Are+you+a+geek?

__//**The Geek**//__

Is being a geek really all that bad? Geeks are stereotypically portrayed as people who have a lot of knowledge in a subject (usually in computers), obsessive in that particular subject, lacks athleticism, and due to being overly passionate about whatever subject, aren’t able to communicate with other people very well. This is why in many geeks are frowned upon by many people.

The most well known, common geek types are computer geeks, videogame geeks, star trek/star wars geeks, and comic book geeks. These are the usual subjects that stereotypes of geeks are associated with. In [|War Games], David is shown to use his hacking skills to change his grade on the computer. He also is shown trying to get a hold of a possibly new video game that hasn’t come out yet. This conveys to people that geeks hack people’s computers and use their talents for their own benefit. Likewise in the movie Aliens in the Attic, both the alien engineer named Sparks and Tom are shown as geeks. Early in the movie, Tom is in trouble because his parents caught him changing his grades. Also later in the movie after Sparks showed off his engineering abilities, Jake (Tom’s cousin), calls him “A geek Alien.” There are wild varieties in which geeks are displayed such as Professor Frink in The Simpsons or even Velma from Scooby Doo. Even modern T.V. shows contain geek stereotypes such as Big Bang Theory, and Ben 10. The characters of Big Bang Theory are the most extreme and best examples of negative depictions of geeks (here is a [|clip] that depicts the geek stereotype across the four), especially Sheldon. Sheldon is all four common geek types. He has a prized collection of comic books and goes to the comic book store every Wednesday. He plays numerous video games like Halo, since Wednesday is Halo night, and intensely plays World of Warcraft. He knows everything about Star Trek and is obsessed with anything that has to do with Spock. Lastly, he is particular about his technology shown in “[|The Bozeman Reaction]” when his laptop was robbed. The other common stereotype is lack of friends and again in Big Bang Theory Holowitz said in the “[|Friendship Algorithm]”, “Gee, why can't Sheldon make friends?” As well as in War Games, David’s mom suggested that he’s never brought a girl home since he usually doesn't have friends.

(There a re also more examples of negative geek stereotypes in the movies Megamind and Lucas. Megamind is shown to be solitary and a loner because of his inventions, which sparks the rivalry between him and Metroman since Metroman is the more favored, popular one. Lucas is depicted as a small geek who can’t get his dream girl so he decides to join the football team. Being small and lacking athletic skills, he almost dies in the process.Many of these examples also show that the people described as geeks aren’t very social. Again in Aliens in the Attic, Tom is constantly bombarded by Jake about being a braniac.)

Fitting the popular negative criteria of geeks, I too would be considered a geek about video games. The first video game I ever played was Pokémon Gold Version. Then I moved on to Nintendo 64’s Super Smash Brothers. Next I went into online computer games such as Warcraft and Starcraft. I’ve played games since the Atari and Nintendo 64, all the way up to today’s modern Xbox and PS3 consoles. I’ve played a range of types of videogames such as first person shooters, RPG (Role Playing Games), MMO RPG (Massive Multiplayer Online), RTS, (Real Time Strategy), TBS (Turn Base Strategy), and even Dance Pad games. A couple of friends and I also started making our very own video games. However, video gaming isn’t the only thing I like to do that is considered geeky. I’ve been a fan of comic books, manga and anime since I was in 5th grade. I liked to read the Naruto and Rave series. It was the same for many of the other Marvel comics I could find in the library. Furthermore, my dad is a programmer/ analyst who taught me many things about computers. He taught me how to program, install and configure software programs, and even how to fix a computer virus. That is how I relate to most my friends and also what I liked to talk about with them. Although I am not very well known at school, I still have a group of friends whom I spend time with. Also disproving the lack of athleticism stereotype, I had been a member of the Basketball team, Archery team, Track, Swim Team and even the Football team.

There are also good depictions of geeks in popular movies, T.V. shows and books. In [|The Dead Code], Will Farmer saves the world from a worldwide nuclear war. He tells his friend to help him launch a DDoS attack (according to Web media group, it is a “massive number of computers being used to send requests to a web site, overwhelming it to the point where it can't respond to legitimate requests from normal users”) to overload Ripley’s system. Also in a Disney Movie called Geek Charming, Josh Rosen, a film festival winner hopeful, uses his technology and filming knack to not only win the film festival, but also help his friend Dylan Schoenfield regain her popularity and win blossom queen. Data, from The Goonies, uses his great inventions to help save himself “Pinchers of Peril.” In Spy Kids, although at first using his inventions just to make money by selling to Floop, Machete ends up helping to save the day from evil children robots and make up with his brother. From The Hunger Games series, Betee uses his skills with technology to save her from the Quarter Quell.



Even in modern life, geeks are positively present. Upon visiting best buy, the geek squad is present. They are able to retrieve lost files, repair laptops, replace a hard-drive, and fix a motherboard. They are quite normal people who have normal lives. The term geek really is technically anyone who has a particular passion or is very intellectual about a certain something. It really can’t be specified since it can stereotypically go four ways: computers, video games, movies and comics. All of which don’t have a specific relation to each other in their respective fields but it is the amount of knowledge the person has on them which makes them a geek. A great example is that people who like singing or like the show Glee, can call themselves Glee geeks also known as Gleeks. In a wide perspective everyone is considered a geek on whatever they know a lot about.

Being a geek isn’t necessarily bad. A geek is just a person who knows a lot about a subject whether it may be computers or even a T.V. show. Although in movies, Geeks are shown as withdrawn from other people, obsessed with video games, computers, movies or comics, or not being athletic, they aren’t all that way. They can be helpful in fixing your computer, being a good friend, and as depicted in movies, even saving the world. Anyone who is good at something, likes to do something, or is a fan of something could be considered a geek. So is being a geek really all that bad? Would you be a geek yourself?

=‍** Works Cited **=

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