funk in deep freeze

Taking back “geek”

27 Feb 2010 2 Comments

by meganfinley in nerd stuff

Jostens high school rings for gamers & geeks.

Right now I’m working on “geek week” for Offbeat Bride. A week full of weddings from so many sub-genres of “geeks,” “nerds” and “dorks” — Engineers, Lego addicts, sci-fi nerds, book nerds, comic book nerds, gamers, and the fantasy and theater types. These are all my people and I am one of them. Though if you wanna get specific about my type, I’m more of a bookish, Star Wars nerd, but I have interests in just about every sub-genre of geekery.

Growing up, being a geek was AWFUL. Thankfully I’m a girl, so I was saved from the harsher physical abuse, but still had to endure the nuggies, wedgies and trippings. But I suffered every kind of psychological abuse that the nerdy endure — teasing, harassing, public scorn, isolation, nasty notes written on lockers, etc.

In a lot of ways the word “geek” has been reclaimed. Nerds are cool right now — almost fetishized! The fact that there exists such a thing as “geek chic” blows my mind. People are starting to openly call themselves nerds, even people who are so clearly NOT and have NEVER BEEN nerds! I’m not exactly sure how this happened, but part of me glad of it, even if the other part is annoyed. I finally feel like I don’t have to hide who I am (or at the very least try to hide — I was never very good at it). And I wear the badge of “nerd” with pride. So much pride that I forget that it can still hold negative meanings.

Recently Aaron was called a nerd by his band mates when he referred to Joshua Tree as “like Tatooine.” And when he recounted the story I could tell that he was hurt by it. I spend so much time online, surrounded by like-minded people, that I forget that the same title that I’m proud to call myself, can still hurt others. So, as I put together these “geek week” bride profiles, I am making sure to only chose brides who have self-identified as geeks. As much as I want to profile the Lord of the Rings bride with her Star Trek garter belt, she never once admitted that she is a geek. And as I look through these pictures of her looking so beautiful in her glasses and LOTR-style wedding dress, I can’t help but wonder if I included her wedding in my celebration of geeks, would she be horribly hurt? Would she feel like I was making fun of her? Maybe to her “geek” would still be a hurtful term.

I’m in this good place in my life where I feel almost invincible. I am a fucking nerd and I’m proud of it.  I know who Tom Servo is, I am outraged over Episodes I-III, I know how to create a website — been doing it since I got my first laptop at 17, I’m proud of my book collection, I listen to Elton John and love songs in odd time signatures, I wear glasses (well, when I can afford to), I have a Engineer husband, I watch episodes (new and original) of Dr. Who on my PS3, I make a living as a blogger for god’s sake, I have problems with acne even now in my late 20s and I even snort when I laugh.

At some point in my college years when I realized that my friends not only accepted those things about me, but they actually liked those things about me, I embraced my inner geek and reclaimed that word. And I’m happy to let my geek flag fly!