I love shopping for new clothes almost as much as I love doing integration by parts, and in the past I have particularly delighted in finding geeky clothes, especially in mainstream shops. However, whilst shopping yesterday, I noticed a new trend that seems to be in all the shops: Topshop, New Look, Primark, even those cheap-looking factory shops that I would have loved as a thirteen year old. The trend is simply this: the word Geek.
So many t-shirts saying "GEEK" in bold capitals. Sweatshirts, hoodies, everything really. And all around me were trendy girls with their hair in gravity-defying topknots, wearing Vans, ankle-grazers, biker jackets, and these GEEK tees.
I had this barely repressable urge to go up to them and say:
"Do you think p = np will ever be solved?"
"Who is your favourite A Song of Ice and Fire character?"
"Did you get the reference to the Contra code in Wreck-it-Ralph?"
"Have you tried running Steam on your Raspberry Pi yet?"
or even "Do you know Pythagoras' theorem?"
And if they weren't able to answer these questions I would have shouted in their faces: "YOU ARE NOT A GEEK!"
I take pride in being a geek. It is a label I wear proudly (although I don't literally wear it). It makes me angry when other people claim to be geeks. Being a geek can be hard, especially as a teenager. The title of Geek should be your reward.
So please, don't dilute the meaning of geekism by applying it to unworthy things.
Emma x x x
