On Being a Dork

Shawn | September 23, 2007 in Dorktalk | Comments (6)

Ok, so have I mentioned I’m a big dork? It’s true. I embrace my nerdiness. I carried the burden of dorkness mostly undercover through my younger years. I adapted as best I could and kept my nerdy interests to myself. I was never ashamed, just tired of being beat up. Luckily, I made it through high school alive, and realized shortly thereafter that it was ok to be smart.

So what the hell is a dork, a nerd, a geek? Check this out for the Wikipedia meaning and a pretty interesting origin of the word nerd. I suppose it would be one who slavishly pursues intellectual interests, sometimes to the point where they suffer in social aspects (like intra-personal relationships, fashion sense, perhaps even personal hygiene…). They are stereotyped as socially retarded, overweight, single, pasty white men, who live alone or with their parents. They make up the bulk of all comic book, anime, sci-fi, and fantasy enthusiasts, and look like a giant adolescent still going through puberty.

I’ve frequented enough hobby shops and book/comic stores to say that I understand where the stereotype comes from, but it isn’t always correct. I jokingly refer to myself as a “functioning dork”. Meaning I guess, that I do live outside of my parents’ basement, I am not a virgin, and do not play any MMORPG’s. Anyone with a friend who does nothing but sit home and play World of Warcraft can attest that these individuals’ functionality in society is debatable. I have nothing bad to say about anyone who falls into this catagory. In fact, I salute your steadfastness to your hobbies. Very, er, Klingon of you.

So where do I fit in? How does this pertain to yours truly you might ask? Well, first and foremost I play D&D and have for probably fifteen years. It’s this aspect of my dorkness I will be referring to most here (the category thread I’ve created here within this blog). But in case you were wondering, I too am a pasty white, overweight, single guy that likes sci-fi, gadgets, computers, and technology. I’m not athletically inclined, nor do I follow any kind of professional sport. I play Magic: The Gathering, read comics, and have been known to paint a miniature or two.

So, there. I figured I’d put that out there for those of you who might be passing through, reading seeing posts here and thinking “what the fuck is he talking about?” It’s a dork thing, just keep on moving. If you don’t know, you’re probably all set. If you are interested, I’ll be adding as many links as I can so that the info will be there if you want it.

Comments (6)

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Comment by Earl — September 23, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
It is an enjoyable thing to embrace ones geekness. Just dropping this comment before I prep for tonights D&D session.
Comment by Shawn — September 23, 2007 @ 10:01 pm
I just posted this while gearing up for my Sunday night session! Rock on Punk Rock Earl!
Comment by Amy — September 23, 2007 @ 10:07 pm
Hey now, let’s not make you a victim of stereotyping just yet- I mean, you may be a pasty white, single, cuddly (I chose that word instead of the derogatory term ‘overweight’ that you originally used, because a: you’re not anywhere near being Comic-Book-Guy-from “The Simpsons” heavy or anything, and b: because you’re my friend, and I refuse to say bad things about you), who likes sci-fi and electronic gadgetry, but you can also do a mean Pee-Wee Herman impression! Huh?? That’s gotta count for something, right?

………On second thought, never mind……..
Comment by Shawn — September 23, 2007 @ 10:13 pm
Well thank you gerlie, I appreciate the re-affirming pep talk. I think I’ve got a few things to offer besides a mean Pee-Wee impression though… I mean the Fred Schnieder one is pretty good too if i do say so myself
Comment by Jen the popgirl — October 10, 2007 @ 5:55 am
dork’s are cool.
Comment by xbertt — June 18, 2008 @ 12:04 am
whats up dude! Are you serious? Dork is in the eye of the beholder! Or dungeon master! You rock! I dont think your overweight, your just “husky”!