Poll: Fake Geek Girl Meme

samahain

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Sep 23, 2010
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King of Asgaard said:
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.
Hang in there Odin, "King of Asgaard".

One attacked me in an elevator once.

Been' married ten+ years. ;)
Just know that it happens...
 

Tsukuyomi

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Finding female nerds/geeks happens, it's just an overwhelming amount of them are already spoken for, at least in my experience. It also can depend on the demographic of where you live. Places without a thriving nerd or geek culture or common meet-ups make it somewhat difficult. I've been trying to find some but I fear that the only places I know of would be male-dominated, and putting myself in the other person's shoes I can understand where walking into a room with two dozen or so geeky males might not be easy or something I'd want to do. Especially with the phenomenon being discussed here.

I don't think I've ever had my credentials questioned except by people who were far less geeky than I asking about something that I genuinely didn't have any interest in knowing. The last time was a co-worker asking me who Whiplash was around the time Iron Man 2 was coming out. I'm not a huge fan of Marvel so I explained I didn't know and frankly didn't care. As long as the movie was going to be decent I'd be happy to see it. It was at that point that he just looked at me and shook his head and went "what kind of a nerd are you?". I merely scoffed, since he was no one to judge my nerd cred.

Have I questioned somone's credentials before? Possibly. Though I don't think I've ever questioned a girl's credentials before. Mostly it's been guys who are CoD fans and wanna try and talk like they've been gaming forever, or they try and bash other games when you can just tell they've never tried them or even seen them. Just heard about them and know that say, they're a shooter, so clearly they must be inferior to CoD. Because CoD came first. Even before Quake. Yeah...Quake only came out a year ago right? Stupid copycats.

The bottom line I've been using these days though has mostly been what I call the rule of passion: If someone clearly has a passion for something that goes beyond a normal or enthusiastic passing interest, you can reasonably call them a geek. If the CoD franchise crashed tomorrow and it was no longer popular and people completely forgot about playing it, anyone still going at it who wasn't otherwise geeky, I'd be happy to hail them as brethren. They have a passion for something that lasts beyond popularity or a passing interest. If you love what you love and don't care if it's 'cool' or not, I got no problems if you call yourself a nerd or a geek, because in the end I think our passions for things that are outside of the mainstream is what brings us together and what defines us under that label. Game Geeks, Music Geeks, Sports Geeks, Architecture Geeks, doesn't have to be a 'traditional' sphere of nerdom. If you have a love for something beyond or despite others, you're cool in my book.
 

Dastardly

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Apr 19, 2010
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Hollyday said:
I'm interested from a 'I want to know more about why this happens in geek culture' standpoint more than a 'AAAAAAAA MEN ARE OPPRESSING ME!' one, so if we can get through this conversation without it devolving into a whiny argument about which gender whines the most I think we'd all be very happy (Ah, impossible dreams...).
Territoriality.

The only reason to care if someone is "pretending" to like something you like is because you believe that is somehow going to take something from you. In geek culture, too many people fear that having "too many geeks" or having "the wrong kind of geeks" will cause the following:

1. We'll lose the ear of their particular 'gods.' Somehow these new fans will swoop in and demand that all of my favorite things become different, and my side won't have enough 'votes' to stop them.

2. We'll lose exclusivity. The "first-gen" geeks weren't labeled of our own accord. We were ostracized for our offbeat preferences and stuffed in a cave. We then laboriously carved that cave into a temple. Aaaaaand then we won -- it stopped being a bad thing to be a geek! But that means this next generation of whippersnappers 'don't know how good they got it,' and they're just going to ruin OUR space. (And we all know that whenever a new company pops up making things for someone ELSE, it means they're not making things for us -- which they TOTALLY would have done if it weren't for those OTHERS!)

3. We'll lose identity. Far too many of us ARE geeks and ARE gamers and ARE whatever label. We aren't satisfied with it being one aspect of our personalities. It must be the defining aspect of who we are... and if that definition gets muddied, we start to lose certainty about who we are. Temple built on sand and all that...

That's the general "geek plight" in a nutshell. Where do the gender politics come in? Simple.

The early generations of geek culture were created by guys, for guys. It's really that simple. It was little boys being sold comic books and action figures, thanks to our heavily-compartmentalized commercial structure. Little boys were the target of early video games. The pioneers of the computer world were men (because, y'know, math and science are 'men's work'), and so men were at the forefront of game creation.

This wasn't an intentional thing. It was a byproduct of the heavily "male default" culture of the day. When stuff is created almost exclusively by men, it ends up almost exclusively for men. And that's how comics, action figures, videogames, and most other outlets under the heading "Geek" started out.

In a sense, what we have isn't intentional sexism. It's still just as stupid and just as damaging, don't get me wrong. It's just that the first-gen Geeks are attacking anything that threatens the sanctity of that temple they've carved. The democritization of the geek label is not just one threat, but a series of them. They're attacking the most obvious symbols of that threat.

Among the most obvious? Girls want to get in on it, too. And it's visually very easy to spot girls among guys. If girls become a major section of the Geek Population, they can start changing things. It's not hating girls in particular. It's unfairly and inaccurately grouping them with other threats such as casual games, reboots, and dudebros.
 

LiftYourSkinnyFists

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Stasisesque said:
LiftYourSkinnyFists said:
Black rim glasses with no lenses do not make you a geek, they make you a slut who found broken glasses.
Someone recently got shot down by a hot girl he erroneously decided was the Mecca of geekdom, amirite?
No, your deducing skills fail.

Large picture behind this spoiler.

 

Musiclly enhanced

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Sep 8, 2010
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Think about this, people who love sports are "sport enthusiasts" however you cant just watch one game of football or something and call yourself one, it just doesn't work like that.

The usual hate behind these gamer "gurls" is that they say they are nerds just because they have a slight interest in a hobby and try to act like they love the nerd style of culture (e.g. games, comic books and movies). It just feels insulting to our intelligence.
 

DoomyMcDoom

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Mortai Gravesend said:
Denial is the first response to an accusation of fear, as I said sub conscious fear, this doesn't mean run screaming fear, it means a subconscious refusal to relate to the unknown, resulting in a negative reaction... ever wonder why a ton of people who speak out violently against homosexuality tend to come out of the closet after being caught out in it? And no it's not pop psychology bullshit, I've been studying human behaviour for like 10 fucking years, this is shit I've observed and made note of about the majority of people who I've interacted with in this particular social grouping,and considering that a majority of my friends are geeks, that means I'm also a part of this social grouping, allowing me to observe things closely, I've also helped more than a few of them overcome this, and these "Geeks" now have no fuckin problem getting a date and they find social interaction outside of geek-kind WAY easier.

Also, maybe you should read the rest of my post instead of kneejerk reacting to the first paragraph, I also pointed out that it can be a social structure thing, which is essencially what you repeated.

Peace bro, there is no need to be upset, I aint tryin to rustle your jimmies, just laying out some of my research for others to see.
 

Thyunda

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May 4, 2009
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I don't know which is worse, the hostility of the opening post or the blatant misuse of the meme. The geek girl meme applies to girls who are vocal about their 'nerdy' tastes and yet somehow manage to get them blatantly wrong. Like a Facebook status declaring "I'm going to play some Mind Craft before bed <3"...or endless statuses designed specifically to tell everybody that she's a geek because she plays Call of Duty.

It's merely mocking the image she wants to create for herself, not the concept of geeky girls at all. Men doing this is virtually unheard of - I've never seen a guy do it. Maybe you have. But I sure as hell haven't.
 

Imthatguy

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Sep 11, 2009
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Boudica said:
LiftYourSkinnyFists said:
Black rim glasses with no lenses do not make you a geek, they make you a slut who found broken glasses.
You say slut like it's a bad thing. See, you're here talking about them like they have a problem, while they're out there, having a good time and a lot of sex.

Go, team Slut!

Also, I like how wearing something you think looks good makes you a slut. Oh wait it doesn't. That's just writing on the wall. Coming from a projector. Funny that.
Tell 'em Boudica!
 

minuialear

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Jun 15, 2010
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DoPo said:
Istronen said:
This is a personal opinion which applies to other communities also, not just the geek one. If people are being hostile and accuse someone of being fake then WHY on earth would you want to be a part of such a community in the first place?
I don't know if things changed lately but you didn't really choose to be part of geekdom. You sort of just found yourself there at some point. You would be labeled by other people and just accept it, you wouldn't say to yourself "You know what I want to be? A geek. Let's see, I need to start watching show X now, probably start doing Y, and take interest in Z". It's the opposite way around - you do geeky things, you become a geek.

So there isn't much choice in the matter.
Exactly. If you're a girl (or anyone not typically thought of as being a "geek") and you're interested in geeky things, the only people you're going to be able to share that with are people within geek communities. You're not going to be able to go to your friends who don't share those interests and talk about your antics, never mind get them to play with you/watch geeky movies with you/etc; you're going to have to rely on people who are also a part of the culture. Saying, "Well, you don't HAVE to be part of the culture if you don't want to" is basically saying "Well you COULD choose to forsake your interests and/or stick to doing things you like by yourself if you wanted to."
 

Cheesepower5

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Dec 21, 2009
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Hollyday said:
Cheesepower5 said:
I was going to leave a comment on TheMarySue itself, but then I read some and figured I'd just have my word discredited as "mansplaining" and be torn apart by the she-wolves that seem to inhabit that particular website. So, I'll say it here instead.

Of course a lot of people get put off by the feminist ideal, or dount their love of the mediums they profess to follow with the language that they use. Look at these "corrected memes":

- Uses Nerds as a blanket insult
- Uses Men as a blanket insult

Gee, she's using two major groups I am a part of as a short hand for "misogynist virgin neckbeard"... She must totally be a savvy geek working for the benefit of everyone! I respect the goals of feminists, I really do, but until websites like these stop acting like childish hypocrites, refusing to look at the flaws in their own reasoning, even when directly equatable to those they are trying to shut down, I will NEVER be able to take a feminist seriously. Then again, maybe I'm asking for too much... It's obvious no one's gonna get into an argument on one side, then actually try to come to a reasoned conclusion. Maybe I should just keep trying not to argue... It's just human nature to refuse any perspective differing from your own.
I don't really understand what you're trying to say, since my question had nothing to do with feminism. Is this a critique of the article, or the new meme? Could you explain where you're coming from with this (and I'll attempt to 'come to a reasoned conclusion') :)
Yeah, I guess that was a little off-topic, since I'm sort of just hating on the link in the OP. I guess you can just take out of it that I think that "corrected" memes to push an agenda are stupid.

And more on-topic, I've never seen anyone accused of being a fake geek, but I do know a girl who lies out her ass about things like that a lot. I don't really care though, it's only annoying if you're trying to talk to her. I'm sure this happens with guys too, but I can't really quantify who gets it more. Likely the ladies, so my sympathies to that.
 

Daria.Morgendorffer

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Nov 26, 2011
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My thoughts, in no particular order:

1. I hate geek girls who need to emphasize how attractive they are in geek environments (in business environments, it is sadly a necessity, but in the lab, my hair is a mess, I'm in a sweatshirt and jeans, and if you question my cred, I WILL get you thrown out). We get it, you're a girl and you like geeky things. If you're not willing to get your hands dirty, though, I have no use for you.

It goes back to an episode of House. He was interviewing a guy with long hair and tattoos for a fellowship. Long-hair says "I like you because you don't care what anyone else thinks". House replies by saying "Yes, but YOU do. Find the Asian kid in the library with his head in a book. THAT guy doesn't care what anyone else thinks."

Thus my problem (admittedly a snobbery on my own part) with "geek girls". They KNOW they can get promoted quickly in this environment, so they play it up, then when they get promoted, they can't hack it because they were just focused on getting attention first.

(By the way, I come down by an extremely small margin on the side of Ryan Perez in the Perez/Day debate. Wave Day's "geek cred" at me all day long, you'll never convince me that if day looked like Mayim Biyalik, she'd have gotten as far, nor that if The Guild was written by guy, it wouldn't be considered sexist. Perez was a douchebag, yes; but he wasn't hating on all women, and Day is surely not beyond reproach. And don't even get me started on Wil Wheaton's reaction to the business. Relevance? The business swings the other way in the form of "white knighting", which is just as bad.)

2. As a nerd, I suffer from my own brand of snobbery. Admittedly, that's wrong, but I'm tired of people who call themselves nerds because they call themselves fans of Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, but can't tell me anything about Stephen Baxter, Neal Stephenson, Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, or even Stephen Hawking. I like Star Trek, I don't even have THAT big a hate-on for Episodes 1-3 (If you view them through the lens of "it was written as an oral tradition, it actually makes sense in a quirky sort of way"), I don't really like Firefly (which I've taken a lot of heat for, I'll tell you something). I just have a hate-on for people who like what it's "easy", "most accessible" or "in vogue" to like. Go read some Frank Herbert and stop shouting me down because I don't know in what book Chewbacca died, or in which episode the Enterprise crew were all high on the Lemon Wacky Hello. (Not that I actually SAY that to people, but I've been told "I'm not a nerd" for saying that Firefly is not nearly as good as Lexx.)

3. As someone who follows an alternative religion, I've also received flack for the "holier than thou art" brigade. I don't really like bringing it up, because I don't really like talking about it, but okay. I'm a neo-pagan, tending towards the agnostic. Yes, there are some of us that aren't running around wearing 5" pentacles and threatening to curse you, because that's the equivalent of the evangelical yelling "I'll pray for you!". But from within my own "tribe" I've been quizzed: "You mean you don't know what Dragon's Blood does? Or how you use tanzanite?" No, I don't. I don't feel like I need to cast "spells" (don't get me started on that stuff) to take the influence of female role models within the community to make me a better person.

Point? I've been on the OTHER side of the debate, too. So I try to be on the side of moderation. Ignore the poseurs, but avoid the "geekier than thou art" brigade, when you can.
 

Cheesepower5

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^As a note to "Daria.Morgendorffer"'s last paragraph, I am curious... Why are most modern pagans singly focused on this ill-defined Godess and stereotypical medieval witchy spells? What ever happened to having assorted gods and goddesses with thousands of years of cultural evolution behind them?

I'm just asking because I'd totally rather put on some druid robes and perform animal sacrifice to Odin than hang out with a bunch of hipsters with names like "Moon Crystal"... Er, no offense...
 

AdumbroDeus

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Feb 26, 2010
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Daria.Morgendorffer said:
2. As a nerd, I suffer from my own brand of snobbery. Admittedly, that's wrong, but I'm tired of people who call themselves nerds because they call themselves fans of Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, but can't tell me anything about Stephen Baxter, Neal Stephenson, Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, or even Stephen Hawking. I like Star Trek, I don't even have THAT big a hate-on for Episodes 1-3 (If you view them through the lens of "it was written as an oral tradition, it actually makes sense in a quirky sort of way"), I don't really like Firefly (which I've taken a lot of heat for, I'll tell you something). I just have a hate-on for people who like what it's "easy", "most accessible" or "in vogue" to like. Go read some Frank Herbert and stop shouting me down because I don't know in what book Chewbacca died, or in which episode the Enterprise crew were all high on the Lemon Wacky Hello. (Not that I actually SAY that to people, but I've been told "I'm not a nerd" for saying that Firefly is not nearly as good as Lexx.)
That's dumb, science fiction novels is an entirely different section of nerd culture then science fiction TV, you're literally doing the same thing you're complaining about other people doing in this very section of your post.

LiftYourSkinnyFists said:
Black rim glasses with no lenses do not make you a geek, they make you a slut who found broken glasses.
...

Fashion sense says nothing about sexual habits or nerd culture.

Thyunda said:
I don't know which is worse, the hostility of the opening post or the blatant misuse of the meme. The geek girl meme applies to girls who are vocal about their 'nerdy' tastes and yet somehow manage to get them blatantly wrong. Like a Facebook status declaring "I'm going to play some Mind Craft before bed <3"...or endless statuses designed specifically to tell everybody that she's a geek because she plays Call of Duty.

It's merely mocking the image she wants to create for herself, not the concept of geeky girls at all. Men doing this is virtually unheard of - I've never seen a guy do it. Maybe you have. But I sure as hell haven't.
What people are annoyed about is the unspoken assumption that every girl who is into geek culture is this, a poser.

I'm sure there's a few, but it's not widespread at all.

Also, CoD is definitely within geek culture, sorry. You can't be that obsessed with a video game and have it not be part of Geek culture. Just not your preferred secction.
 

ElPatron

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Jul 18, 2011
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Hollyday said:
The main idea boils down to this: "...the persisting idea that tells people it's ok to nastily call *people of any sex* 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'..."
If you're outright lying to become a successful attention whore, the "poser" tag fits like a glove.

I don't call bullshit if someone tells me they never watched Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek or read the 900 issues of Batman because fuck knows I never watched/read them either. But if self-proclaimed "geeks" have no actual knowledge about geek

Sebass said:
Nerdy girls have always existed but were (and are) usually not interested in subjects such as computers, videogames, sci-fi, etc ..
Which happen to be the subjects that are more prevalent on the internet.

Intellectually developed people who have no interest in computers are usually not on their computer trying to build "cred" on the internet because they know about "cumputerz".
i.e. using IRC, having a Geocities page, etc - my knowledge in posers is definitely outdated. They probably use tumblr and edit their youtube videos on a Mac.