At 15:38 06/07/2000 +1000, you wrote:
>other 'nerd'. 'Geek', I feel holds negative connotations; it sounds too
>much like 'freak'.
Which is the context in which the word originated. Geeks were the people
in travelling circuses that did stuff like bite the heads off chickens or
eat raw fish or have freaky body piercings and tatoos, etc.
In modern terms, it was meant to be a derogitory word used to paint someone
as an outcast of 'normal' society and could be applied to a specific type
of geek. computer geek, for example..
Normality is a term applied by the masses to give themselves some sense of
unity and essentially create a flock in which individuals may huddle to
avoid being singled out as anything other than 'just another'. I don't
want to be a sheep, i'm quite happy to be a geek and stand out.
Alexander.
/~ We're all individuals /~
/~ I'm not! /~
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