What Geek Pride Day Means to Me
Hello!
Yes, well, that’s going nicely so far. People respect a nice, firm “Hello!” I mean, I think they do. I’m sure it’s fine. Just don’t be weird. No, don’t think about not being weird, that’ll just make you look weird. Oh, God, they KNOW, don’t they?
Soooooo…
I am a geek. This is not a confession or an admission, but simply an acceptance of a particular facet of my being. After all, while I freely acknowledge and appreciate my geek status, it certainly doesn’t define me as a person.
That…sounded pretentious.
At any rate, I’d like to think I’ve overcome some of the awkwardness so often declared as a defining trait of my geeky brethren.
I suppose I’m rather fortunate to be living in a time where geekiness is more or less accepted, even celebrated. Even as a kid, I remember feeling somewhat embarrassed or even ashamed about the hobbies and interests that grabbed me. Hiding my weird little obsessions from anyone outside of my immediate trusted circle of friends out of fear of persecution. In a way, I am quite grateful to have been around to see the rise of geek chic and the gradual adoption of geek culture into the mainstream. See, I was born in the late 70s, and — while certain elements of the 80s brought geek culture into the light (for example, Dungeons and Dragons) — the world was often all-too-ready to cast aspersions and demonize in the same breath these same cultural elements (for example, Dungeons and Dragons). This, of course, would eventually trickle down into the wilds of elementary and junior secondary school, and the untold delights of bullying.
(brief pause to give 11-through-16-year-old me a hug)
It’s been a real privilege to see geek culture gain more and more acceptance over the years. Hopefully, the world is a more welcoming place for younger geeks, and they feel somewhat more at home here. As a corollary, I also hope that perhaps the more athletic and attractive crowd also feel more comfortable expressing and exploring their own geeky passions. After all, there are geeks who love sports and fashion, so surely the opposite occurs among the athletes and beauties. It’s rare to find someone completely defined by the trappings of one subculture, after all. I, for one, got really into pickup artistry as a young adult, which helped me considerably in dating situations and even social situations at large.
(brief pause to give 20-something me a fist bump)
I’d love to say I was around for the early promotions and celebrations surrounding Geek Pride Day (May 25), but I can’t even recall when I became aware of it. Like many things, I suddenly read about it one day, perhaps via wiki walk, or possibly a random reference brought up in one of the many webcomics that I enjoyed on the regular.
Geek Pride Day originated in Spain in 2006 (I was in Spain in 2005, possibly planting the seeds for what was to come, who knows?), and quickly spread around the world. May 25 is also Towel Day, a holiday created to celebrate the brilliant Douglas Adams, creator of — among other things — The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. On top of that, May 25 is also The Glorious Twenty-Fifth of May, an important holiday in the fantastic Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, on which day fans wear lilacs, partly in support of Alzheimer’s research (Sir Pratchett succumbed to the disease in 2015). A celebration of either holiday (ideally while wielding a towel and/or a lilac) also works as an advocacy of Geek Pride. Rather elegant, I think!
May 25th is also Star Wars Day, but seeing as Star Wars already has May the Fourth (and Revenge of the Fifth), I don’t really feel it should count as much.
Anyway, there aren’t many holidays that I get excited about, being a 45-year old, jaded curmudgeon (save for Halloween, my anniversary, my birthday, my wife’s birthday, Waitangi Day, and, to some extent, Christmas), and I am pleased to also count Geek Pride Day among them.
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share a few defining moments of my history as a geek. This is by no means definitive, but they stand out as some of my faves:
- December 24, 1986 (Age 10) — My parents gift me The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects & Spiders. For several years, I made my passion for nature — and especially for anything with more than four legs — apparent to my family and friends. I already owned a few books on insects and the like, but this was my first book that made me feel like an entomologist. The cover was black, leathery (actually vinyl, but who cares?), and THICK. Photos galore. The pages were full of scientific names. It had a checklist! This was a grownup’s book. I have it to this day.
- Summer 1991 (Age 15)— Play Dungeons and Dragons for the first time. Several of my friends were already avid players. My friend, Mo, was Dungeon Master for — or DM’ing — their current campaign and, hearing I was curious about playing, came over one night and patiently guided me through creating my first character (Demetrius of Threshold, a Level 1 rogue, for my future biographers). That night, fuelled by Pizza Hut and Dr Pepper, Mo took me (Demetrius) on a one-shot adventure so I could join our friends next time with some semblance of competency. During his foray into some dungeons, Demetrius met a Level 2 mage named Philliac. (Note: Demetrius and Philliac would eventually fall in love and get married, and, like any sane person, I would develop a mild crush on her). Meeting for the first time in the throes of battle — a thrilling encounter that delighted my entomologist self to no end — Demetrius and Philliac fought and defeated a Rhagodessa:
- April 1992 (Age 16) — Purchased “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Off the Deep End on cassette. I’d been a fan of Weird Al for a few years at this point, but this was the first time I’d bought one of his albums, and what an album! This was Al’s first self-produced album, and it featured his hit Smells Like Nirvana, which really helped give his career a boost. Weird Al is a god among geeks, and his unique blend of musical comedy and wordplay really helped me through some dark times in my life. I’d struggled with suicidal and violent thoughts for several years, but his music really resonated with me and gave me something to laugh at when, at times, my world didn’t seem especially funny. Learning to drive in my parents’ 1988 Ford Taurus, this album was a regular companion for my adolescent ears. It was also around this time that I started to develop my own voice when it came to expressing my sense of humour, and I feel that Al (by all accounts, a wonderful human being, by the way) was a huge help on my road to a healthier perspective.
- January 1998 (Age 21)— Visit The Hannibal Lecter Homepage, and learn about the MBTI for the first time. This excellent website (sadly, now defunct) was dedicated to all things Hannibal Lecter. Exploring Lecter’s psychology, I learned that Lecter is most likely an INTJ. Clicking on a link, I discovered the personality theories of Carl Jung and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment tool. I was already a psychology student (why else would I be on a site about fictional serial killers?) and quickly developed a new, very geeky hobby in personality types. To this day, I am an enthusiast of personality psychology and have met so many wonderful, generous, and creative people via the MBTI online community.
- April 21, 2014 (Age 38) — Attend FanExpo Vancouver for the first time, and get my photo taken with Eliza Dushku. Ms. Dushku is polite and gracious, kindly compliments my outfit, and tells me I’m “looking sharp.” Fending off giddy hysteria, I try not to look too creepy in our photo.
- July 22, 2017 (Age 41) — Walk down the aisle to The Raiders March. My Wedding Day, you guys! My groomsmen had already arrived to the title theme from Game of Thrones. Personally, I’d been a fan of Indiana Jones since I was 13 — making it one of my most enduring geekdoms — and John Williams’ iconic score was the pivotal musical accompaniment as I joined the love of my life on our journey as husband and wife.
- October 13, 2018 (Age 42 (Hey!)), — Join a Buffy trivia team. As might be evidenced by the photo of Eliza Dusku, I am a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So when I heard about a local trivia event dedicated to Buffy trivia, I impulsively joined a group of strangers via Facebook to form a team, and we met at Vancouver’s Biltmore Cabaret to slay.
I could go on here, but feel you’ve indulged me enough. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this, my first story on Medium, and wish you all a very happy and wonderful Geek Pride Day. Wherever you are on this wondrous and horrifying blue-and-green marble, I hope you find the time to celebrate and share your own wonderful obsessions, and may all your rolls be natural 20s.
