bring it!
  3. Intelligence by Psychotria · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Intelligence takes work? First I've heard about that. Sure, utilising intelligence to create new things, undertake science, refine and present new ideas, learning, building etc -- they all take work. I.e. it takes work to use your intelligence to its full potential. But I don't think that's the same thing as saying "Intelligence? That takes work".

  4. Re:Solution by Altus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And they will explain to you why your non expert test is really not a good way to test if someone is geeky in this particular subject. They will then spend an hour or so providing you with a better set of 10 questions and writing up a multi-page answer for each one.

    That's when you know you are dealing with a geek.

    --

    "In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson