Popular Images of the Geek Part 1

I'm going to leave off my examination of words for the moment and start a series examining images of geeks that are currently being used in our society.

Some of the most telling images of geeks are to be found in computer repair services using "geek" in their names. There are quite a few of these. Perhaps the best known would be "Geek Squad." But the image I'm going to look at today is from the logo of another organization.

To the right is a design* from a logo being used by a large on-site computer repair company right now (I've blotted out the name). This company does use "geek" in their name, in fact I'm pretty sure that's what the G on the guy's shirt is for.

Here is what amounts to a stereotype in visual form. Young male with computer and ugly glasses, whose hair is unkept. He's coming to your rescue!

The company behind this logo seems to have been largely successful in getting business while using this as their professional emblem.

I would love to hear some reader reactions to this logo. Is it offensive or cute? Does it say something about the company who commissioned it, or about the customers it hopes to win?

I'm going to save my own thoughts for a future installment.

*I assert 'fair use' as justification for using this image to which I do not hold the copyright

The Word "Geek" Part II

After writing my post yesterday I got to thinking, "What is the history (etymology) of the word 'geek'"?

I did some searching and got some very interesting results. The most thorough answer comes from wordorigins.org. Here are some highlights from that entry:

The modern word geek is most likely a northern English variant of an older word, geck, meaning a simpleton or one who is deceived.

By the middle of the 20th century, the term had lost any specific meaning in general slang use, being used simply as a disparaging label. At this time, it began to be applied to overly diligent students.

[B]y the 1980s was being used to refer to aficionados of computers and other high-tech gadgetry, and it started losing some of its negative associations.

Read the whole article to get more of the story.

The connotation of a geek as an "overdiligent student" is definitely still part of the word's meaning today. Anyone who pays a lot of attention to schoolwork is often mocked in our public school culture. I'm not entirely sure why this is, but I have a few theories:

One, those trying to climb the "social ladder", the young socialites as it were, are always jockeying for position, and "geeks" are easy to surpass on a social level. Yes, I suppose it is true that many studious children do not place value on getting a good spot in the social hierarchy, but I still doubt the overall assertion that they are not social, period. To look good in front of others, "geeks" get picked on (I'm feeling like this word needs to be quarantined to quotation marks at the moment).

Another explanation might be jealousy and frustration in seeing school success come to others, but not onesself. Teasing the "geeks" who excel in school might be an outlet to release feelings of failure and self-doubt when it comes to academics. The impuse might be that if one is failing at something, one should at least pretend not to care about it in the first place. Teasing "geeks" who symbolize success in school is a way of asserting this apathy in front of others.

Here is another interesting article about the meaning of the word "geek" along with the near-synonyms "nerd" and "dork", from mental_floss. These words actually have very disparate origins, for instance, did you know that the first known appearance of the word "nerd" is found in a Dr. Seuss book? (!) (It's in If I Ran the Zoo, in case you're wondering.)

More interesting to me that this article itself are the comments from users after the article. Many of the commenters talk about the definitions of "nerd" "geek" and "dork" as defined by their own school experience. What better dictionary could there be on a practical level? There's such a lot of good material there that I'm going to save the examination for a future article.

The Word "Geek"

The word geek has its roots in juvenile culture.  It was originally used almost exclusively to ridicule and demean those to which it referred, namely, social misfits who seemed to prefer interacting with machines, bunsen burners, and musical instruments to humans.  I use the word for my blog title with many reservations. It has gained a more positive connotation lately and "geeks" are getting more respect, mainly because of growing understanding that they have a vital role to play in our technologically complex society.  I am sure it still stirs in many people memories of high school bullies.

I do use it in this blog because it is still the best word to describe a person who is gifted in the areas of science, math, and/or computers.  And the social connotations are changing.  Young people are using the word geek in a more positive way, in fact in some circles it is a compliment.  

I remain uneasy about using the word geek in everyday life, however.  It seems to have an implication of a lack of social skills.  A "geek" may no longer be ridiculed as a child, but he may be marginalized from social events, or only approached socially when someone wants something from him, like help with their homework or computer.

Were you called a geek as a child?  How do you feel about it?  Is this word a useful one, or would it be better if we abandoned it entirely?