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The word reared its ugly head again in the late 60’s and early 70’ to describe people who were socially not ‘normal’ and leaned toward high intelligence. Oddly enough is was most often associated with people who were in the early computer industry. (Remember, we did not have PC’s back then not to mention, the world wide web did not exist.)

I looked up the word in the Wikipedia…

Giles: Of course you did!    *makes a coughing noise, that sounds suspiciously like the word geek*

Lori: Huh? Well any way the word is often used in many contexts but all of the definitions seem to involve ‘highly intelligent’ and ‘socially abnormal’. My favorite one was: "A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance."

Giles: AH HA! *waves finger dramatically in the air* So we geeks are the truly independent and innovative pioneers, not the posturing macho types.

Lori: Huh? What do you mean?

Giles: OK, think of it like this, the media has made the geeky types look weak and ineffectual; useful in a limited sense, maybe, but never the real heroes. That role was always reserved for another stereo type “the macho, square jawed, champion of justice”. But from what you just said it seems that Mr. Macho would have run straight into a tree if it wasn’t for the map, lovingly drawn up by the geek researcher. So in actual fact both roles are equally admirable.

Lori: Well I see what you are saying, I think. But the guy who draws the map will never be proclaimed the hero. However people like Steve Jobs and the ever controversial Bill Gates were instrumental in putting computers in our homes. Not to mention creating operating systems that could be used by any one, uh including Mr. Macho. Maybe what’s need here is a re definition of the word hero.

Giles: I did not mean to imply that the guys on the front lines were just stupid grunts being lead by the intelligent elite. No that would have made me guilty of the same but opposite mistake. Fact is both have their worth but I think the worth of a geeky individual is less easy to see.

Lori: Do you think this is so because of the perceived social inadequacies of the geek branded?

Giles: Absolutely, because up until now communication was simply not our strong point.

Lori: Huh? How can you say that? Geeks tend to be writers and researchers and readers of fiction and nonfiction alike.

Giles: Go back to your favorite example and read it again closely, by choice geeks have left off developing social skills. So while they can communicate on paper they are less able to deal with the live feedback when speaking to a “normal” human being.

Lori: Hey, hey, that’s just not true! I want and need feed back. What I have problems with is all the stupid social rules…there are so many of them I don’t seem to be able to learn them all, not to mention they seem to keep changing!

Giles: That explains why online chat seems to be the perfect medium for the person with a geeky outlook.

Lori: *laughs* Yep, I guess so. The rules in a chat room are clear and fixed, as are the rules in forums and online games. So what do we do now? Change the social rules?

Giles: Ah but they have already changed. The rules of the Internet have been around for awhile now, it is the new frontier and it is the geeks who are the pioneers. It is these new pioneers who are relaxed and confident because they are standing on their own (virtual) territory; boldly going where no…..

Lori: Ah Hm…and may I further point out that it was the geeks who made it easy for everyone to get ‘on the net’. We did not create an exclusive club, where only people like us can communicate. In fact the net is more like a way of life where people go to learn, be entertained, communicate, buy, sell and generally do everything that can be done when not ‘on the net’.

Giles: Including having a relationship and falling in love.

Lori: You mean like us…don’t you.

Giles: Certainly but that was not what we set out to do originally. We just shared an interest and became friends…and the rest was history.

Lori: So back to our original question: Can Geeks Be Sexy?

Giles: Emphatically YES! It just might take a little longer to see it.

Lori: Well that and the suspension of what might be called socially ‘normal’. The Internet is a newer social frontier where some of the old rules may or may not apply. Meet a geek on their own ground and they will certainly surprise and delight you!

• This Blog by Lori is all about Romantic Love Letters and how to write them. Please click on the  button to your left and enjoy!
  

• This button takes you to   Romantic Love Letters- A Definition an ezine article Lori wrote in conjunction with the Romantic Love Letters Blog

• This link will take you to a Hub page that Lori wrote last fall, it is all about a new twist on writing Love Letters.
  

• This short article featured on Squidoo details Lori's Number One Tip for writing effective Love Letters.
  

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