Is being a geek the hip thing to do?

[Mike's Rack]

The clash has always been between jocks and nerds. I played sports in high school, but I was one of the rare few that crossed the line. I think the clash still exists, and hardcore sports fanatics, people pursuing sports careers and most professional athletes consider anyone who can't or won't play sports to be a nerd or outcast. Unless professional athletes take a hair cut in pay and start getting paid minimum wage, the culture of multi-million dollar contracts, big bling and chick magnet will always look down on the geek culture.

 

The jocks are becoming nerdier. Here are some recent NBA postgame press images:

 

Lebron & KevinDurant are the two biggest stars in the league right now. Lebron is probably one of the most recognizable atheletes in the world.

 

Do any of the NBA stars actually wear prescription glasses? They all look like frames with no lenses.

[Ze-man]

Growing up in the Northeast, geek and nerd were basically interchangeable. I don't think of myself as either.

 

People don't seem to mind "geeking out" as much as being labeled a "nerd"

 

I think Geek has taken certain Nerd characteristics, and made them cool to the casual person.

 

Apparently, big glasses, tech stuff, and comic t shirts = hip.

 

Pocket protectors, taped up glasses, and math books = not so hip.

 

 

 

And you are a total comic nerd Toon, sorry to break it to ya.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aggr1103]

 

Dunno how many folks listen to sports talk radio here, but the venom spit at these guys during the finals for wearing these empty frames during post game interviews was hilarious.

 

As a proud wearer of prescription glasses for 29 of my 32 years, I have to call these "ballers" out as "posers."

[fantastic_four]

Nerds are passionate about brainy, non-mainstream topics, whereas geeks are either socially or physically awkward. Nerds are hip because intelligence is hip, but geeks are not--awkwardness is just awkward. Nerds are often geeky, but they don't have to be...non-geeky nerds are hip to many people, although definitely not everyone.

 

I try not to be geeky, but I'm naturally nerdy (we almost all are here) and I don't try to change that.

Actually, I've always thought it to be the exact opposite, that nerd had connotations of social awarkdness and geeky just meant having a certain typeset of interests.

 

Most people equate the two, and as you're suggesting, some people try to distinguish between them and often do it in exactly opposite ways. Looking at the etymology of the words, in the early 20th century "geek" was used to refer to circus performers who were strikingly odd in the way they looked or acted, and in the mid-20th century "nerd" was an alteration of the word "nut" used to describe someone who was stupid or crazy. The reason I favor the slant on geek as being awkward and nerd as being overly intellectual is because it seems to match the history of the words slightly better. The original definition of "nerd" could really go either way, but "geek" didn't originally connotate intelligence at all, just extreme awkwardness, someone you could look at and immediately tell was odd in some way.

[tilleycs]

I have no problem telling people that I'm a comic/superhero geek when the subject comes up. IMO, everybody's a geek for something, whether it's superheroes, Star Trek, Star Wars, teapots, UFO's, etc.

 

The problem comes when people adopt the attitude of "What I'm a geek for is cool, but what you're a geek for is stupid." There's plenty of room in this world for all kinds and flavors of geekdom.

[Transplant]

Not trying to start a debate about who's a real geek. I just found it a little hard to believe that all the stars/creators/producers of comic movies and scifi series grew up being outcasts and/or consumers of geeky-credible books, shows, etc.

 

I can believe it. I'm sure there's a marketing angle to their claims, but that doesn't mean it isn't entirely true. A lot of people who grew up as "outcasts" flock to the arts to express themselves and get attention, and this can turn into careers in acting, writing, producing, etc... as adults.

 

Also, I know a lot of consumers of "geeky" stuff who you would never expect are "geeks". I don't exactly fit the stereotype myself.

This is actually something I thought about when posting. It's no secret that lots of actors were into the arts growing up. I knew several people who went on to become sort of big name musicians and some involved in movies, etc. None of the folks I knew were into comics or sci-fi or fantasy or whatever. In fact, not even many of the kids I grew up with in the smart end of the school-pool.

 

I would wager many of us now don't fit into what we think is the stereotype. I just have to question all of the self-proclaimed devotees who appeared on interview after interview on G4, espousing their geek street cred.

[RockMyAmadeus]

The clash has always been between jocks and nerds. I played sports in high school, but I was one of the rare few that crossed the line. I think the clash still exists, and hardcore sports fanatics, people pursuing sports careers and most professional athletes consider anyone who can't or won't play sports to be a nerd or outcast. Unless professional athletes take a hair cut in pay and start getting paid minimum wage, the culture of multi-million dollar contracts, big bling and chick magnet will always look down on the geek culture.

 

The jocks are becoming nerdier. Here are some recent NBA postgame press images:

 

Lebron & KevinDurant are the two biggest stars in the league right now. Lebron is probably one of the most recognizable atheletes in the world.

 

Do any of the NBA stars actually wear prescription glasses? They all look like frames with no lenses.

 

www.photoshop.com

[fantastic_four]

The clash has always been between jocks and nerds. I played sports in high school, but I was one of the rare few that crossed the line. I think the clash still exists, and hardcore sports fanatics, people pursuing sports careers and most professional athletes consider anyone who can't or won't play sports to be a nerd or outcast. Unless professional athletes take a hair cut in pay and start getting paid minimum wage, the culture of multi-million dollar contracts, big bling and chick magnet will always look down on the geek culture.

 

The jocks are becoming nerdier. Here are some recent NBA postgame press images:

 

Lebron & KevinDurant are the two biggest stars in the league right now. Lebron is probably one of the most recognizable atheletes in the world.

 

 

It's possible they wear those glasses because they, too, think they're ridiculous, but since the league FORCES them to do those interviews, it could be their way of subtly protesting the fact that they're being forced to perform in front of the press.

[chrisco37]

The clash has always been between jocks and nerds. I played sports in high school, but I was one of the rare few that crossed the line. I think the clash still exists, and hardcore sports fanatics, people pursuing sports careers and most professional athletes consider anyone who can't or won't play sports to be a nerd or outcast. Unless professional athletes take a hair cut in pay and start getting paid minimum wage, the culture of multi-million dollar contracts, big bling and chick magnet will always look down on the geek culture.

 

The jocks are becoming nerdier. Here are some recent NBA postgame press images:

 

Lebron & KevinDurant are the two biggest stars in the league right now. Lebron is probably one of the most recognizable atheletes in the world.

 

 

It's possible they wear those glasses because they, too, think they're ridiculous, but since the league FORCES them to do those interviews, it could be their way of subtly protesting the fact that they're being forced to perform in front of the press.

 

I doubt that. The current hip-hop style is trending towards nerdiness. NBA fashion is, most likely, a reflection of that.

[fantastic_four]

I doubt that. The current hip-hop style is trending towards nerdiness. NBA fashion is, most likely, a reflection of that.

 

Really? Which artists are doing it? Humpty from Digital Underground probably wants them to stop stealing his schtick.

 

[COI]

I never felt any stigma being into comic books in high school. I think it helped that I was a D student and drank a lot.

 

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

Yeah, is the sad truth. I have to say, I graduated HS in 91, and the line between what the geeks have done vs. the non geeks is impressive. Music, film & art careers, vs.. not so much. I think the word is out & geek is hot That being said, it means we are set up for a fall

With Avengers and Batman being the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of all-time shows geek is now mainstream.

The bigger question is what or was non-geek?

What classifys someone to be considered a a non-geek?

 

[oakman29]

Typical non geek,could look like this?

[Mac Man]

Is being a geek the hip thing to do?

 

 

Doesn't seem to be working for this guy.

 

 

There something about Mary---er, Rick

[Chespirito]

BUt in all honesty, in Comicon..anything goes...you could be the guy that walked around with whitey tideys outside of his pants, a superman with a sock inside his outer red underwear, or a fat chick dressed as the white queen..nobody will judge....next year I am going dressed as a cheap 80s hooker...let the fun begin!!

[aggr1103]

Typical non geek,could look like this?

 

By the end of the movie series, he was a nerd too.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Geek chic.

Kick & Big Bang Theory made it acceptable.

Its now actually cool to be a geek/nerd/dweeb (thumbs u

 

What about a shill, Thomas?

[Buzzetta]

Come to Williamsburg Brooklyn. Some people are banking their lives on hoping to be noticed for appearing to be anorexic geeks.

[comicdonna]

Geek chic.

Kick & Big Bang Theory made it acceptable.

Its now actually cool to be a geek/nerd/dweeb (thumbs u

 

What about a shill, Thomas?

[gaz2810i]

Geek chic.

Kick & Big Bang Theory made it acceptable.

Its now actually cool to be a geek/nerd/dweeb (thumbs u

 

What about a shill, Thomas?