g33k 1

So, for the future of these articles, and possibly a Wiki devoted to them, I am going to define a geek by a few standards. Of course, I will try to append or edit to this definition as time goes on, but I will make sure to keep the old ones up. Let's see how wrong I can be.

Geek
n. Slang
A geek is a person who has the following traits:
-An unusual or obsessive interest in any given non-mainstream subject(s),
-Withdrawl from mainstream society in preference of their chosen subject(s),
-Possible demonstration of bad social skills and hygeine as a result of their obsession(s)


There we go. A starter definition. Now time to go over what I've just presented to you, to avoid getting spammed with hate e-mails:


"An unusual or obsessive interest in any given non-mainstream subject(s)"
The key here is to remember that not all geekdom is so different, we have to make an all-inclusive statement without alienating any particular geek. Obviously, a geek is someone with an interest in something. However, if we were to quickly write off the geek as having an "Interest" in a particular odd topic, it would give the impression that it was just a tiny quirk. Think of it this way: a popular girl could wear a superman t-shirt and be considered "unique". However, if it were a greasy haired geek wearing it out of love for the character, it would be considered "weird". Again, this touches on the mainstream.

And obviously, we cannot say that a geek is limited to one obsession, or that the obsession can be something mainstream. Either way, it's a little less geek and a lot more "Quirky". We have to set the line somewhere. So, I guess at some point I have to make a set of standards for mainstream, don't I?



"Withdrawl from mainstream society in preference of their chosen subject(s)"
We can't have our set standard of geek allowed to be normal, now can we. The second we fall into that trap, our young strapping geek could turn right into a normal person, depending on how you look at it. Just because a racecar has an Anime­-esque eye decal doesn't make it a geek's car. In the same sense, we have to make sure that our geek is so unusually interested our down right obsessed that he withdraws from society.



This, of course, is a very vague term, and probably needs to be refined. What is withdrawing from society? To what extent? Does a Dungeons and Dragons geek have to live in catacombs and eat roast rabbit to become a true geek? No. But neither can we allow the mainstream to BECOME geekdom- the second it does, the second it is no longer geekdom. A lot of debate has happened over this kind of osmosis of the Gamer geek genre and the Otaku geek genre.



"Possible demonstration of bad social skills and hygeine as a result of their obsession(s)"
I just know I'm going to get nasty comments about this. Some geeks become so obsessed with their given topic that they completely give up on more "Mundane" things, and one of the more popular things to give up on is social skills and hygeine. After all, if you sit in your house and watch Anime all the time, do you really need to worry about how your hair is styled? Not really. Who is going to care? That kind of mentality sets up this situation, which allows it to be a rather sharp indicator.

The reason this particular definition tends to provoke anger is because "Normal" or "Good looking" geeks tend to take this on the offense, especially female geeks. After all, some geeks can function in society normally (calling it "pretending"), and some are handsome/beautiful enough to be models. This kind of argument has gone on in a heated way for so long, I doubt I could solve it up in a small paragraph in one article, so I'll just leave it up to your own devices if you think this is a valid statement or if you think I'm looney.



Okay, so in the course of one article, what have we seen?

1. Geekdom can be loosely defined as "a person who is fascinated, perhaps obsessively, by obscure or very specific areas of knowledge and imagination".
2. Geekdom is a huge force and has always generally been the bane of jokes and insults, but "Geeks" tend to come out better than many "Normal" people.
3. Geeks set themselves apart from the mainstream, though they may incorporate some of the mainstream in their interests.
4. Geeks sometimes forsake what they consider mundane, which may involve social skills or hygeine, for things they have a higher priority of.

So, here's how the future of this article series is going to work. I will continue writing these articles regardless of any future plans, including the Wiki or a forum section, or whatever. However, if these options do open up to the public, they will influence these articles directly. Regardless of how these articles will be influenced, they will always stay under my control, and in no way am I going to allow another author or forumer add to these articles. That way, I can personally ensure that the series maintains true to the original and they don't become opinion papers attacking previous articles.

In the next article, I will go over different generic group of geek, from your techies to your Otaku. I might even try to find real people to parade around as examples of this. We'll see.

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