Testing/questioning People's Geekness

[misskitten]

Firstly I want to share this wonderful video I came across today called "Nothing to Prove" - the song speaks about the constant questioning/testing many people, especially girls face when revealing themselves to have geeky interests, and the video is a collection of "confessions" from a lot of geek girls who have met disbelief or condescending when trying to merely enjoy their interests/hobbies.

[video=youtube;s4Rjy5yW1gQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Rjy5yW1gQ[/video]

Then I wanted to not necessarily ask about people's attitude on this sort of behaviour, as I will assume that at least most of us are more or less against it, but it's easy to sometimes subconsciously do this and only realize after-the-fact, either by yourself or when confronted. So, watching this video, listening to the lyrics and reading the individual girls' stories, can you recall a moment when you might have subjected a fellow gamer/geek to this type of attitude? Can you recall such a moment? If so, why do you think it came to be? Where does this attitude stem from?

 

[Ventus]

That's weird. Lots of the girls I saw in the video seemed to be geeky, so I'd call them geeks...not secretaries or weird or whatever. :I (though geek can be seen as negative in itself)

Anywho, yes, I was pretty much given wild looks for playing Zelda and Call of Duty. Why? I'm black.

And yes, I have given people crap for saying they were gamers...but it wasn't just girls like the video told me. I've given people from all walks of life crap for saying they were gamers, or fans of XYZ. But it wasn't based on their appearance. Rather, I've said people were "lesser beings" [in relation to being a gamer/geek, which is the highest 'level' you can attain in this respect] because I heard them squealing over some individual thing as if it were their first exposure to that one thing, and they call themselves fan of a work.

In my mind, you are not a fan of a body if you've only experienced one part of said body. Likewise, you aren't a hater of the body if you like one part of the body. So, I'm a fan of Ocarina of Time. I love everything in it - even its "flaws" (which I oersonally can't fathom as flaws, but it's whatever). I would never dare call myself a Zelda fan, because I DO NOT like everything Zelda. I hate Skyward Sword. I have not even touched ALBW, and quite frankly am disinterested in it atm.

The people I confronted and gave crap to, they just seemed to be squealing over one thing and caling themselves fans of the work, or gamers, or whatever. Instantly, I said "no, you'r enot a gamer" or substitute gamer for geek or w hatever. That's not to say I was saying that I was a gamer, or geek, or comic junkie, or whatever. I'm pretty far from any of those things. :I

 

[Shadsie]

*Holds up my own sign*

JUST BECAUSE I WRITE FANFICTION DOESN'T MEAN I'M NOT A SERIOUS WRITER.

If asked at a con or somewhere to make a sign for a vid like this, that's what I think I'll do... That or something about my age.

Or maybe this:

I BELIEVE IN FANTASY, SCI-FI, ANIMATION, GAMES, COSPLAY, SCIENCE and GOD. (Since I think that's probably something a lot of young geeks need to hear... I.e. if your church tells you geekdom is off-limits they are wrong. Conversely, if someone wants to drive you out of a fandom or geekdom in general because you believe in the immaterial, they're also wrong. -- I've actually been there...)

Also, tiny little girl who likes bugs? Awesome! Keep doing that!

 

[Dan]

Yes! Not one sunny D girl in that video perfect, I think we can all agree that was the highlight of the video, when we saw no sunny D girls. Anyway the only people that say shizzle like "omg you can't play video games you're a girl" are Male geek zanoko's, these are pretty much geeks that believe because a girl plays video games or partakes in a "geeky" activity that means they are perfect for each other, but when reality comes crashing down through their basement they grow to resent girls, and simply are rather negative to them. :I

 

[Beauts]

A lot of people see me very differently depending on the environment they know me from, so I find that I encounter this attitude a lot but in different ways.

Like, I would not call myself a gamer- I like games but I don't love games, and I'm really only a Zelda fan and not a fan of every damn game. Still, recently a few gamer guys I know found out I know quite a lot about Zelda and they were like "oh my god I didn't know you were into that stuff". They didn't question me much though. I have seen a lot of things about how girls can't be gamers because they're girls- haha okay that makes no sense. But like I said, I would never classify myself that way anyway. Still, they were really surprised I have this supppsed nerdy interest.

The other way I have got it is from school and college and stuff- I was always one of the smart kids, I was quiet and just got the work done. So when people found out I didn't spend all my time like revising or whatever and had friends and boyfriends and other stuff going on, they were like "whaaaaaaaat no way omg i thought you were like a nurd" again, lol. I didn't share everything with everyone like most of them did so they were really shocked I was like, an actual human being. The same thing happened when I started going out to parties and whatever, for some reason everyone thought I was stupid and then they found out I was getting good grades and stuff and they thought that was crazy.

Yet in the gaming community and other places where I encounter other (and I don't really like this word so I'm using it loosely) "geeks", they're always like what you're a girl and you like wearing nice dresses and having fun???? I don't know, I have a lot of different layers to me and I think most people are the same. That's why I don't tend to classify anyone in such a way unless they are one of those people that spend far too much time gaming/whatever their geeky interest is than like going outside into the real world. Especially when they're like my age. I was reclusive when I was younger, but I came out of my shell and expanded myself so to find people still so extreme and stuff... I find it weird but only because I can't relate to it. It's up to them though.

 

[EeveeChan]

This problem goes on & on for girls that have geeky interest, and I hate it! Some people go so far to say very sexist and racist comments too, like, "shouldn't you be somewhere baking a cake instead of lying about it?". What a bother! Sometimes the term 'geeky girl' or 'gamer girl' is just asking for trouble from guys. Its as if a girl is trying to get attention from it, which can get annoying if your a true gamer or not. That being said, some guys are too stubborn to actually respect the idea.(Luckily, as far as I know, none of the ZD guys are like that) Its a problem that cant be solved immediately, but most people don't care if its a girl or a guy writing that fanfic or fighting this dragon.

Either way, if someone hates geeks or nerds or anyone of common interest in general, boy or girl
DEAL WITH IT
We're gonna be here for a while

 

[Doc]

HA! Look at these females thinking they are actual "geeks!" Get back in the kitchen and make a sammich.


I am just kidding. Please nobody hurt me...

 

[Blue Canary]

I'm a girl gamer myself, and I don't think I've ever had anyone say "OMG You're a girl you can't play video games!". But, now that I think about it, the only real people I know that love video games (And not just CoD and Halo.) are people that are related to me or are my childhood friends. Anytime I have ever told someone that they aren't gamers, it wasn't based on appearance or simply who they are, but more the people that told me they got to level 100 in OoT, because anyone who says that isn't a gamer, and is really just saying they are part of my fandom in order to impress me. And if you reply to me and say "Well they could be fans of other games!," well, I don't think a true gamer would lie to impress me.

 

[misskitten]

Reading the reponses in here, I just have to ask; why do people have so much trouble with the words "geek" and "nerd", treating them as though they are insults? They are compliments - they mean that you love something (be it books, music, tv shows, movies, games, science, etc) with immense passion. To put it short, it basically means "hey, you really love stuff" - what's so insulting about that?

I'm proud to be a nerd, proud to be a geek. Don't hide from it, embrace it, it means you are awesome!

 

[Ventus]

Reading the reponses in here, I just have to ask; why do people have so much trouble with the words "geek" and "nerd", treating them as though they are insults? They are compliments - they mean that you love something (be it books, music, tv shows, movies, games, science, etc) with immense passion. To put it short, it basically means "hey, you really love stuff" - what's so insulting about that?

Right. It does mean that you love something deeply. On one side, however, it's exactly that which bullies among other folks dislike. They hate people who know more in a field than themselves. They hate when someone can enjoy something in a way they can't. And the victims of bullying begin to hate their passion for whatever's in question.

On the flipside, nerds and geeks are also stereotyped as people who do nothing but enjoy whatever it is in question, having the pens in the pocket protector, proper collar, etc. I'm a nerd for certain games - the BAD kind of nerd. I do nothing but play those games, I rarely interact with people in the real world to be honest. And I also wear the "nerdy" clothing bar glasses. No one wants to be a stereotyped nerd. And oftentimes tat's the only image/definition that comes to mind. :I

 

[Dan]

Reading the reponses in here, I just have to ask; why do people have so much trouble with the words "geek" and "nerd", treating them as though they are insults? They are compliments - they mean that you love something (be it books, music, tv shows, movies, games, science, etc) with immense passion. To put it short, it basically means "hey, you really love stuff" - what's so insulting about that?

I'm proud to be a nerd, proud to be a geek. Don't hide from it, embrace it, it means you are awesome!

Most likely because that all depends on who's using them, many people use those words as a form of attack, and you can usually tell, words can be a doubled edged. Sometimes people use those words with a meaning more common to sado, no lifer, loser, etc. You also should hide it sometimes as it can endanger you, especially at school, a lot of kids get bullied for this, and by bullied I mean beaten up, not the over-sensitive people that get "cyber bullied and can't find the ignore functions". After school a larger percentage are accepting of differential hobbies.

 

[misskitten]

Right. It does mean that you love something deeply. On one side, however, it's exactly that which bullies among other folks dislike. They hate people who know more in a field than themselves. They hate when someone can enjoy something in a way they can't. And the victims of bullying begin to hate their passion for whatever's in question.

Yeah, but if you embrace the word it shouldn't matter that a bully means it negatively. Just because one of my bullies one day decided 'Pocahontas' was an insult (because I came to the school wearing two braids that day), didn't mean I treated it as such (instead I laughed and laughed)...

 

[Beauts]

Reading the reponses in here, I just have to ask; why do people have so much trouble with the words "geek" and "nerd", treating them as though they are insults?

Personally, I just don't understand why one interest is in any way superior to another, and using words like geek and nerd are quite derogatory. If someone likes idk, fashion, that's not considered nerdy, they just like fashion and there isn't a label for that, but someone who likes to read is considered a nerd. Like, why do these things have to have a separate label? I think it's ridiculous.

 

[Dan]

Personally, I just don't understand why one interest is in any way superior to another, and using words like geek and nerd are quite derogatory. If someone likes idk, fashion, that's not considered nerdy, they just like fashion and there isn't a label for that, but someone who likes to read is considered a nerd. Like, why do these things have to have a separate label? I think it's ridiculous.

It's most likely because the geek/nerd label has been applied to the people that feel it difficult to socialise, and have a rather unhygienic life style, in essence it's far easier and joyful for others to find a negative stereotype for a nerd or geek than it is for someone who loves fashion. It's also the media itself, the Nerdy geeky type are often depicted in a negative light. I recall a lot of cartoons would do this, so I guess many kids just grew up thinking this way.

 

[misskitten]

Personally, I just don't understand why one interest is in any way superior to another, and using words like geek and nerd are quite derogatory. If someone likes idk, fashion, that's not considered nerdy, they just like fashion and there isn't a label for that, but someone who likes to read is considered a nerd. Like, why do these things have to have a separate label? I think it's ridiculous.

Because loving fashion just isn't as awesome as loving nerdy stuff

To be honest, there's a word for everything, and I could easily point out labels you could put towards someone loving fashion (though, to be honest, it's much harder to turn any of those labels into a positive way, lol), same you could label people into sports, cars, etc. I don't view the words "nerd" and "geek" as derogatory words in and of themselves, no matter how much some people would want them to be. Sure, if you feel ashamed of or someone convinces you it's shameful to have nerdy interests, then of course you will view it as an insult, but if you are unapologetic about your interests, then you tend to carry it as a badge of honor, attracting other people with similar interest.

Don't feel too ashamed to be part of our wonderful subculture