TEDxSalford

The Joy of Geek

“Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating.” - Simon Pegg

Geek culture is an interesting thing, and not just because I consider myself a part of it, anyone regardless of what they are interested in can be a geek yet only those whose passions include certain types of media and other areas such as science and history are deemed geeks. The mainstream media is a terrible one for perpetuating the myth that the only geeks and males with thick rimmed black glasses and braces. There is a whole endless world to being a geek which is not limited by specialisation or by looks. Nor is it something that should be derided, to have such passion is wonderful thing and a great personality trait.

The dictionary definition of geek says this:

1.

“a digital-technology expert or enthusiast (a term of pride as self-reference, but often used disparagingly by others).

2.

a person who has excessive enthusiasm for and some expertise about a specialized subject or activity: a foreign-film geek.

3.

a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual.

4.

a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken.”

Ignoring the last point, as I’ve never heard of that definition before (it also seems a little irrelevant to this topic), it seems points two and three are unnecessarily negative, as ‘excessive enthusiasm’ implies that there is too much enthusiasm to your general geek. Excessive is only really a relevant term if the person in question’s life has been ruined by their passion. But I digress. Definition 3 is one that should definitely be removed from usage, as it gets mixed up with the first two definitions, and implies that being peculiar or different in your passions or how much you care about something is bad and dislikeable.

To have a passion for something is not something to be ashamed of – in fact it should be held in high esteem. Passion drives us forwards, makes us use our curiosity and create something real. Our world would be nothing without the passion of geeks, as it was built by them, and their ‘childish’ passions, visions and enthusiasms.

Adora Svitak, a lovely young girl gave a thought-provoking talk with TED on how we should change how we feel about the word ‘childish’ called “What adults can learn from kids” and she is absolutely correct.

“Maybe you’ve had grand plans before but stopped yourself, thinking, “That’s impossible,” or, “That costs too much,” or, “That won’t benefit me.” For better or worse, we kids aren’t hampered as much when it comes to thinking about reasons why not to do things. Kids can be full of inspiring aspirations and hopeful thinking.”

On a first glance, being a sci-fi geek, or a fantasy geek may seem like a childish hobby, but it is no different than being a sports fan or a fan of any other hobbies that are deemed ‘worthwhile’ for adults. But why should this be the case? A comic book has just as much worth as any other object, no one should be made to feel ashamed for what they find interesting.

We should never be afraid to be ‘childish’ and just allow ourselves to be immersed in a subject as fully as possible. The freedom to just be fascinated by something is extremely liberating as well as wonderfully fulfilling.

Personally, my passion is music first and foremost; I am most certainly a music geek if nothing else. But I am also very passionate about science fiction and fantasy as well as science and history. My passions make my life feel full and exciting as they have led me some interesting and fascinating directions.

 

Doctor Who has a wide ranging fanbase with both adults and children enjoying the show. The writers make sure to include elements that both will love, but does not damage the final product. It does, in fact, make the show even better for this inclusion.

It isn’t just those with passions for the usual subjects that are geeks; sports, television soaps and celebrity culture amongst any subject you care to think of also have their geeks. There is no way you could say that someone who collects memorabilia from their favourite film is a geek but someone who goes to every match of their favourite football team as well as buying every shirt is somehow not a geek. They are very much the same thing but because of the nature of the subject they avoid the label of geek even though their passion is just as equal.

At the moment it seems the term ‘geek’ is popular; T-shirts with the word ‘geek’ emblazoned on them in large lettering can been seen all over the high street. Traditional depictions of geeks are also all over the mainstream media on programs such as ‘The Big Bang Theory’. So it seems that for the moment, geeks are cool, though it would be nice for it to stay that way rather than fade away like most fads in the mainstream.

Being a geek is a wonderful thing; whether you collect Star Trek memorabilia or religiously follow the soaps on TV, we should celebrate our passions instead of looking down on others for having intellectual or ‘childish’ interests. Our interests are what make us unique and fascinating individuals with a joy that can be found almost anywhere. We should embrace those things that we love and agree that not everyone will agree with our passions but that doesn’t make those things less worthy.