Freaks & Geeks

I'm not exactly sure when the term Geek became mainstream, but it did. Growing up, I remember the term always had a negative connotation associated with it. I can't remember anyone ever actually using the term (kids are mean, and therefore can come up with more creative insults),  but I guarantee no one would have taken it as a compliment. Yes, most people had geeky tendencies, but you never shared them with anyone outside of your social circle. Very few people embraced the that side of themselves openly, and for good reason. If most people found out about the things you "geeked out" about, they would most likely ostracize you. This made you very selective about the people you associated with, and made it really exciting when you found someone who shared the same interests as yourself. Being a geek was kind of an exclusive club. It wasn't a very sought after club, but it was exclusive nonetheless.

Now, being a geek is commonplace. In fact, it's almost considered strange if you aren't a geek in one sense or another. Entire communities are based around the concept, and communities are built up in their respective geeky area. Geeks are loud, they're proud, and they're everywhere. It has become so popular, that their culture has become branded and imitated. Being a geek is almost...cool.

I have no idea when this happened, but I think I have a general grasp on the why. In general, our culture is slowly becoming more and more accepting. People have been battling for equality since the beginning of time, and for the most part we're finally getting the picture. Yes, there are still widespread cases of ignorance, but far fewer case of legitimate hate or anger. And, if we can accept people of different races, religions, sexes, and sexual preferences, why would we care about the guy with weird taste in movies?

Another huge factor is technology. Forget running water and heat, everyone needs laptops and access to the internet. Honestly, countries without internet or wifi are miles behind. Even those with dial-up connections are considered impoverished. We live in the age of the internet, where technology is cheap, accessible, and necessary. Videogames are no longer something for the eccentric, but targeted at entire households. You want the read everything J.R.R Tolkien's writings? They're seconds away from being on your Kindle. Every episode of Star Trek ever made is online somewhere. And what's more, you can find people to discuss the idiosyncrasies and minor details of each of these whenever you want with a few mouse clicks.

And with access to all of this information, and people accepting (and often embracing) the fact you like some really weird things, why would you hide it? Why not flaunt it? Hell, even companies are supporting geek-lifestyle. Shout loud and proud that you're a geek!

....Except, are you? You aren't a geek because you play Call of Duty. You aren't a geek because you liked the new Star Trek movie. You aren't a geek because you wear horn rimmed glasses. CoD is one of the most popular franchises in the world, everyone plays it. The latest Start Trek movie made 70 million dollars on its opening weekend despite being a pretty average/bad movie. Horn rimmed glasses are everywhere. Everywhere. Even fake ones.

My younger cousin plays lego video games, has comic book characters posted on his walls, and his favorite Transformer was Bumblebee. Is he a geek? No, these things are all commonplace and socially acceptable now. Being a geek means you immerse yourself in to something that others wouldn't expect. You know the lines of dialogue cut from the latest Call of Duty because you searched the code? Geek. You have seen and can quote word for word every Wes Anderson movie ever made? Geek. You speak elvish? Geek. Also, why?

Being a Geek may be socially acceptable now, but it's still an exclusive club. The only difference is, now people want to join.