You do you
Geek: a person who is knowledgeable about and obsessively interested in a particular subject, especially one that is technical.
Nerd: a person who is extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about niche interests.
Dork: someone who is socially awkward, unfashionable, and has a tendency to behave in a peculiar or silly manner.
Setting the scene: 1984 (the year, not the book)
I walked into the West High School cafeteria, one hand gripping a brown paper-bagged lunch, the other clutching a stack of text books against my button-down shirt. The books were each wrapped in the same brown paper as the bag containing my PB&J sandwich. My corduroys made that whistle-swish sound as I made my way toward the group of misfits I called friends, who were already seated at our usual lunch table. We were positioned far from the hot food serving station, though not by choice. All the prime tables had been claimed by jocks, cheerleaders, potheads, and the balance of the high school hierarchy, all of whom were cooler than me and my small band of geeks and nerds.
Even within our lower-class citizenship, there was a clear division. Keith and Cedric were A+ students and chess masters, each battling the other for the title of class Valedictorian. Fred loved comic books and drawing dragons, superheroes, and epic space battles. Gary and I fell somewhere in the middle. We both came from families with a business background, were too shy to talk with girls, and dabbled in sci-fi, but couldn’t win a Star Trek trivia contest if our lives depended on it.
As societal outcasts, we avoided drinking, smoking, and partying. We disregarded all the eighties fads like cargo pants, Swatch watches, and break-dancing parties. Our preferred hangouts were video arcades, movie theaters, and each other’s houses. All of us watched every Star Wars, Star Trek, and Back to the Future movie on the big screen multiple times. Reading comic books/sci-fi novels and playing board games filled our summers. A big night for us was pigging out on pizza, chips, candy, and soda while playing Dungeons & Dragons, Monopoly, or Risk. We were not on anyone’s keg party invite list, and were not missed at said gatherings. It wasn’t like we didn’t wish we were more popular, but we were who we were.
Little did we know that the world was changing, and fast. Or, as Huey Lewis and the News stated in that golden decade of excess: It would soon become hip to be square.
Flash forward to modern day: Geeks and nerds are not only accepted, but have been in high demand for many years in our technically-advanced world. Early movies like Revenge of the Nerds paved the way for shows like the Big Bang Theory in bringing geekdom out of the basement and to new heights of coolness. Myth Busters made scientific research fun. Most of the jocks’ athletic careers flamed out in college, while the popular cheerleaders found themselves with few real friends after high school. And the potheads…well, are still potheads, but with less hair. Meanwhile, former misfits like my friends transitioned into a new tech-savvy world and thrived like never before.
Hey, even I got a little better at talking with girls and have been married to my soulmate for over twenty-seven years. She does call me a dork from time to time, but she tells me it’s a term of endearment. I vow to never grow up, and have eagerly consumed all the sci-fi and action/adventure movie franchises through the years, especially the wonderful content coming from the Marvel universe―or the MCU as we cool nerds call it. Rather than hide my like for this nerdy, geeky fare, I am proud to wear superhero and Star Wars shirts around town or even at family gatherings. My home office is filled with Star Wars memorabilia, Legos, and action figures. It’s my creative space and my favorite room in the house.
My point of this little trip down memory lane is to assure you that it’s okay to be uniquely you, regardless of what you’re into or what is popular. If you truly enjoy something, whether it’s video games, sports, classic cars, building with Lego, attending Comicon, crafting, motorcycling, movies, roller derby, renaissance fairs, hunting, collecting dolls, or any number of pursuits, get out there and go for it. Don’t listen to anyone who scoffs at your preferred activity. Stay true to yourself, and you will find your people. And let’s all keep an open mind when we see someone doing their own thing. There is room for all of us and our uniqueness in this crazy world. If we could all realize and appreciate this, I have to believe we’d all get along a lot better. I sure wish there was more of that attitude in High School.
Wait a minute. Am I saying that perspective is everything? Hmmm…what a strange concept I’ve never thought of before…😉
Look, I would love to see what you enjoy in your own life, so please share your thoughts! You can do that in the comments section in the Perspective blog, or via email or Facebook. Who knows, you might find more like-minded folks than you think.
And, until next week, whatever you are (geek, nerd, or dork), be a good one!
-Dave
