NEWS: Discourse of a Rogue Nerd: Tips for Dating a Nerd

*speedwalks away*

Aren't these just buzzwords that dumb people use to sound important? Not that I'm accusing you of anything like that.


I'm fired, aren't I?

*checks for diamond rings*
Are you tired? You've been running through my mind all night.

You made me laugh so hard I spit soda all over my screen.

Not made up.

Couldn't find the legendary Dilbert Mission Statement Generator with a quick search, sadly.

You were going to try to save people? Shit, dude. You're zombie-bait.

You forgot the word"attempt". It is a word i use very loosely.

Think of it this way. I could take two steps out my front door and say i made an "attempt" then forget completely about the person. See how that works?

Technically, they are called initialisms unless they spell out a legitimate word.

/English geek.

ETA: Actually, those are neither. Those are examples of emitting a fat load of spooge all over the keyboard and calling it any kind of 'speak.'



/English geek for real.

^^^ Now you're just teasing me

Bob, can you give us a link so we can review your write up?

(standing ovation of one) Well said, sir.

Wow, that article made me sad. It made "my tribe" out to be juvenile meme-junkies engaged in hollow shorthanded conversation, oh, and poorly socialized as well.

Thank you, comment-writers, for making me not sad any more.

NOW, FOR REALS:

I think if you're going to date a geek (because really, this article is about geeks), then you'll want to prepare to:

1.) Challenge things you hear.

At its best, this fosters an environment of critical thinking and self-assessment. At its worst, this fosters an environment of cynicism and snarkiness (see: "nerdrage").

2.) Appreciate complicated media.

This one presents itself in lots of ways. A love of satire. A love of speculative fiction. A love of complicated fantasy sagas with a million factions. A love of groundbreaking science & technology.

While not every geek loves every one of those things, the universal is that geeks like to be challenged by their media, not made dull by it.

3.) Engage the theoretical.

Maybe this means thinking about what one would do if the zombie apocalypse happened. Maybe it means debating philosophical tenets. Maybe it means asking yourself "what would happen if..."

Of all the geeks I've met, most are deeply curious about the theoretical in some sense.

4.) Be cutting edge.

Sometimes this means actively seeking out information and self-educating. Other times, it just means retweeting all the latest memes. Geeks tend to run the gamut between the two.

5.) Make Stuff.

My geeky friends are almost all people who write, draw, produce zines, make fan movies, design websites, write code, blog seriously, produce games, craft, etc.

Geeks are way more likely to produce their own media, and especially to produce media in reaction to other media. Non-geeks have a much higher propensity to just take media in and not produce something in reaction to it.

6.) Get Super Engrossed in Media Franchises.

This is the one I'm not particularly thrilled about, but generally: geeks tend to collect stuff, feel the need to own/see/engage a franchise in its entirity, and get super involved in their hobbies/interests/media.

Sometimes, that can be awesome - building up a critical body of knowledge, appreciating something in depth, and maybe even contributing to that franchise. Sometimes, maybe unhealthy obsessions arise.

7.) Take Everything I Just Said With a Grain of Salt

Because, like, people are diverse. Even within a group.

#1-6 are the generalizations I think are fair to make about geeks. I'd say that each one applies to about 85% of the people who'd self-identify as geeks.