Real Kato Blog: Pervasive Geekdom

The geek shall inherit the earth.

So apparently, Planet Ten has a moon.

It's debatable whether "Xena" is actually a planet or a glorified asteroid... but the interesting thing is that it was named after the title character on a low-budget fantasy series, "Xena: Warrior Princess". And now the moon is being named for her ambiguously lesbian sidekick, Gabrielle. Just goes to show you what happens when geeks take control. I'm guessing if geeks were electing the next president, it would be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (The character, not the actress.) And Willow would be vice-president.

In general, I think geekdom is harmless fun. Fans of a TV show? Cool. Know lots of trivia about it? Great. I think it becomes bad, though, when it becomes the dominant force in your life. And I'm speaking as someone who was once a lieutenant commander in a Star Trek fan club, and who attended conventions to get autographs from Marina Sirtis and Nichelle Nichols. I also used to be in a Weird Al Yankovic fan club, and I had several dozen of his songs memorized. The reason that's bad is, I thought that kind of thing was an avenue for NORMAL social interaction with people. But really, it's only a way to connect with other geeks. Eventually I discovered I needed a different strategy to connect with the other 90% of the population.

Of course, geekdom is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance right now. It's cool to be a geek; it's hip to be square. But here's something else I've discovered: it's almost impossible for a non-geek to become a geek. It takes a certain lack of caring for social standards, and a certain level of obsession, to be a geek. You have to forget how to have normal conversations with people. And sometimes you have to forget how to dress yourself. It's not something you can do consciously. You just have to let it happen, like having the Force flow through you.

I don't think I can go back to geekdom, not completely. I didn't watch the show "Firefly", and I might see the movie "Serenity", though I'm wouldn't be crushed if I didn't. I've only really seen a couple episodes of "Buffy", and one of them was the musical. I'm not watching the new "Battlestar Galactica", even though it's supposed to be good. Sorry, guys. I guess I have to turn in my Geek card.

Permalink 4 Comment

Posted by Ken in: interesting

Comments

Comment #1 from olafandyjon (Guest)
2005 Oct 4 - 10:24 am : #

I knew it...you get a girlfriend and now all the geekness gets shoved in the closet.... ;)

Comment #2 from Noelle (Guest)
2005 Oct 4 - 1:46 pm : #

Oh no you don't... there will be no turning in of the card... you were a geek when I met you at age 15 and you will always be a geek because that is one of the most endearing things about you and frankly it's part of your charm. Embrace it!

Comment #3 from Jenn (Guest)
2005 Oct 4 - 5:20 pm : #

Man...I miss Buffy.

Comment #4 from John C (Guest)
2005 Oct 4 - 10:51 pm : #

No dude. You HAVE to watch Galactica. End of story...
Don't think just buy. Plus there is a lot of sex in it
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000AJJNFE/qid=1128480369/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-1212987-9043866?v=glance&s=dvd

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