Comments on: Are Geeks Cool?

By: Chris Pirillo

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:58:00 +0000

Oh, true. It’s in your heart – or it’s not.

By: Black Belt Jones

Black Belt Jones — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:46:00 +0000

I agree that geeks are not meant to be cool or chic. If they were, then they are not true geeks. Geeks are supposed to be on the fringes. Not quite total outcasts but they’ll never be the hottest thing in town. It just goes with the territory.
As far as “passion”, sorry! That won’t cut it. One can have passion but zero ability. If you have passion for science but then can’t deal with all the equations and technical stuff, then you’ll never make it as a geek. It’s just like claiming to be passionate about science fiction when the only science fiction that you’re familiar with is tentpole blockbuster special effects/superhero flicks. Besides, I’ve never heard a passionate follower of football called a football geek. And there’s no way you’ll convince me that he could be. Sports, music, politics, art, food..these are all things that joe sixpack already identifies with and therefore passionate interest in them will simply make them unremarkable, unless of course they become a guru in the subject (impossible without credentials or expensive training).

One does not style themselves a geek. One is said to be a geek without seeking it for themselves. Deep down, being a geek is one part brain, one part pan, and a lot of loneliness. Real geeks are going to find themselves considered somewhat odd to others no matter what they do despite their obvious intelligence. Being considered different does not always have the ideal effect that we want it too. Too many people are styling themselves geeks as a gimmick. As though it adds something to spice up their otherwise normal cookie cutter middle class, suburban, White image. Aside from just being yourself, there are other ways to fight conformity, and one of them is not embracing this “cool” concept.

By: BJ McKnight

BJ McKnight — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:23:28 +0000

I personally see no reason why a geek cannot be considered cool. Not all geeks dress in geeky clothes and wear glasses. It all depends how you choose to act and appear. I consider myself a geek and i do not act or dress any different than anyone else, with the exception of talking about technology.

By: zenrhe

zenrhe — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:34:15 +0000

But then things that used to be totally geeky are becoming more mainstream…so how can you say you cant be a geek if something is mainstream, the geeks may have been there first!

By: peteo

peteo — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:47:15 +0000

Kraig is correct. By definition, a geek cannot be part of the mainstream. And if you need to affirm that you are cool, then you are not. Sorry.

By: HKDKAT

HKDKAT — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:18:22 +0000

I am a geek! Yesterday one of my co-workers, a fellow geek, said “Well you’ll do that because you’re a big ‘ol nerd!” I said, “No, I’m a geek and proud of it!”

By: Luke Wallace

Luke Wallace — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:19:33 +0000

Oh yeah, big geek. But I’m cool with that., even if everyone else isn’t.

By: Howard Pinsky

Howard Pinsky — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:29:56 +0000

Oh yes, I’m a geek! Proud to be one too!

By: TeddGCM

TeddGCM — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:28:46 +0000

Ahhh the Geeks have come into their own! When I was growing up and in school Geeks were the people that were ridiculed, beaten up and laughed at (ala Revenge of the Nerds). I was one of them. Today Geeks are considered cool, have girlfriends (what?!) and looked up to. How did we do it? Technology has become the standard in all our lives, and those who understand it and can manipulate it are considered a valuable part of society. The Jocks of yeasteryear are now flipping burgers at your local fast food place, remembering the “good ol’ days” when they beat up the likes of us, while we invent auto-ordering machines to put them out of work. GEEKS FTW!

By: zenrhe

zenrhe — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:15:15 +0000

I’ve always believed geeks are cool.
But i most strongly agree that it is the Passion that is important. In what i call the geek ladder, i must say i feel like i am on the bottom rung. When i’m around anyone who is even mildy geeky, they always rank higher than me. I only feel more like a geek when i’m around ppl who are just basic computer users who get a confused look on their face when you alt+tab, or minimise all the windows with one shortcut. The other week I pulled out a usb sd reader pen to gasps and confusion, not just at the device, but also the fact that i happened to always have it in my handbag. They said ‘so i take it your a geek then’.

The fact i can baffle people when i talk about podcasts (im completely fed up of having to tell people what they are, and they still dont get why i listen to them) drives me nuts. Geeks need other geeks arounds to get the best from it.

But as you said, Passion. It doesnt matter how much someone knows about a certain topic – being a geek is totally about loving a subject, feeling great knowing and learning things about it and happy to be surrounded about it. The ability to launch into conversation with a random, with others thinking your speaking a different language, brings great pleasure. Passion lights up the brain and makes life sparkle.

By: Kraig

Kraig — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:21:03 +0000

By definition, I argue that “geek” cannot be mainstream and, therefore, cannot be cool. The entire point of being a geek is that you have a knowledge of a particular subject that is deeper than that your average person (this can be generalized to all interests; not just tech). If you have dove deep into the technicalities of some subject, and you realize that others (in mainstream society) have caught up, then you must push your inner geek further; lest you risk losing your geekdom altogether.

By: MLB8 - Today’s baseball news

MLB8 - Today’s baseball news — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

GoNintendo – What are you waiting for?wrote an interesting post today on Here’s a quick excerpt Community member Roshan Patel asks a great question: The perpetual stereotype of your standard “Geek” was always bad. From the sweaty appearance, bad hair and nocturnal tendencies all