Curiosity question

[liv]

Some conversations I've been having recently have led me to wonder what sort of connotations the term geek has. So of course I obviously had to make a completely unscientific LJ poll, which won't tell me the answer but might be interesting anyway.

[Poll #577542]

If you don't like my options or have further comments, that's what the comments are for. I don't want a lot of interesting thoughts in the poll where I can't reply to them easily.

Comments

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I think I may have clicked 'yes, and proud of it!' in a self-deprecating way. :)

[timeplease.livejournal.com]

"chicken" - going back to the 'circus geek' era...

[karen2205]

I'm a native speaker of English, and I come from the UK:-)

[draconid.livejournal.com]

Ditto! ;)

I date a self-proclaimed geek so can hardly complain.

The problem with this poll is a lot of people "online" consider themselves geeks and consider it a good thing. I'd be more interested to see what others who aren't geeks think!

[pthalo]

I'm a native speaker of English and I was born in the Carribean and exposed Carribean English but I was born to parents who speak American English and now live in Hungary where if I hear English, it's British English.

The problem with your quiz is that your sample is mostly geeks. My nongeek friends (like Duška) will say in horror "you're not a geek! You're cool! okay you like computers but you're just smart that's all!" when I proudly mention that I'm geek. *amused*

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

I'd go out of my way to date a geek, but you know that anyway. (Any single Jewish geekettes reading this?)

A couple of days ago while wandering through Prague, a passerby, of the Britons-who-visit-Prague-for-stag-nights type, called out "Nice waistcoat^*; where d'you get it?" I replied (without stopping) "It was a birthday present; my girlfriend got it for me on eBay," and was rewarded from the rear with calls of "Geek! geek! geek!" I've no idea exactly what connotations they intended to convey by it; though I'm sure it wasn't intended that way, I took it as a compliment.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Why does shabbat imply suede?

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Shabbos implies smart implies waistcoat. Which one it was was purely to assuage livredor's hypothetical interest. (Though it was amusing when I got into an argument (of the friendly sort) with someone about the Gaza withdrawal, as he was wearing blue but arguing orange, and I was wearing orange but arguing blue. :o)

[redbird]

Sorry, I'm too sleepy for word associations, though "swiss army knife" might be one of mine.

As for "would you date a geek", I'm involved with three.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

I suppose my linguistic origins are straightforward enough but subsequent development hasn't been. I was born and educated in the UK but I've lived half my life in Canada. I've worked for extended periods in the USA, Australia and New Zealand and I've been married to an Australian and an American.

[wychwood]

I use the term "geek" as a fairly straight-forward descriptive one, but I'm aware that most non-geeks don't see it that way *g* I referred to one of my colleagues as a "geek", a few months back, and received shocked responses from almost everyone... except the guy in question, who (being a geek) understood exactly what I meant by it :) It definitely has negative connotations in mainstream contexts.

For me, though, it's a term I use to describe people who are passionately interested in things generally considered dull by the "mainstream". Academic subjects, games like chess, sci-fi and fantasy, "cult" TV shows, role-playing, computers - all that sort of thing. Particularly computers. Often (but not always) has connotations of poor social skills and dress-sense, or at least slightly unconventional versions of the same. Often intelligent, usually curious (in both senses!), people who generally don't fit in to the mainstream. That sort of thing. Really, it's one of those terms I can use just fine, but have more trouble defining :)

[beckyzoole.livejournal.com]

Oops. Instead of three words that come to mind when I see the word "geek", I gave you three mental images.

I have also just realized that, oddly, I have much more positive associations with female geeks than with male geeks.

[sharq.livejournal.com]

"My linguistic origins transcend such simplistic national categories" - I'm a Dutchman who grew up in Norway, spent some time in France, Germany and the US before settling in the UK, 4 years ago.

Beat that ;-)

Oh, and I stumbled across your journal via OKC