17% of Americans consider themselves Geeks | Hacker News Reader

17% of Americans consider themselves Geeks

geekwire.com

17 pointsasanwal14 comments

I'm really sick of hot girls in maxim, playboy, etc calling themselves 'geeks'. Just cause you've seen Star Wars honey, doesn't make a geek. I truly believe these girls are just trying to sneak into that demographic and gain more (followers, fans) attention.

I truly believe these girls are just trying to sneak into that demographic and gain more (followers, fans) attention.

I hope this phenomenon evolves, such that some of those people create beneficial communities. "Geek chic" is intellectually bankrupt. "Geek" is on its way to being intellectually bankrupt.

In my experience for a man, calling yourself a geek is sort of a reluctant self-deprecating admission whereas for women it's actually a hidden brag, code for "I have interests that go beyond gossip magazines and reality shows"

Yeah, but I've heard it so much it's lost all value. Nerds aren't just people who are hugely passionate about something, they've also payed a price for it in the form of missing out in 'normal' social integration.

Nerd/Geek are exclusionary terms, you can cherish the upsides all you want, but without the downsides they're meaningless and lose all their power.

Yeah it's bizarre to hear people say things like "I'm a huge MMA nerd." What?

ironic, isn't it? i've call particularly badass programmers 'gangsters' and referred to certain individuals as 'thugs,' that wield their technical aptitude like a hammer by bringing mayhem upon anything that stands in their way when they set their mind on something. They seem to appreciate those terms :)

> you can cherish the upsides all you want, but without the downsides they're meaningless...

So you mean my mad coding skills are not enough; that I also must be borderline obese, never wash my hair, and don't know how to act around women? I have a problem with your statement.

Having a balanced life is better, I don't think many would disagree with that. He's saying that having a balanced life prevents you from being a geek, however.

Way to alienate hot girls.

The main issue with this is there doesn't appear to be a definition of "geek" (aside from that Venn diagram). It's entirely based of respondent connotation of "geek".

In fact, the "Changing Definition of Geek" section makes this abundantly clear. It asks NOTHING about what the definition is. What it does ask is if it's positive/negative to be a geek and if it's a more common phenomena to be a geek now than in the past.

I think it would be better phrased: "Changing Connotation of Geek".

Geek will soon be a generic term that means someone is into something techie. Once that happens, a new word will be coined for true geeks, and people will start insulting them with it.

It used to be, that would bother me. Now? I don't care. I like what I like, and I get along with others who like it.

"Geek culture" has become just as shallow and brain-dead as all the other stuff it used to make fun of. Play video games and wear thick rimmed black glasses? Well apparently you're a geek now!

76% of all statistics are made up.

What's the litmus test for being a "real" geek?

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