Musings on Geekiness

As a self proclaimed geek it is perhaps fitting that I quickly make it clear what geekiness is to me. If you are a geek yourself you will know that there are many levels and types of geeks and nerds and you wouldn't want to fall into the wrong definition of geek. Noone wants to be the bad kind of nerd, while there is a certain coolness factor to being the right type.

But hang on, I am getting ahead of myself.  Let's take a step back and look at what the definition of a geek is.

According to Wikipedia the word comes from the low german word geck which originally was used for freaks and crazy people.

The word geek also covers people obsessed with intellectual pursuits, people interested in technology, computing or media, people that lets themselves become consumed in a hobby, people who are socially akward.

As you can see "geek" has many meanings, most of them are still negative, however a movement has happened in recent time to allow us to wear the definition geek or nerd as a badge of honor. We are a part of an exclusive club, where noone outside really understands us or the hobby or interest that makes us the geeks we are.

Interestingly you can be a double, tripple or maybe even quadrouble geek depending on how many geeky subjects you are into and how much time you devote to each of them.

I myself am a gamer geek, comic book nerd, boardgame enthusiast and a bookworm.

When I was a child it was sometimes a hassle to have these interests. My parents and my cousins are geeky too so when I was with them I could act natural and be a full on geek. However at school and with my female friends it was tough sometimes, because they did not understand at all. I was never teased for being geeky, but I always felt a bit out of place.
Similarly when I went to highschool and university I never really felt like I belonged. I guess during those days I was a geek in the negative interpretation of the word.

Now, however I work in a geeky place with nerdy people and frankly I am probably one of the lesser geeks there. I love it, I feel at home, I am part of the club and I wear my badge with pride. For I am a nerdy geek! :)