Hofstadter is brilliant. The very beginning of that book also deals with defining the “intellectual”… I think the definition he comes to could stand as a pretty good definition of “geek”, too…

I had heard about the Hofstadter book, but I was certainly not aware of this point you quote. I agree—very relevant. Thanks so much!

Hofstadter says:

“Being used to rejection, and having over the years forged a strong traditional response to society based upon the expectation that rejection would continue, many of them [intellectuals] have come to feel that alienation is the only appropriate and honorable stance for them to take. What they have come to fear is not so much rejection or overt hostility, with which they have learned to cope and which they have almost come to regard as their proper fate, but the loss of alienation.” (p. 393)

Hofstadter is referring to the new acceptance of intellectuals in the wake of Sputnik; I think one could argue that the current increasing acceptance of geek culture by the mainstream, spurred by the increasing importance of technology, parallels this in many ways.

Crap, I’m going to have to pay attention to this show now. Thanks a lot.

My guess is that the B&tG casting calls see a lot of people who are uncomfortable among non-geeks, but perhaps just as many who are pretty comfortable with their own geekiness and who figure, “This looks like fun and potential revenue, so I’ll give it a shot.” Still, I imagine these folks may be more invested in geekdom as one of several “webs” of meaning for their lives than many of those who show up at Nerd Nite. I’d like to chat more with folks from Nerd Nite, though, to get a sense of how people talk about nerdiness/geekiness there. Hopefully I’ll get some more input from attendees if I present on my research next time!

I would argue that if you’re at the point when you can spend Friday nights at a bar listening to self-consciously nerdy talks, you’ve lost a little something of true nerdhood. Not that this is a bad thing; it probably means that you’re comfortable with your intellectual curiosity and have also learned how to be social to an extent. You’ve become “merely” a person who is interested in things, which is great.

But I submit that true nerdhood always carries with it some element of shame. It’s a shame that’s instilled and reinforced time and again from childhood to adolescence by those who put us down. Usually, I think, by the time college comes around, we learn that the world isn’t really out to get us, and in fact looks quite favorably on smart people, as long as you have a modicum of social skills (which can be learned.) When this realization happens, you start to grow up, and while you may still maintain your nerdy interests, you no longer feel the particular pain which is at the core of a nerd’s identity.

Unfortunately, some people are unable to make this transition, and they become the kind of nerds that Beauty and the Geek is probably looking for: those who need serious help with their lives.

OT, B/C I don’t know where to stick this: the psychology of suicide bombing as discovered through Halo 3:
http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/commentary/games/2007/11/gamesfrontiers_1105