Know Your Geek History and Culture
May 11, 8:00 am
Being a “Geek” is the latest craze. Everyone is claiming geekdom and jumping on the geek bandwagon. It has become so mainstream that there are people running around claiming to be geeks and have no idea what they are talking about. Don’t be one of them. Our “Things Every Geek Girls Should Know” blog series will help separate the geeks from the posers.
One of the best ways to distinguish your self amongst all the wanna-be’s is to know your geek history. This way you can be sure that your geekiness is based on an expansive history of information and not a current trend. Being a convincing geek is more than just knowing stuff. It’s having a rich appreciation and understanding that leads to a reverence for the things that make up our history and places us outside of the mainstream.
I am no expert on being a geek and this is by no means a comprehensive history of geek culture. This is just 1 or 2 of the basics every geek should know about our history.
What is a geek? And how did we get to be where we are today?
Geek is actually a very old word. It is a variant of geck, a term of Low German/Dutch origin that dates in English to 1511. It means a fool, simpleton, or dupe. At the dawning of the computer age, the word geek came to describe the socially awkward and those perceived to be overly intellectual. Smart geeks began to embrace their geekiness and managed to change the meaning of the word, so that a geek is someone to be admired.
Today the meaning of the word Geek represents a person who has chosen “concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues technical skill and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance.” I guess smart rich people can make anything fashionable. Geeks of the past are our billionaires of the present. Their ingenuity and influence has infiltrated and permeated our culture in more ways than people realize.
The fantasies of past geeks are becoming a reality in this technological age. This is evident in all the TV shows, movies and awesome gadgets we have available to us. Where would companies like Apple, Pixar, Disney, Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony be with out Geeks? The far-reaching arms (tentacles?) of Science Fiction are the roots of our tech culture and also the foundation of our geek history.
There are certain movies, books and TV shows that for all those who call themselves geeks should be familiar with and able to reference on a regular basis. There are far too many to list all of them, so I’ll give you a few of my favorite.
Just about every great sci-fi movie has or is being remade, revamped, re-edited and “re-mastered”. This isn’t always a good thing. MAKE SURE YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE ORIGINALS. This is important!
For example, George Lucas has totally wrecked Star Wars by going back and messing with perfection. He isn’t the only one guilty of this crime, there are lots of Directors going back and adding stuff to and “re-editing” their masterpieces or even worse, making crappy sequels. The Star Wars movies (as they were released in the 70’s & 80’s) are a must see. Make sure you see the originals, not the “re-mastered” versions but the actual original 3 movies before they weremolested altered. If you can get your hands on an unadulterated original copy, watch it. Han shot first, the band in Jaba’s Palace played a different song and Yoda was not CGI he was REAL. If you don’t know what I’m talking about…than you’re worse off than you may realize. Do some homework.
You need to watch at least a few episodes from each generation of the Star Trek TV shows. I would also recommend watching a few of the old Star Trek movies..."which one?” you say, I’ll leave that up to you, but my favorite is First Contact. Gene Roddenberry was a genius and as my sister would say, “a speaker of the truth”. Knowing a brief bit of history about Star Trek’s main characters and how they all relate to each other’s universe is essential. Or at the very least, makes the New Star Trek movie so much more profound.
You also should know what a Tardis is and what it’s used for and what a Red Dwarf is.
Another good rule of thumb when educating yourself on geek history, DON’T JUST SEE THE MOVIE, READ THE BOOK. Geeks are intellectuals and reading is fundamental for being able to converse about something fluently. Geeks are passionate about their subjects, and there is no better way to become passionate about something than to immerse yourself in that world. Usually the books add a greater dimension to the stories and characters. A perfect example of this would be with the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises, all of those movies are relatively good but the books are amazing and only enhance my appreciation for what’s on the screen.
Some of the old and super geeky stuff you should read are books by Isaac Asimov
and the Dune series written by Frank_Herbert. There are a lot of great Sci-Fi authors but those are two big ones that are a must read.
There are a few new TV shows to watch that reference old geek history. My favorite being Robot Chicken, it’s an excellent show and they refer a lot of great geek history. If you don’t get one of their references you need to look it up.
There is no shame in searching for understanding. Google, after all, is the ultimate geek. You can find almost anything and educate yourself on any geeky reference you do not fully understand. GOOGLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. Take a byte out of time...surf the web!
Being a “geek” isn’t defined by the shirts you wear or the movies you’ve seen. It comes from within. It’s not something you can fake…for very long. “Geek” is a lifestyle. Do your research and you’ll be fine. Good luck, may the force be with you, and live long and prosper.
This Guide is part of a series on the Frag Doll’s guide to Things Every Geek Girl Should Know.
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May 11, 8:00 am
Being a “Geek” is the latest craze. Everyone is claiming geekdom and jumping on the geek bandwagon. It has become so mainstream that there are people running around claiming to be geeks and have no idea what they are talking about. Don’t be one of them. Our “Things Every Geek Girls Should Know” blog series will help separate the geeks from the posers.
One of the best ways to distinguish your self amongst all the wanna-be’s is to know your geek history. This way you can be sure that your geekiness is based on an expansive history of information and not a current trend. Being a convincing geek is more than just knowing stuff. It’s having a rich appreciation and understanding that leads to a reverence for the things that make up our history and places us outside of the mainstream.
I am no expert on being a geek and this is by no means a comprehensive history of geek culture. This is just 1 or 2 of the basics every geek should know about our history.
Geek is actually a very old word. It is a variant of geck, a term of Low German/Dutch origin that dates in English to 1511. It means a fool, simpleton, or dupe. At the dawning of the computer age, the word geek came to describe the socially awkward and those perceived to be overly intellectual. Smart geeks began to embrace their geekiness and managed to change the meaning of the word, so that a geek is someone to be admired.
Today the meaning of the word Geek represents a person who has chosen “concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues technical skill and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance.” I guess smart rich people can make anything fashionable. Geeks of the past are our billionaires of the present. Their ingenuity and influence has infiltrated and permeated our culture in more ways than people realize.
The fantasies of past geeks are becoming a reality in this technological age. This is evident in all the TV shows, movies and awesome gadgets we have available to us. Where would companies like Apple, Pixar, Disney, Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony be with out Geeks? The far-reaching arms (tentacles?) of Science Fiction are the roots of our tech culture and also the foundation of our geek history.
There are certain movies, books and TV shows that for all those who call themselves geeks should be familiar with and able to reference on a regular basis. There are far too many to list all of them, so I’ll give you a few of my favorite.
Just about every great sci-fi movie has or is being remade, revamped, re-edited and “re-mastered”. This isn’t always a good thing. MAKE SURE YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE ORIGINALS. This is important!
For example, George Lucas has totally wrecked Star Wars by going back and messing with perfection. He isn’t the only one guilty of this crime, there are lots of Directors going back and adding stuff to and “re-editing” their masterpieces or even worse, making crappy sequels. The Star Wars movies (as they were released in the 70’s & 80’s) are a must see. Make sure you see the originals, not the “re-mastered” versions but the actual original 3 movies before they were
You need to watch at least a few episodes from each generation of the Star Trek TV shows. I would also recommend watching a few of the old Star Trek movies..."which one?” you say, I’ll leave that up to you, but my favorite is First Contact. Gene Roddenberry was a genius and as my sister would say, “a speaker of the truth”. Knowing a brief bit of history about Star Trek’s main characters and how they all relate to each other’s universe is essential. Or at the very least, makes the New Star Trek movie so much more profound.
You also should know what a Tardis is and what it’s used for and what a Red Dwarf is.
Another good rule of thumb when educating yourself on geek history, DON’T JUST SEE THE MOVIE, READ THE BOOK. Geeks are intellectuals and reading is fundamental for being able to converse about something fluently. Geeks are passionate about their subjects, and there is no better way to become passionate about something than to immerse yourself in that world. Usually the books add a greater dimension to the stories and characters. A perfect example of this would be with the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises, all of those movies are relatively good but the books are amazing and only enhance my appreciation for what’s on the screen.
Some of the old and super geeky stuff you should read are books by Isaac Asimov
and the Dune series written by Frank_Herbert. There are a lot of great Sci-Fi authors but those are two big ones that are a must read.
There are a few new TV shows to watch that reference old geek history. My favorite being Robot Chicken, it’s an excellent show and they refer a lot of great geek history. If you don’t get one of their references you need to look it up.
There is no shame in searching for understanding. Google, after all, is the ultimate geek. You can find almost anything and educate yourself on any geeky reference you do not fully understand. GOOGLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. Take a byte out of time...surf the web!
Being a “geek” isn’t defined by the shirts you wear or the movies you’ve seen. It comes from within. It’s not something you can fake…for very long. “Geek” is a lifestyle. Do your research and you’ll be fine. Good luck, may the force be with you, and live long and prosper.
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