Embrace your Geek(ness)

July 13, 2008 - The fool is often the life of the party. The fool can be entertainment, or the fool can be a source of great wisdom. In Shakespeare's world, the fool was often the windows on reality - the characters that often exposed the nature of others behaviors. Ah the fool. Everyone needs one in their life. Much like a geek.  Everyone should have at least one geek in their life. I have a geek (or two) in my life, and I in turn, am the geek in at least two other lives. But what defines a geek?  The dictionary.com site references the American Heritage Dictionary,¹ which defines geeks as below:

geek n. (gēk) 

1. A person regarded as foolish, inept, or clumsy.
2. A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept.
3. A carnival performer whose show consists of bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken.

The term geek is thought to have originated around 1915-1920 from the Scots word geck or gek meaning fool. 

I suppose there are many similarities between the geek and the fool.  Clumsy?  Yup - my geek can't run, jump, catch or throw.  Single minded?  Could be... would just as soon stay up all night eating the nails right off the fingers to work out a solution rather than sleep on it. Socially inept? I have a tough time with this one. I really like my geek. We have lots of fun - though those around us may have missed the references or the code. But if this is socially inept, than that must include me too. The chickens thing is a little bit harder.  Bizarre acts? Possible, not that I would be willing to put it in print. Willingness to be bizarre? That I could believe. But then again, maybe that's me.  Despite what some might see as negatives, a geek is something to be proud of. As the tee-shirt reads, "the geek shall inherit the earth." So today, on Embrace Your Geekness Day, go ahead and be proud young geek... be proud. Be excited by your geekdom. Seek it. Live it. Go ahead and trip over your feet, throw like a girl, bounce off the snow, take a basketball to the face. It is your right as a geek - but remember you are no fool.

Now for those who are actually fools, it's a day for you too.  Today is also Fool's Paradise Day.  And for those fools who despite the daily grind think work is wonderful... it is also Gruntled Workers Day. (Note: this day falls on a Sunday this year.)


1.  Dictionary.com is a great tool... and often provides many definitions from several sources.  I looked up dictionary... and it pointed me here.  Is that a circular definition?