Geeks?

[Cúdae]

If I need to like math and science to be a geek, leave me out of it! Hehe. I'm literary geek who tries not to refer to myself as a geek but rather as a Tolkienite or a Trekkie depending on who I am speaking with.

Hopefully, you don't need to like math and science to be a geek! I think I qualify for geek-hood because I do not argue with my sisters (of which I have another by the name of Haleth) over normal things (hair, clothes, etc.) but rather about the correct translation of correct translation of "Aragorn" and whether Sauron was truly destoyed at the end of the War of the Ring. Try arguing with a seven-year old about that.

And I need to correct a mistake I made in my last post: Aredhel is my cousin, not my sister. It's tough keeping names straight in my family. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Arwen Imladris]

Yes Gorothlammothiel, I agree, stereotypes are generally not very pleasent.

Here I how I measure up:

* liking films such as LotR and Star Wars etc YES!
* watching programmes like the X-Files and Star Trek almost religiously Yes!
* reading books everyday (and the odd comic)Yes!
* writing in fictional languages: Not usually
* spending hours on the computer Well, I am only allowed 1 hour a day so... ya
* taking sciences and maths and enjoying them: sorta, grade 11 Physics isn't allways what I would call "fun" however I did take it of my own free will so I really can't complain too much

Well, if that makes you a geek, I guesse I am one too! Oh well! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Gorothlammothiel]

Just out of curiousity, these are our reasons and lists for being geeks so are there certain "qualities" for the other stereotypes?

By that I mean ones like (excuse my lack of social skills, these may not be correct) trendies(?) townies(?) etc.

Another point, why is it that for a "goth", it is how they look that makes them a "goth"?. For a "grunger" it is how they look. For a "Skater" it is also how they look, so why is it that a "geek" or "nerd" are defined by characteristics, interests and intelligence? Does that make us more accurate to the stereotypes we have been given because they are deeper than face value?

[Elven-Maiden]

Dictionary Defintions:


geek (gTk) n. Slang.
1. An odd or ridiculous person.
2. A carnival performer whose show consists of bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken.
[Perhaps alteration of dialectal geck, fool, from Low German gek, from Middle Low German.]
—geek2y adj.

and...

nerd also nurd (nûrd) n. Slang.
1. A person regarded as stupid, inept, or unattractive.
2. A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific pursuits but is felt to be socially inept.
[Perhaps after Nerd, a character in If I Ran the Zoo, by Theodor Seuss Geisel.]
—nerd2y adj.

WORD HISTORY: The word nerd and a nerd, undefined but illustrated, first appeared in 1950 in Dr. Seuss's If I Ran the Zoo: “And then, just to show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo And Bring Back an It-Kutch a Preep and a Proo a Nerkle a Nerd and a Seersucker, too!” (The nerd itself is a small humanoid creature looking comically angry, like a thin, cross Chester A. Arthur.) Nerd next appears, with a gloss, in the February 10, 1957, issue of the Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday Mail in a regular column entitled “ABC for SQUARES”: “Nerd—a square, any explanation needed?” Many of the terms defined in this “ABC” are unmistakable Americanisms, such as hep, ick, and jazzy, as is the gloss “square,” the current meaning of nerd. The third appearance of nerd in print is back in the United States in 1970 in Current Slang: “Nurd [sic], someone with objectionable habits or traits. . . . An uninteresting person, a ‘dud.’” Authorities disagree on whether the two nerds—Dr. Seuss's small creature and the teenage slang term in the Glasgow Sunday Mail—are the same word. Some experts claim there is no semantic connection and the identity of the words is fortuitous. Others maintain that Dr. Seuss is the true originator of nerd and that the word nerd (“comically unpleasant creature”) was picked up by the five- and six-year-olds of 1950 and passed on to their older siblings, who by 1957, as teenagers, had restricted and specified the meaning to the most comically obnoxious creature of their own class, a “square.”

Thank you Elven-Maiden. I had never acctually read the defenitions of those words. Now it all makes sense.......

[FarathrimMaiden]

Im a geek if you wanna stereotypr like that, i like lotr, star wars, i play chess (im a girl and the only girl on our chess team), am studious, love comp games like diablo, i even like board games like risk and civilization. My friends ( i hang out with people i would consider non-geeks, although some do like board games and star wars) call me "geek" in the nicest sense of the word since they know that i dont mind. Then again i use dto p[lay basketball and volleyball and could have been called a jock or prep, basically i think stereotyping is dumb, cuz im still the same person (although i actually like being thought of as a geek, its awesome)

[Inderjit Sanghera]

I think the person who wrote the article, is a bit angry, most probaly because he is a loser. Spiderman,Harry Potter, Star Wars and LOTR are adored by proablably around 1 billion (all together) people. So he/she thinks 1 bilion poeple are geeks just becuase he doesn't like that kind of thing? Yeah, um right. This guy (or girl) is just beign a stereotypicla twat. Ignore him. (Or her)

I feel that there is nothing wrong with being a geek. It's the geeky type that bring us the literature and the movie that we enjoy and are fascinated by. I bet Peter Jackson was a geek....and look was he created. Those of us who enjoy these movies and books tend to be of the bookworm variety. I mean how many of you can just get lost in the history that Tolkien create? You have to read to know all that.

[eleanor_niphredil]

Hey, from the moment I picked up my first copy of The Hobbit and scribbled all over the pages, I was a geek. I work at being a geek, because if what the people at my school apart from my mates) are "normal", then I sure don't want to be normal.

People call me a geek, among other things, on a daily basis. today I got it twice to my face and god knows how many times behind my back. But hey, I am a geek and darn proud of it too. It's cool to be different, and different is what I am.

I don't tally with any definition in the whole world of dictionaries, but who are the dictionary-writers to diffine us?

LOTR is a whole different world to submerge yourself in, and if you can't do that, then you just arn't living. It's not only Tolkien, but any book you can pick up. There are times when he real world just is'nt enough.

And I'll tell you one thing. When the people who call us geeks reach a low point in their lives; when everything goes wrong and the world seems to close in around them, they wont have LOTR to escape to. For them, there is no escape.

But even if LOTR suddenly disappeared, it would exist in our hearts, Something to pass on to our children and our childrens children.

so my message is: Jump on the bus to geek-dom. Middle-Earth; there is no place like home.

Sorry if I spooked anyone.

Wow! I guess I consider myself a nerd..not really a geek. Hey, different strokes for different folks, right? I'm just a punk rock nerd girl. That sums myself up in one sentence. lol

[Gorwingel]

Wow, I don't know what I would consider myself. Maybe I am a mix, part nerd, part geek. Though I don't really mind either. But I don't like being labeled.

[eleanor_niphredil]

Any one who wants to lable me as clever, witty, beautiful and such is free to, in my opinion.

[nuguernachil]

i'm a wannabe. i wear what i want, occasionally imitating other people, and ususally do what i want as well. i tend to pick up the traits of other people too - like what they like, etc. total social faliure, i know...*slap slap nuguer*
i do have a few things that are my own though - mainly LOTR, titanic, and alias. mostly stuff i found on my own and didn't steal from someone else's personality.
i don't consider myself a nerd or a geek, though other people probably do. i hate stereotypes, but i am a bit of a social outcast. i don't talk much. :P
i do love fantasy worlds, especially lord of the rings, the taliswoman trilogy, and the fantastically awesome book sabriel. i want to be an actor so i can be someone else regularly.
so...to sum up, i'm different but i'm not proud, and i'm forever trying to change myself. *sigh* thank god for legolas.

[LadyElbereth]

I'm a geek and no one realizes it! What's wrong with people these days? Don't they know anything? [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]
But seriously; geeks, freaks, nerds, jocks, bookworms; the world is full of titles and it will always be. So I say, just have fun and live with it cause stereotypes are always gonna be there. So this month I'm a geek, next month I'll be a nerd, and maybe one day I might gather up the courage to step over the line a become a ditzy cheerleader! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]
(I give everyone permission to shoot me if that ever happens *shudders*)

[lord of dor-lomin]

Everyone has some geek in them, some just don't want to give in to it. I gave in long ago, and I couldn't be happier.

[eleanor_niphredil]

and the fantastically awesome book sabriel.

you know, I have that book currently sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust. I guess I should read it, get obsessed and have yet another claim to geekdom.

And by the way, today I got called Frodo 2nd and elf girl.

[ January 09, 2003: Message edited by: eleanor_niphredil ]

[nuguernachil]

*gasp*
PICK THAT UP AND READ IT RIGHT NOW!!!
you'll love it, i promise.

[Luthien]

I am A Geek and Proud of it, although I enjoy nerd better, geeks are well respected and are true pleasure seekers, who else would love the lord of the rings, star wars, and Harry potter and not try to find some new way to call it gay. If you are not comfortable being a geek or associating with them, think of it this way, we love what we do and don't give a palantir what anyone else thinks.

[Fingo]

I am thrice accursed, being a LotR geek, and anime geek and a band geek, lol.

But seriously why does the term geek or nerd seemed to be plastered to those who enjoy escaping the confines of reality through things like music, art, reading (especially that of fantasy or science fiction genre). I mean, aren't these the things tht enrich our culture and make it more beautiful and able to bear? I proudly bear the term geek, and even though I'm scorned for it. So in true geek fashion, i would just like to say...

~Frodo Lives!~ *waves nine fingers in the air*

[Arwen Imladris]

There is this article from Sci-Fi magazine showing what a geek-version of the Oscar would look like, Minority Report, Star Wars, Spider-Man, Signs and of course TTT leading the way!

Click Here!

[Eressië Ailin]

Geek? Well, I'm more of a nerd. But yes I do consider myself a sort of geeky LOTR fanatic.

Eressië Ailin= geek/nerd

YAAAAAYYYY!!!! I'm a Wight!!!!!!!! Go me!!! And I've only been on this site for two weeks!!!!! YAAAAAAYYY!!!!

[Haelothiel]

My family is definitely geeky, and so am I. We are trekkies, starwars-fans, bookworms, band-geeks, ect. I don't enjoy math but I enjoy it's "practical application": SCIENCE! I found LotR on my own, and if being a LotR fanatic makes me a geek then I really am! But in a way that's sad, because if I had gotten LotR from my parents maybe they would have named me Arwen, Galadriel, Eowyn, or something else, like Cúdae's family did. *Sigh* Well MY kids will get cool names [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] I agree with all the people who said that geeks are labled because of how much fun we have. And I like Meela's alternative label: Children of Fantasy. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Well, this Child of Fantasy/ Geek is done!

[Alatáriël Lossëhelin]

I've never been "geeky" as in math/science/computer overachievers, but I became a "bookworm" as soon as I learned to read. I've been a Tolkein fan and Star Trek fan since the 1960's. I've always been considered odd in my family and in recent years I've been considered odd at work as well (my screensaver cycles about 250-300 images from FotR & TTT and I carry a book with me where ever I go [usually Tolkein]). But at 52, other people's opinions don't matter much to me. I enjoy my books (and my screensavers) and get on with my life.

[the guy who be short]

im a geek and proud of it. i wear glasses, am very short, and am always always reading.
i have skipped a year at school and am extremely good at everything except drama and pe. so yes im a geek.
im gonna have a better job than the cool kids in my class, who cant even read. and whenever one of them "teases the boffin" to remain cool, i reach into my pocket and bring out a steel ruler with sharp points. i also hit 1 around the head with my boot bag once, so they know that geeks who have been touched by the violence in tolkien are not very easy targets. i now actually await scuffles with them, just for the chance to stab someone

[the guy who be short]

my friends are actually fairly normal, and though i go around speaking elvish, they dont seem to mind. they are ot eeks, im afraid. but we geeks are of a higher order than the fools beneath us. why should we not form a great alliance, a geek club even?
we could have a britain, america and canada wide geek club, or better still, tolkienite group. we could be great in the world, but we are spread too far apart. geeks are etting harder and harder to find, and tolkienites are even scarcer. seems were never gonna rule the world...

[Vardamar]

Im glad to see that I'm not alone in my love of Trek and LOTR. Now if only I had a Holodeck, or was Q..... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Alatáriël Lossëhelin]

Im glad to see that I'm not alone in my love of Trek and LOTR. Now if only I had a Holodeck, or was Q.....

Yeah, I wish Q would answer my e-mails...he promised to send me to Middle-Earth for my birthday but now he's hiding!!

[the guy who be short]

just out of interest... is anybody else here planning to take over the world? its sorta a geeky thing to do. we could form an army and torture people to turn them into orcs... i have a few peoples names in mind...
and then we could squash people to make hobbits. and squash them if they have beards to make dwarves. and give em face lifts to make elves. and set them on fire to make balrogs. we could have so much fun if we ruled the world. we could make it more lotr like. come on, any other geks wanna help?

i am more of a boffin than a geek. my level of intelligence is stunning and i am very short.

i have made myself a bow out of 4 rulers and an elastic band. i also made myself 3 arrows by sticking pens together. now, this is not a particularly geeky thing to do. but then i gave them all names (the bows durin, the arrows are gimli, thorin and dain)

so, being a geek is a good thing, if we can take over the world.

p.s., extremely sorry that this message had no paragraph structure!

[Iarwain]

You people make me want to weep! [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

It goes from calling Tolkien fans geeks to all book learned people geeks, to plotting to take over the world and setting up a Tolkienite regime. I feel like screaming!


Wailing for Goldberry,
Iarwain

P.S. I just realized that this barely shows any opinion at all, so here it is. Most people reguard being a "geek" a negative thing. At the same time, "geek" is an almost completely undefined term with the blind stereotype of clumsiness and oddity attached. Therefore, why and how should we label ourselves as geeks when the very word signifies the opposite of what we are, if only through this website, that is that we are not an anomaly because there are so many of us. I find the terms "geek" and "nerd" very annoying and disturbing, since their very use brings the idea of persecution to mind. Thus the frown on my face at this very moment. [img]smilies/confused.gif[/img]

[ March 01, 2003: Message edited by: Iarwain ]

[Lossenorodion]

i think they dont have the reason to call people geeks, i dont know if im one but if im one for other people i aint one for me i guess its just points of view and knowing the person

besides liking fantasy and things like that is not necessary that your a geek but well as i said before its point of view if people wannna call me gekk let them do it

[nPiLL]

Im not a geek. Actually, im an athlete who gets the girls. lol. Even though im the only athlete who likes LotR, i dont care and neither do my friends. Its just another "hobby" of mine when im not playing sports. lol. So i dont consider myself a geek.

[Eressië Ailin]

I'm with you all the way, the guy who be short!!!! Let's take over the world, make some more Tolkien fans!!!! I know a guy who'd make a great Gollum... [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

[Iarwain]

Society is so screwed up. Honestly, what is with the whole geek thing? It's just another blind stereotype like jocks, nerds, and pastor's kids. People are people, they cannot be classified. How much can you really say about a person by finding out that they read books by a certain author? Its like judging a person's views on socialism by the color of their socks.

Iarwain

[Lush]

Geekiness can be extremely attractive. Or rather, one can make it extremely attractive. Take it from me. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[Iarwain]

Please tell Lush! What's the secret!?!

Iarwain

[Gorwingel]

Yes I do too find being "Geek" very attractive, I do not like someone who is too cool. They don't really want to go with the crowd, and are more inclined to do their own thing no matter what.

[Lush]

Yer missing the point. Geek is generally cool. Where I live, if you're not a geek, you get put on academic probation. The geeks graduate, get fancy jobs, and fly first class to exotic locales. What can be more attractive than that?

However, if you want to get into the details, the right accessories are a must. Smart glasses, messenger bag, and a haunted look about the face should do the trick. Of course, having a great face and body to go along with the geek exterior helps just a tad.

[Neferchoirwen]

First, I'll go with Iarwain's comment on top of this page...and I'll have to agree with what he said by adding that "geek" is an ambiguous word, which makes us choose how to define it..or use it for that matter.

I love being a geek...it defines me. It makes me stand out. And yeah, messenger bags are cool...but I miss my glasses...

And yes...admitting to being a LotR geek is more like pledging aleigance to Middle Earth---complete with the psychosis and all [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[the guy who be short]

i am a geek.
i go round either speaking english, old english, or quenya. i wear glasses, go 2 chess club, and get the feeling ive already written all this somewhere. but most of all, i am unique. insane, even, to you less understanding, more overstanding, half not standing (face it, you're drunk) people who hate dwarves just because we are short.
i am a geek, but a unique 1. i doubt many of you stab people with rulers if they annoy you. if a dumb jock annoys me, i hit him round the head with a bootbag (actually happened) or stab him with a metal ruler between the ribs (happened) or stab him anywhere (happened).

more normally now, i am writing a novel at the age of 13. how geeky is that?

in response to whoever agreed with me about taking over the world, you'll need a bow and a sword (a ruler will do)

[the guy who be short]

um... whats wrong with plotting to take over the world and setting up a tolkienite regime? perhaps even a fascist dictatorship?