Poll: Fake Geek Girl Meme

[Mid Boss]

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.

Do you go to college? If you don't, go to college. Particularly one with a strong art program. The thing is, girls don't broadcast their geek like guys do. It's considered "unfeminine".

 

[Mid Boss]

You always see, as someone put it "6 of 9" girls at conventions. Girls that aren't geeks but go to conventions, often in skimpy costumes, to drooled at by a horde of guys. In the real world they're a 6, but at a convention they're a 9.

Don't get me wrong, there's tons of real geek girls at conventions. But if you see a girl dressed as Cammy from street fighter making out with a Chun Li in the middle of a crowded hallway, pick your tongues up off the floor, show some self respect, and look away. These girls are mocking and using you.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

... because women are never elitist, exclusionary, or judgmental. The way that site turned that meme on its head is clever and smart, but the question of "Do men ever get alienated by women?" is a bit of a howler. You might as well have asked "Do women have opinions about things?" "Do women think?" "Are women actually people?" (The answer to all of those is an obvious yes, in case I have to spell out my internet sarcasm.)

No, it's not nice to exclude people. No, it's not "okay" because women can do it, too. It's just... actually, no, it is okay. There's no fundamental law that you have to be friends with everybody. In middle school, when I would sit down at the far end of a "girl table" and the girls at the other end would all get up and leave, I wasn't hurt. It's not their job to like and accept me. I was looking for a place to be alone and they didn't want to have to acknowledge the presence of the creepy guy over there. I saw it happen to another guy once back then and he sort of pouted about it, but fuck him. People aren't just going to be your friends because you want them to be. This is true of guys with guys, girls with guys, and girls with girls. It's not bullying, it's being selective, which you have every right as a human being to be.

People are dicks sometimes, both women and men. The internet just gives certain men an outlet for whatever obscure thing they're into, anonymity, and access to the opinions of millions of fellow misogynists. But to say women never like to exclude people from a group? You have to be kidding me.

 

[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.

Do you go to college? If you don't, go to college. Particularly one with a strong art program. The thing is, girls don't broadcast their geek like guys do. It's considered "unfeminine".

Not yet, I'm starting my second year of sixth form next month.

 

[tautologico]

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.

People have tried this some years ago

Spoiler: The Darkness

 

[Legion]

A rather pointless subject because it can be applied to almost anything. It isn't that the geeks have some sort of problem. Its that snobby assholes are parts of every group.

Indeed, which is really funny when it comes to things such as the Goth/Punk culture when it's even more clique than the stereotypical school.

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.

I think it's probably meant to be 'empowering', if you call yourself a geek then it's no longer an insult as it's how you identify yourself.

I agree though, but that's mainly because I despise putting people into nice, neat little stereotypes.

 

[ProtoChimp]

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.

I like Big Bang though. To be fair you can see how much the writers have actually improved and aren't as fucking idiotically stereotypical and its become more of a standard sitcom as of late.

 

[tautologico]

I voted for the second option, and was pretty surprised when I saw how low it was.

I've never seen a male write "nerd" or "geek" on their hand, and it's extremely rare that a male posts on Facebook that they are geeks or nerds, whereas I see often see girls doing it.

There's one particular girl who posts 4 or 5 times a day and they're more often than not about games. I don't know any males like that.

I'm not saying that she doesn't play games, but there's no doubt she posts all those things to get the attention from guys.

I am an active member of a gaming forum (here), I've spent thousands of hours on games (most of which are RPGs) and I rarely go out, but I still wouldn't post on Facebook telling everyone, or even consider myself a geek. I don't read comics or watch anime, I don't play card or board games, I don't collect figurines and I dress (what I'd consider) pretty well.

I'm not saying a geek has to do all those things, but they're undoubtedly geeky characteristics. Also, almost anyone who posts geeky things on Facebook is most likely not a geek.

Guess I'm not a geek then I rarely post on FB but I often post gaming-related stuff.

 

[Launcelot111]

I don't present myself as a nerd at all (in appearance I mean), so when I go to nerdy places (which is often), it happens fairly regularly that people subtlely question my nerdiness. It ends up like "I didn't think you would be one for tabletop RPGs" or "What's your favorite board game? Catan?" (disclaimer: Catan is looked down upon in super intense board game circles). Most people don't push it very far, but I'm forthright and unapologetic about my interests. I really don't care or feel inferior if someone's seen all of Firefly six times or goes LARPing every weekend, but I will talk on the good bit of stuff I do know. I haven't witnessed any persecution to women at the level the TC's suggesting, but at the same time, there are a fair number of women who show up and are also forthright about their lack of knowledge of whatever the nerdy activity of the day is, and at that point, most people are happy to teach them what's going on. There are some asses who exclude women from their activities in the first place, but that's another issue

 

[TehCookie]

There is a male equivalent, it's the fratboys who only play CoD and Halo who think they're so hardcore. However they're not out for attention so you don't notice them as much.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Here, Lindsay Ellis / Nostalgia Chick (look her up, her stuff is good) tweeted a link to somebody's blog and it's more or less the point I was attempting to get across.

http://taraatrandom.blogspot.com/2011/12/so-youve-encountered-girl-on-internet.html

"We don't owe you attention.
I'm glad you liked my blog post/tweet/dating profile. But that doesn't mean that I'm required to accept your Facebook friend request or entertain you or whatever else you have in mind. I don't know you. You could be very nice, or you could be Buffalo Bill. So if I an disinclined to meet you in person or friend you back or whatever, that doesn't make me a *****. That just makes me someone who doesn't know you and for whatever reason may not want to. Or maybe I just want to take more time, or have some online spaces that are more personal than others."

Point being, women can ignore you or flame you, just as easily as you can them. So if you want to be exclusionary dicks and have an International Women Haters Club web forum, you're more than free to do so. Just don't expect many women to hang around. They can take their hobby to a more amenable environment, which the internet does have from time to time. Why heterosexual men like to shoo women away from their hobbies is an idea I'll never understand, but a lot of dudes are like that. I tend to avoid men like that because I actually like girls.

 

[aba1]

Ya I have to say I never saw this as a gender thing till you pointed it out. I always just saw it as people trying to fit into a group when they don't know anything about the group nor do they really want to learn.

If you see someone who constantly talks about how nerdy they are they likely aren't all that nerdy because being nerdy is such a broad term nobody who is into nerdy things really classifies themselves that way. For instance I wouldn't go around calling myself a nerd I would say I am a gamer or a anime fan or cartoon junkie etc you get the idea.

 

[Catie Caraco]

"Like, OH MY GAAAWWWD, I played CoD at my boyfriend's house, I am, like, SUCH a geek"

gets really old really quickly.

Women and men both lie about themselves in dating situations. Women may wear push-up bras to look like their breasts are more shapely, or make up to look like they have better skin. Men go to the gym and get a tan to make themselves look like...I don't know, like they just plowed the fields or something. Guess some girl somewhere is into that.

Anyway. "Geekiness" is often associated with intelligence...and more and more people are finding intelligence attractive. I think the idea is that by pretending to be a geek, you try to send a message of intelligence. Both genders find ways to do this, I think in women it's a little more popular because there are no male 'sexy nerds' in the movies or on TV.

Just one take on it.

I find it kind of ... disjointed, I guess, that what I take as your point is that people pose as nerds to seem intelligent when your first, quoted sentence is in valley girl, a subset of humanity known for being vapid and shallow. I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense, I'm suffering from a sinus infection right now so I'm kinda loopy, but it seems like you're saying they do it to look smart, and they let us know with statuses like this. "Like, OH MY GAAAWWWD, I played CoD at my boyfriend's house, I am, like, SUCH a geek"

I'm not saying your theory is flawed, I just find your ... presentation hard to wrap my mind around.

... ok, I'm shutting up now. >.>

 

[Catie Caraco]

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.

Do you go to college? If you don't, go to college. Particularly one with a strong art program. The thing is, girls don't broadcast their geek like guys do. It's considered "unfeminine".

Not yet, I'm starting my second year of sixth form next month.

Aww hunny, we exist, no worries. I was playing Atari at 3, Magic the Gathering in 5th Grade, I've watched all of Star Trek Next Generation and Voyager.* I would wager you HAVE met female geeks, they just haven't known you well enough to open up about it. But yeah, just wait till you go to college. There will be anime clubs, gaming clubs, science clubs... and I've noticed from experience that Pagan Organizations tend to be full of nerds. So just hang in there. We're out there.

* Look, see, my nerd-cred. ... I guess it goes to the OPs point that I feel the need to validate my claim to nerdome.

 

[Schadrach]

I read an article on The Mary Sue this morning which made me wonder...

http://www.themarysue.com/geek-girl-meme/#0

The main idea boils down to this: "...the persisting idea that tells people it's ok to nastily call women out for not being 'authentically geeky' enough. It's basically the idea that you can use that old middle school tactic of calling people 'posers' because they don't adhere to your own particular rules as to what qualifies a 'geek'..."

People are doing this because being a 'nerd' or 'geek' has become a fad and some 'gamer girls'(not all mind you) are using this to get attention. These people are no different from the goth or emo kids who just dress different/ wear eyeliner/ etc to get attention. The other people calling those 'posers' out aren't all dicks, some just want the 'posers' to stop giving the actual 'nerds' and 'geeks' a bad name.

Also, I know for a fact actual 'gamer girls' exist. I've played several matches of LoL with my friend and his wife. She plays as much Skyrim as her husband and knows just as much star wars as any other fanboy/fangirl would. While I don't think there's any specific criteria to being a 'nerd', people should be able to back any claim they make.

Is there a male equivalent of this phenomenon? Obviously I've only ever experienced the geek gatekeeper horror from the female side - Do guys ever get quizzed about their geek cred before they're accepted as a 'true' geek? Are there some geek circles which are as hostile to newbie males as they are to females?

Of course there are probably male equivalents of this. Maybe not so much in 'geek' culture. for example if a guy watches 3 episodes of MLP, runs to the store and buys as much MLP figures as he can, then brags to his friends that he's the biggest Bronie out there, wouldn't you say he's a 'poser'? Or just because you drive a car and can change your own oil doesn't make you a mechanic.

I propose a simple solution to all this "fake gamer girl" talk. There are pretty decent descriptions that lend a vague idea as to what constitutes a "fake gamer girl." I say we start calling them Gamer Girls (tm) to differentiate them from actual gamer girls, that shouldn't offend anyone.

 

[Secret world leader (shhh)]

I don't see it mainly as a "Misogynistic attack on women" (although it definitely can be), I see it mainly as geek culture being its bitter, exclusionary old self as always.

Until a few days ago, I was friends with this guy who despised another one of my friends because she was a girl who played videogames, and thus could be nothing else than a manipulative, ballbusting imposter.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

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.

You're saying people who find BBT funny are not geeks?

I once dated a woman who had a masters in music theory, was really into physics, and attends parties at planetariums. She is a bigger "geek" than 90% of the people I've met. She likes The Big Bang Theory, which regularly features real life physicists who also presumably find it funny. Also, actress Mayim Bialik on the show has a real doctorate in neuroscience. I would think she probably finds the show funny, too.

Those people literally have nerd credentials. Random anonymous dudes on the internet who deem something "uncool" must be the "real" nerds out there, though.

 

[Hollyday]

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.

Please tell me: What do real nerds look like???!!! Hehe!

Firstly, we don't know why she was posing like this. I pose for stupid facebook pics sometimes, everyone does. Secondly, we can't possibly know what her intentions were, namely whether she was 'imitating' nerds as you put it. Maybe those are her actual glasses (I know plenty of people with glasses like that). Thirdly, she might be the biggest nerd ever (even by ridiculously high internet standards) and the photo was always meant to be ironic. So HOW can we judge her in any way, shape or form? And even if all our judgemental assumptions about her ARE true, what right do we have to judge her for it? If she wants to prance around calling herself a nerd and looking up random star trek facts on wikipedia to fake her way into nerd culture why should we care at all? What does it take away from us? NOTHING.

You always see, as someone put it "6 of 9" girls at conventions. Girls that aren't geeks but go to conventions, often in skimpy costumes, to drooled at by a horde of guys. In the real world they're a 6, but at a convention they're a 9.

I read the original article about this and it made me feel sick. It's so awful to on the one hand say that a woman is doing something merely to get attention, and then on the other rate her looks in such a way. No one knows anyone's personal intentions except that person, so these judgements are just disgusting

...the question of "Do men ever get alienated by women?" is a bit of a howler. You might as well have asked "Do women have opinions about things?" "Do women think?" "Are women actually people?" (The answer to all of those is an obvious yes, in case I have to spell out my internet sarcasm.)

OOPS - my question is actually about 'geek gatekeeperism' not whether women judge and alienate men because they obviously do in many many situations. I wanted to know specifically whether men find they regularly have to prove themselves in order to be taken seriously in geek/niche interest groups in the way that women regularly have to do. For example, I'm a teacher and in many of my adult classes I teach guys who are into gaming, and when I say that I'm into it too I'll get a half-hour Q&A session from them until they find a game I don't know and then they'll sit back all smug as if they've somehow caught me out. It's... well, pretty odd really. Has this ever happened to you in relation to gaming?

 

[jbm1986]

-snip-
I propose a simple solution to all this "fake gamer girl" talk. There are pretty decent descriptions that lend a vague idea as to what constitutes a "fake gamer girl." I say we start calling them Gamer Girls (tm) to differentiate them from actual gamer girls, that shouldn't offend anyone.

Also, see here: http://slackerheroes.com/jj/2012/03/28/faking-it-the-%E2%80%98fake-nerd-girl%E2%80%99-and-sexism-in-geek-culture/

 

[GregerFisk]

I think 80's hair metal bands are making a come back JUST MARK MY WORDS!

Hair metal bands!? God no!