Struggling to define "Geek"
For my new book, I wanted to make sure how I perceived a geek was in keeping with how other people did. This meant having to define the word.
The word geek is in the dictionary, but the definitions vary. This is because the meaning of the word and our associations with it have evolved rapidly over the last twenty years.
I didn't grow up using the word geek, but I do remember starting to hear it around the time home computers were becoming widespread, the nineties, I suppose. The strongest association then was with computers: Anyone who could easily navigate what was then new technological territory was considered a geek (my younger brother, for instance). Because such people tended to be highly intelligent and became unsociable due to their obsession with technology, those traits became associated with the geek as well.
Over time, anyone with an obsession that was above the heads of most people became considered a geek. So I'd say now that a geek could be defined as a person with an obsessive interest in something that is not trendy and is usually intellectual. For instance, when Star Wars or Lord of the Rings was in fashion, people who talked a lot about the movies and wore the merchandise were not considered geeks. But those whose passion persisted long after the hype died down were considered geeks.
You may be seen as a geek, too, if your interests and behavior aren't in keeping with the norm for your age group and gender. A girl who is fascinated with bugs or a little boy who knows all the Beatles songs and trivia are geeks to their peer group. So is a grown man who wears Sesame Street shirts or a woman without kids who eats brightly-colored breakfast cereals.
The usage of the term has spread rather thin, really. But this is the constant: obsessive interest in something that most people don't "get." And that's usually because it takes extra intelligence to understand and appreciate that something. That's my observation, anyway. What do you think?
The word geek is in the dictionary, but the definitions vary. This is because the meaning of the word and our associations with it have evolved rapidly over the last twenty years.
I didn't grow up using the word geek, but I do remember starting to hear it around the time home computers were becoming widespread, the nineties, I suppose. The strongest association then was with computers: Anyone who could easily navigate what was then new technological territory was considered a geek (my younger brother, for instance). Because such people tended to be highly intelligent and became unsociable due to their obsession with technology, those traits became associated with the geek as well.
Over time, anyone with an obsession that was above the heads of most people became considered a geek. So I'd say now that a geek could be defined as a person with an obsessive interest in something that is not trendy and is usually intellectual. For instance, when Star Wars or Lord of the Rings was in fashion, people who talked a lot about the movies and wore the merchandise were not considered geeks. But those whose passion persisted long after the hype died down were considered geeks.
You may be seen as a geek, too, if your interests and behavior aren't in keeping with the norm for your age group and gender. A girl who is fascinated with bugs or a little boy who knows all the Beatles songs and trivia are geeks to their peer group. So is a grown man who wears Sesame Street shirts or a woman without kids who eats brightly-colored breakfast cereals.
The usage of the term has spread rather thin, really. But this is the constant: obsessive interest in something that most people don't "get." And that's usually because it takes extra intelligence to understand and appreciate that something. That's my observation, anyway. What do you think?
Published on September 09, 2014 14:58
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