Poll: Fake Geek Girl Meme

[Froggy Slayer]

I don't mind female nerds at all. The more the merrier, they say. The problem is that the girl in the image honestly looks like the type who says that she's a nerd to appear stylish, but will jump ship when the next trend comes along at a moments notice. I'm not saying that this is an exclusively female thing; a lot of guys do it as well.

It's funny that we (I say 'we' because I had the same initial reaction) respond to the picture of the girl by instantly judging that she's fake and doing it for attention. Why? Because she's pretty? The writing on her hand? The exaggerated glasses? What is it about her that somehow makes us think we can judge her in that way. And even if she's a fake, why do we care? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, surely?

It's the writing on the hand, I have to admit. When you do something like that, it feels less like 'I genuinely appreciate and enjoy this subculture, and wish to join in' and more like 'wow look at me getting in with the nerds I'm so random'. I don't know, maybe I'm just a douche, but my spider-sense is tingling here and I can't tell you why. It's not that I dislike her or anything; how could I, I've never met her. I'm sure that she is a lovely young woman to know. But she just seems like the type who will jump on bandwagons at a moments notice.

I know that I defiantly can't judge her on the glasses, seeing as I have a pair almost exactly like that.

 

[Hjalmar Fryklund]

I admit, I have never seen a lesbian proclaim a fondness for yuri. But since that is only anecdotal and I myself don't enjoy yuri, I am most likely just ignorant of the people liking it.

In any case, lesbian groups are probably a niche of a niche as you suggest, what with homosexuals still being marginalized at large in society.

Per the point about yaoi, it should be noted that there is a gay equivalent called bara, with some differences in how the men/boys are designed, written, and so forth. There may be some overlap between these in the western audience though, for what I know.

Well, there's such a lack of gay (especially female) romance that we take what we get.
The terminology differs a bit depending on the group/fandom in question, but the words yaoi and yuri are very often used to just refer to (anime/manga/cartoon) gay romance/porn. Sometimes there is a distinction made with shojo-ai/shonen-ai that means something that's just romance, and not really sex.

In Japan those words mean different things, I guess, the same way many loan words do.

Sure, there is that as well. I only brought this up because I am a bit starch-arsed about terminology. Sorry if I bothered you.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Basically, there are people who find the Big Bang Theory funny.

Then there's the rest of us.

Bottom line, Geek and Nerdy is currently a fad, it'll pass.

[sub]I like the Big Bang Theory...[/sub]


OT: Dunno 'bout anyone else, but announcing that you're a geek/nerd is a fucking annoying trait to have, regardless of gender.

 

[Hjalmar Fryklund]

It's funny that we (I say 'we' because I had the same initial reaction) respond to the picture of the girl by instantly judging that she's fake and doing it for attention. Why? Because she's pretty? The writing on her hand? The exaggerated glasses? What is it about her that somehow makes us think we can judge her in that way. And even if she's a fake, why do we care? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, surely?

Not when tribalism is involved, I am afraid. When being a nerd/geek is viewed as an unspoken criterion to be a proper "player"/"gamer"/what-have-you, it becomes important to that group to detect and eject imitators, posers and the like.

Obviously such a line of reasoning does not make the scorn and abuse right, especially when it is based on a paranoid and wrongheaded idea that non-nerds are ruining the hobby by their presence. Also it should be noted that the definition of nerds tends to base itself on a No True Scotsman.

 

[Calibanbutcher]

I'll get out the popcorn and a front row seat in this thread.
Someone alert Boudica, MoonlightButterfly and itsthesheppy already and let the games begin.
Opponents shall be found along the way.
And with some luck, someone will say something intended as a humorous post wich gets interpreted as "sexist" by another party.
Or even better, someone says something ACTUALLY sexist and the rock starts rolling.
Ohh boy, nothing like a bit of glee on rainy days like these.

 

[Joccaren]

Well, I can only speak from personal experience here, but it happens to both guys and girls that I know - moreso girls as they do it more often.

Now, I know girls who aren't geeks who look geeky and try to act and sound geeky because they legitimately want to start getting into being a geek. I, and everyone I know, am/is fine with that, and help them on their way to geekdom. We do the same for guys heading down that path.

When girls - or guys [Though as stated, in my personal experience it is more often girls] - grab a pair of glasses, shove them on and go "OMG, NERD SELFIES" like my sister will, I will call them out on not being a nerd. They know their not nerds. They're not trying to be nerds. They're attempting to get a laugh by putting on a classic symbol used to represent nerds, then calling themselves nerds online to get 'lols', 'likes' and other crap online. This is the only reason they do it. They have no interest in being a nerd, and five minutes later they'll be back to themselves, however it is fun to make yourself a mockery of a nerd and take pictures of yourself doing it apparently.
And yes, some guys I know do this too. Though, rather than 5 minutes and 20 selfies later before they calm down, it'll usually take them 30 seconds and being hit on the back of the head, or punched in the arm, by one of their friends for them to drop the act and get back to normal life.

Really I have no problem with people who want to be geeks but aren't quite there yet, who legitimately consider themselves geeks despite not being as geeky as my friends or I, or other people that at least show some respect for the geek title. I do have a problem with those who use it as an excuse to take slutty pictures of themselves with glasses on for a laugh, before going on to say how 'gay' anyone who is actually into that stuff is. Personally, its those kinds of people that I will generally think of when that meme is posted, as in my experience they're more that type of person.

 

[Zhukov]

I've neither encountered nor witnessed such a thing.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever met a guy who particularly wanted to be seen as nerdy.

Sounds like an awfully petty thing to get territorial about. "OMG, that chick called herself a nerd but has never read The Silmarillian! Someone call the police!"

Hell, not sure why you'd want to get territorial in the first place. There are women out there who want to share you nerdy interests? Let 'em in, I say. For the love of God, let 'em in!

 

[Joccaren]

I'll get out the popcorn and a front row seat in this thread.
Someone alert Boudica, MoonlightButterfly and itsthesheppy already and let the games begin.
Opponents shall be found along the way.
And with some luck, someone will say something intended as a humorous post wich gets interpreted as "sexist" by another party.
Or even better, someone says something ACTUALLY sexist and the rock starts rolling.
Ohh boy, nothing like a bit of glee on rainy days like these.

Glad I'm not the only one who enjoys laughing at how out of hand these threads get. I think you missed out on a couple, unless they've left or been banned, though I'm not going to name anyone as that is bordering disrespectful [And I don't want them trying to kill me].
Anyway, here's to the great sexism olympics of these forums *toasts glass*

 

[Sebass]

No men don't have tis the same way women do, because a while ago, rule 30* was still more or less correct. Sure, there were a few girls but the absolute, overwhelming majority of the 'classical nerd' category were men. Nerdy girls have always existed but were (and are) usually not interested in subjects such as computers, videogames, sci-fi, etc .. It's like a man talking about fashion, a cleric claiming to know physics, a politician saying he cares about the people, a football hooligan expressing his interest in ballet or opera, .. Yeah it's not impossible but it's statistically unlikely. Coupled with the fact that there now ARE girls who claim to be 'nerds' when they're absolutely anything but, it's pretty normal that this person is viewed with suspicion until they've proven their words. Though imo this fad has already passed, the girls who tend do this are the hipster-type and as soon as something as not 'new' anymore they look for something else to show the world how unique they are.

You can pretty quickly see who's faking and who's honest, and I've never seen a girl who can prove her 'nerdcred' labeled as a fake, they get accepted by their male peers very quickly.


* There are no girls on the internet

edit: and if you're looking for a noob-hostile community where gender is irrelevant try a moba game. So much rage coming your way if you make a single mistake ..

 

[dfphetteplace]

Or, maybe there are annoying girls that pretend to be nerdy and are just idiots.

 

[King of Asgaard]

I, being a seventeen year old male and a massive geek, have not encountered a geek of the opposite gender.
Supposedly, they exist, yet not where I live, which is quite a downer.

 

[Shdwrnr]

Bronies are the current male equivilent on the internet I'd say. For women, the claim is that they're attention whores and for men, the claim is that they're gay. The insults are a bit different, but the sentiment is the same.

As far as hostile geek circles, I think the best example is the MOBA scene. Doesn't matter what your race, gender, creed, etc is; you step into a game of League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, or Defense of the Ancients as a new player and just let the hate wash over you.

 

[DugMachine]

I find both genders do it equally. Not that go around claiming "I'm a TRUE nerd! I'm a TRUE geek!!1!" cause i'm not and I think the idea is just stupid. It's quite obvious though when you have a geeky person who actually enjoy's video games, literature and other aspects of geek culture and not because it's the 'cool' thing to do right now. It's mostly the "style" (thick rimmed glasses, thick rimmed glasses everywhere) that people follow. I've met many a 'geek' who think just putting on a novelty gamer T shirt and some thick rimmed glasses immediately gives them cred.... when there is no cred to be had anyways.

Will I make a big deal out of it though? No. It's a fad, this will all pass and soon geek culture won't be 'cool and hip' anymore. I think 80's hair metal bands are making a come back JUST MARK MY WORDS!

 

[DoPo]

I don't mind female nerds at all. The more the merrier, they say. The problem is that the girl in the image honestly looks like the type who says that she's a nerd to appear stylish, but will jump ship when the next trend comes along at a moments notice. I'm not saying that this is an exclusively female thing; a lot of guys do it as well.

It's funny that we (I say 'we' because I had the same initial reaction) respond to the picture of the girl by instantly judging that she's fake and doing it for attention. Why? Because she's pretty? The writing on her hand? The exaggerated glasses? What is it about her that somehow makes us think we can judge her in that way. And even if she's a fake, why do we care? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, surely?

Erm, I don't know where you're from, but around here this is not what real nerds look like. In fact, I don't think anybody anywhere looks remotely what that girl tries to imitate. I wouldn't feel flattered to be imitated wrongly. Whatever aspect of me - my race, my hobbies, my beliefs, whatever. I feel it as a very visual way to express the written "Herpaderp, I'm a nerd! lolz *insert godawful emoticons*" The fact that people recognise the stereotype does more harm than good. And it's because it's not a flattering stereotype.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Or, maybe there are annoying girls that pretend to be nerdy and are just idiots.

This is my exact thoughts on the matter.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Why on Earth would anyone pretend to be a geek/nerd? Is this an American thing where having niche hobbies and an obsession with computers (or whatever we're taking as the definition of a nerd today) makes it easier to get laid?

For the record: I only accept the labels "nerd" or "geek" from friends/family (who mean it affectionately). Even on my Electronic Engineering degree course at university, calling someone a nerd/geek was an insult (except when meant in a jokey way).

 

[prophecy2514]

I don't mind female nerds at all. The more the merrier, they say. The problem is that the girl in the image honestly looks like the type who says that she's a nerd to appear stylish, but will jump ship when the next trend comes along at a moments notice. I'm not saying that this is an exclusively female thing; a lot of guys do it as well.

It's funny that we (I say 'we' because I had the same initial reaction) respond to the picture of the girl by instantly judging that she's fake and doing it for attention. Why? Because she's pretty? The writing on her hand? The exaggerated glasses? What is it about her that somehow makes us think we can judge her in that way. And even if she's a fake, why do we care? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, surely?

We can judge her in that way because what she is doing is attention seeking, something that violates what I guess you would call the nerd/geek subculture. You cant look at that picture and not see how that girl is not attention seeking

Nerds and geeks of past have had to endure being socially outcast (to differing degrees), and its understandable they dont like this new fad and the imitators, as a "proper" nerd or geek would not go out of their way to shout out their love for being a nerd.

Thats not to say nerds/geeks arent proud they are nerds/geeks, its just the norm that nerds/geeks arent attention and popularity seekers, they're lovers of knowledge,technology and imagination, at the (undesired) cost of being labelled as socially unpopular in years past.

 

[Megacherv]

I know plenty of people who suffer from 'Fake Geek', mostly from stuff such as liking Big Bang Theory or figuring out how to bring up the DOS prompt on the high school machines (note I said DOS prompt, which is different to the command prompt).

I'm a CS student and avid gamer who plays game both virtual and physical, and yet these people try and claim they're part of geek culture when they're the kind of people we hate claiming they're geeks.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

Will I make a big deal out of it though? No. It's a fad, this will all pass and soon geek culture won't be 'cool and hip' anymore. I think 80's hair metal bands are making a come back JUST MARK MY WORDS!

I actually had an idea that I should start a hair metal band to prepare for the inevitable revival of hair metal.

 

[Phisi]

I have personally to some extent. I am quite muscular, fit and confident. I don't really fit into the stereotype of a geek but what you have to remember is that the geek culture is the creation o the outcasts of schools and if you possess features that fit in with the popular crowd you aren't going to be seen as one of the geeks. You instead are a part of the group that mocks them. Until you prove that you are in their group, sharing similar history and feelings, they are not going to believe you are a geek and thus exclude you. This is what it comes down to. If you are a good looking girl who is fine in social interactions then what do you have in common with them? A love of games? If that's the case then go to a convention but a subculture it not just based on an item but the members and all their thoughts and emotions as well.