minicrisis

[kid_prufrock]

Shit--I don't really identify with any of these "top 10 habits of a geeky spouse." (via daharynI mean I don't think I would date anyone who thought learning Elvish* or Klingon was worth their while (much less that speaking it could be romantic in almost any context). It's clear that the person who chooses between cans and bottles of cola by price per unit

Comments

[q10]

i think our society would be better and more fair if geeky sports fandom were recognized as part of the same phenomenon as other geeky fandoms, and wearing copies of your favorite athletic team's uniforms and wearing copies of the uniforms from your favorite sci-fi television show were treated as equivalent activities, and likewise for sports statistics and monster manual entries.

that said, these things aren't equivalent in the society as it stands, and there's a (artificial, arbitrary, and grossly unfair, but nonetheless real) social category of ‘geek’ that makes this distinction, so it's fair to reference it in discussing geeks

[think_too_much]

Part and parcel of the typical "geek" stereotype involves being unathletic, which is the main reason why sports geekery tends not to count. Also, sports are on network television, which is by definition mainstream. Also also, sports are associated with alcohol consumption.

Though I'm pretty sure that people who play Strat-O-Matic would definitely be accepted as geeks.

[q10]

Part and parcel of the typical "geek" stereotype involves being unathletic, which is the main reason why sports geekery tends not to count.

i wasn't aware that people who enjoyed watching and talking about sports were universally in any shape to play them.

Also, sports are on network television, which is by definition mainstream.

so was Star Trek.

Also also, sports are associated with alcohol consumption.

so is Filk. (see the ‘Tullamore Dew’ entry here.)

[crystalpyramid]

I think that list kind of sucks, actually. Tolkien is totally mainstream at this point, as are the Muppets. And I spend most of my time trying to retrieve lost possessions for people who are arguably geekier than me, so that one's clearly not working for me.

[crystalpyramid]

Or an obsessive maximizer. Arguments can be made about the extent to which those overlap.

[reverendjmg]

I read the list. It sounds more like "top ten personal traits of someone who is overly pleased with himself and how geeky his wife finds him to be". Geekdom is a way of approaching the world, not a list of objects or habits you've acquired once you've gotten there.

[metaplasmus]

Yeah. I don't really identify with any of the list either, and these days I find I get very tired of people who earnestly/repeatedly try to point out how much of "geek" or "nerd" they are. Instead I just try to let my interests speak for themselves when it's appropriate, e.g., by reciting parts of the Iliad while inebriated or posting obnoxious, allusive Facebook statuses.

[sbeath]

these days I find I get very tired of people who earnestly/repeatedly try to point out how much of "geek" or "nerd" they are

While I get tired of most people who talk about themselves without wider application, I think the geek label is difficult--in part because it's used defensively in an attempt to disarm by people with limited social skills.

I've taken to using it myself (well, actually "dork" which seems to have less I'm-cooler-than-you potential) preemptively in situations where I don't know people, but could wind up accidentally alienating or disappointing them down the line (potential group mates, or before I say something kind of...dorky). Best to save time and alienate/disappoint early on.

[q10]

i agree on the cans/2liters. actually it isn't just convenience - it's also about freshness optimization. the person i know who most geekily fixates on this is the one who picks which to buy based on his particular opinions about whether the taste of aluminum or the taste of plastic complements the particular soda variety in question better.

that said, there are a lot of other product categories where the same kinds of calculations are genuinely more useful. (but then, there are other times when they just increase stress with little payoff, so it's kinda a wash.)

[sildra]

I fail to understand how any of this (except the taste-of-soda thing) is geeky, though. You never have to do these calculations because, as we were taught in elementary school and by before-school educational TV, grocery stores have been required by law for decades to put per unit price on the price tags.

[q10]

grocers are. restaurants aren't. main real application of this is determining relative cost-efficiency of different pizza sizes.

[ursule]

But they don't always use the same units.

[pallasathene82]

For the record, Jake used to whisper pet names for me in my ear in Elvish, which was incredibly hot/sweet.

Also I think the fact that this is even being debated makes it geeky.