Less cool

Because it's become so trendy to admit you're a geek—and because you can now be a geek of things that were formally "too cool" (a sports geek, an organic food geek, etc.)—the word has lost a lot of its meaning.



So there's an opening for a word to describe people with south-of-mainstream taste. (Nerd doesn't qualify.)



While you mull over that, mull over this: over the years I've come to notice that, whatever else I am, I am also a certain subset of geek—someone who tends to prefer the weaker, lamer, less edgy, or simply less cool member of a famous pair.



It started, appropriately, with me preferring vanilla to chocolate. But in pop culture terms:



Superman vs. Batman – I like Superman better

DC Comics vs. Marvel Comics – DC

Beatles vs. Rolling Stones – Beatles

John Lennon vs. Paul McCartney – McCartney

Fonzie vs. Richie – Richie

Simpsons vs. South Park – Simpsons

Brandon vs. Dylan (90210) – Dylan

Seinfeld vs. Friends – Friends

Bruce Springsteen vs. Billy Joel – Joel (I don't think many actually size up these two together but at least once I did read a comparison)

The Empire Strikes Back vs. Return of the Jedi – Jedi



This brings me to one pair in which I do prefer the cooler of the two:



Luke Skywalker vs. Han Solo



I trust you can guess which is which.



If you can add any such pairs to the list, please do so in the Comments.