Ask Slashdot: Geeks Stereotypes and Their Origins

Deepak Saxena asks: "It seems that there is an inherent assumption that a lot of people make about geeks: They are liberal, they are open minded about meeting new people and trying new things, and they do not believe in God. Look around the web, and you will see that many geeks do fit this description, yet there are definetely those that don't. I know many computer geeks who are very religious, abhor violent displays of any form (games, movies, etc), and don't fit into this mold that seems to have been created for us. I also know geeks who are absolute rednecks. So the question that I have is where did this image of the leftis geek come from and why has it become the stereotype for geeks? Is this a result of so many geeks living in California, which is considered very liberal by mainstream culture? Or is it because in many people's eyes education == liberal? I'd like to hear other's thoughts on this." My answer: the mainstream media. I don't think I've seen any other geek image portrayed to the bulk of the American public by Hollywood, so I bet this would go a long way into creating, and enforcing, this stereotype. What do you all think?