Here's my rule of thumb on whether something hobby related is tacky:Stasisesque said:
How Would I React To (American) Civil War Reenactors Doing The Same?
Geek/Nerd is a Label, Not a Social Circle
- Thread starter Fappy
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How Would I React To (American) Civil War Reenactors Doing The Same?
If you don't want a label then you're a loner at best and a nobody at worst. Labels are part of how we communicate who we are, our perceptions of ourselves and others and what we're doing.
People are awful though. You wouldn't see me stooping so low as to wear labels & have anything to do with them.
...
Aw shit.
People are awful though. You wouldn't see me stooping so low as to wear labels & have anything to do with them.
...
Aw shit.
Well I see it as a nerd and geek stuff is just your interests, it isn't who you are.
Like, you could be a really really sporty person who does weights, but still has a Sailor Moon collection in their room.
Like, you could be a really really sporty person who does weights, but still has a Sailor Moon collection in their room.
For me it's far easier to use this label, and I do so as more of a reclaimed word sense.
The reason I can so easily use it is because unlike some people here who say they're a gamer but not just that...I pretty much am just that, because I have very few interests, and none of them go outside the circle of something considered a niche obsession. Part of the reaosn why even on a game enthusiast site, I still feel like a loser, because most of my identity can come down to a word.
I don't really look for showing off what I'm like, but if I was considered some kind of failure at my hobby (even thoguh I'm not sure how that would happen), it would put me down because it's not like I have anything else.
The reason I can so easily use it is because unlike some people here who say they're a gamer but not just that...I pretty much am just that, because I have very few interests, and none of them go outside the circle of something considered a niche obsession. Part of the reaosn why even on a game enthusiast site, I still feel like a loser, because most of my identity can come down to a word.
I don't really look for showing off what I'm like, but if I was considered some kind of failure at my hobby (even thoguh I'm not sure how that would happen), it would put me down because it's not like I have anything else.
Why did you expect to? 95% of the people you meet in life you will dislike. That's a consequence of being in a multicultural society - not every culture will be to your liking, unlike in, say, a tribal culture where you're expected to like and get along with almost everyone.Fappy said:
I'd say over 99% of people I meet, I don't like (which doesn't necessarily mean I dislike them). What group they are part of is totally irrelevant.
Who cares? Apparently you care enough to make a thread to complain. Lets just let people call themselves whatever the heck they want and leave it at that. For instance, here in Mexico Xbox gaming has been getting a lot more popular, but the people who actually play in PC are really rare. You meet at massive LAN meetups and you end up getting along and playing together or hating each others guts and playing on the opposite team, however, that's still a social circle. You share similar hobbies, and you mostly know each other and your activities are all based around that hobby. So yeah, it IS a social circle.
And sorry that the people that share your hobbies are asshats, but it's not the same everywhere, certainly not here. And if anyone is I do what grownups should, ignore them and go somewhere else.
And sorry that the people that share your hobbies are asshats, but it's not the same everywhere, certainly not here. And if anyone is I do what grownups should, ignore them and go somewhere else.
Geek/Nerd started as a lable, then evolved into a social circle when we stopped giving a shit.
The fact is, this sort of culture grew so fast we needed a word to describe ourselves as, and because we got it from people a lot anyway, we started calling ourselves geeks and nerds so they really lost any and all power they may have had by using it as an insult.
The fact is, this sort of culture grew so fast we needed a word to describe ourselves as, and because we got it from people a lot anyway, we started calling ourselves geeks and nerds so they really lost any and all power they may have had by using it as an insult.
Hmm...I don't think I've ever had my geekiness challenged, but if I did, and I slapped the person who challenged it in the face and demanded that he perform fellatio on me, wouldn't that make me some sort of deranged, hyper-aggressive douchebag? I don't mind labels like this. They exist for convenience's sake, to simplify things.
You know what? It'd be wonderful if someone was describing me to a friend, and they said "Oh yeah, that's Patrick. He's mostly extroverted, but he sometimes gets nervous around people he hasn't met before, and isn't great at making first impressions. Occasionally he just likes to spend evenings alone, although he genuinely enjoys the company of his friends. He enjoys video games, particularly RPG's and platformers, and he enjoys games form all systems, though, but he is a Sony fan at heart. He enjoys Mad Men, Arrested Development, and hiking through the bushlands. He's studying psychology, but he's unsure of where to go with his degree and he he likes hip-hop mmusic, specifically the music of..."
Obviously I can't expect that, so I'm fine with someone saying "Oh, that's Patrick. He's kind of a nerd, he's a uni student, and he's a Christian."
Labels exist because we have to classify people somehow. Obviously, when those labels carry negative connotations, that's bad, but labels are a necessity. Reacting violently and unreasonably to those labels is not. I like most people, and I'll still like them if they say I'm a geek, or claim that I'm not geeky enough, or whatever.
You know what? It'd be wonderful if someone was describing me to a friend, and they said "Oh yeah, that's Patrick. He's mostly extroverted, but he sometimes gets nervous around people he hasn't met before, and isn't great at making first impressions. Occasionally he just likes to spend evenings alone, although he genuinely enjoys the company of his friends. He enjoys video games, particularly RPG's and platformers, and he enjoys games form all systems, though, but he is a Sony fan at heart. He enjoys Mad Men, Arrested Development, and hiking through the bushlands. He's studying psychology, but he's unsure of where to go with his degree and he he likes hip-hop mmusic, specifically the music of..."
Obviously I can't expect that, so I'm fine with someone saying "Oh, that's Patrick. He's kind of a nerd, he's a uni student, and he's a Christian."
Labels exist because we have to classify people somehow. Obviously, when those labels carry negative connotations, that's bad, but labels are a necessity. Reacting violently and unreasonably to those labels is not. I like most people, and I'll still like them if they say I'm a geek, or claim that I'm not geeky enough, or whatever.
No no, ah i'm horrible at explaining myself. I have no problem with people who are overly passionate about geek culture. I don't hide the fact that i'm a gamer I make it pretty damn apparent when I get to know people cause I don't want them thinking i'm into 'normal guy' stuff. Thing is though I've never ever expressed myself as passionately as some of the geekier social circles do. It's not the apparel that annoys me cause I have some vidya game shirts myself (not 100% though -.-) and I like to say the occasional joke in regards to a game but to another gamer.Vault101 said:
Too many times i'll find myself with some of my geekier friends and some of my more eh 'normal' friends and the elitism my geek friends give off is ridiculous. They actually look down upon normal people because they're not into geek culture and don't get our jokes.
Idk if I explained it better... probably not.
I don't know how it is where you live, but where I am, the quizzing and challenging is part of nerd culture. I mean seriously, we play games all the time, whether it be video, table top, or other, nerds have a competitive nature, we find it FUN to compete with each other.
1 - I'm going to take out my phone, take a picture of you, call the police and charge you with assault and battery.
2 - If you continue, especially after you have hit me, I'm going to wreak your shit and claim it was self defense.
If you don't like nerdy people, you don't have to talk to them, if someone annoys you, nerd or otherwise, just walk away because from your OP, you sound like a douche that the general nerdy social circles wouldn't want anything to do with anyway. And yes, this probably comes of as pretty angry because I know someone exactly like you, into nerdy culture, but in all other facets, a jock and arsehole and I want to flatten him out every time I see him.
Also, this, isn't very nerdy, this just makes you look like a jocky asshole. Honestly, if I was trying to have fun with someone by being competitive and they HIT ME and then told me that, there are only two situations that are going to come from thatFappy said:
1 - I'm going to take out my phone, take a picture of you, call the police and charge you with assault and battery.
2 - If you continue, especially after you have hit me, I'm going to wreak your shit and claim it was self defense.
If you don't like nerdy people, you don't have to talk to them, if someone annoys you, nerd or otherwise, just walk away because from your OP, you sound like a douche that the general nerdy social circles wouldn't want anything to do with anyway. And yes, this probably comes of as pretty angry because I know someone exactly like you, into nerdy culture, but in all other facets, a jock and arsehole and I want to flatten him out every time I see him.
Dude... that's one of the stupidest things I heard this week. Games=competition with others all the time. I played ME2 recently, and Cthulhu Saves the World, and Plants vs. Zombies, and Costume Quest, and Mirror's Edge. I didn't have to compete with anybody. I'm also a fan of PnP RPGs. More often than not, the games I like are not competitive in nature. Why am I supposed to be competing with everybody then? Explain it to me. I'm also into computers. Needless to say, competition is downright stupid when you're discussing, say, hard drives or JavaScript. Seriously, dafuq should I try to compete with others all the time because of my interests? Can't I, I don't know, just talk to them like a normal human and not be affected by my hobby when I do (well aside from probably discussing it)?A3sir said:
You're trying to have fun at the expense of others. If you can't get the cues that some people don't like it, then you deserve what you get. I'm a fan of X, I don't think I need to prove my worth to you if you consider me part of Y. From my view, you sound like the asshole - somebody decides to chat because you probably share hobbies and you inherently mistrust them because...why exactly? What would they gain by lying to get close to you? Have a chat? Nah, you know what - just don't talk to people at all, that'll protect you from those evil imposters.A3sir said:
I see you don't know Fappy. And there is the ingerent mistrust and bullshit. Just bugger off and don't associate with other people, as I said - there is apparently an ulterior motive they pursue.A3sir said:
I fail to see how anything I have said is "jocky" or what that even really implies.A3sir said:
Also, you are probably the only person in this thread that took my advice seriously. I don't condone slapping or sexually harassing strangers. That'd just be rude.
labels and social circles... these things aren't as definate as they used to be anymore... I mean lol... the Breakfast Club style grouping doesnt happen nearly so clean cut anymore while yeah you still got your geek, jock etc.
but yeah i get your point, i remember my college lounge... (nice place... slightly larger than the living pretty much the only people in there would be considered geek's and nerds, but there were plenty of groups... the gamers, card players, those who decided it was nap time... it was a pretty diverse place but to anyone who wasnt "geeky" we would all have seemed similar... so what I'm saying is to Geeks yeah we are different and stuff, but to those who don't have any kind of background or knoweledge into things considered geeky yeah were a big group...
I also get what you mean about having "geeks" not understand this, i spend most of my time watching anime, but honestly alot of the people i know who watch it, just realy annoy me.... and yet I end up being grouped with them whenever i mention that i watch the stuff...
but yeah i get your point, i remember my college lounge... (nice place... slightly larger than the living pretty much the only people in there would be considered geek's and nerds, but there were plenty of groups... the gamers, card players, those who decided it was nap time... it was a pretty diverse place but to anyone who wasnt "geeky" we would all have seemed similar... so what I'm saying is to Geeks yeah we are different and stuff, but to those who don't have any kind of background or knoweledge into things considered geeky yeah were a big group...
I also get what you mean about having "geeks" not understand this, i spend most of my time watching anime, but honestly alot of the people i know who watch it, just realy annoy me.... and yet I end up being grouped with them whenever i mention that i watch the stuff...