Embracing My Inner Geek is a featured hosted by me which I created so that I can geek out once a week on the blog without people thinking I’m weird (I am, by the way!).
This week I’m going to be talking about the effect of the geek badge. In my first ever Embracing My Inner Geek post, I talked about the geek badge that I received from HarperCollins.
I’ve been wearing the badge whenever I go out for about two months now and so have two of my friends and today I’m going to talk about peoples reactions to the badge and my response to it.
One of the most common questions I get asked when people see the badge is:
‘You’re a geek?’
Accompanying the question is a disdainful look and the person asking it will usually not wait for a response. And people wonder why I have a problem with the population of my school year!
Most often I give the person asking the question a withering glare and tell them that, in fact, I am a geek and very proud of it. This is extremely true.
One of the things that annoys me the most is when people say that I’m weird or strange because I like books.
‘Books?’ they say, ‘why would you like books? That’s like liking homework!’
And my reply? I like reading just as many people like listening to music or watching television. I hardly ever watch television and, even though it is on, I would rather read. To me, reading is something that helps me escape and forget and so it really is a great therapy. I don’t make fun of people for playing sports or sitting in front of a games console, so why should they make fun of me?
Now I’m going to write something that is really rather annoying and irritates me a great deal. This is one of the worst things I’ve been told and I just ignore it because it really is stupid.
‘You see this book in my hand? I’m going to burn it!’
Really? Do you think I care? No. I don’t. The person that said this actually waved the book in my face and so I just turned away and thought very bad thoughts afterwards. GO TO THE NEVERNEVER AND GET LOST, PLEASE!
I have had some good reception to the badge, too, and it’s been noticed by my friends, teachers and all sorts of people. When I first started wearing it, people were asking me where I got them from, if they could have one, and were just generally intrigued.
I really don’t regret wearing them and like wearing it around. It really is part of me now and I wouldn’t take it off for the world!
And on that note…
Don’t forget to wear your geekery like a badge!
15 Comments
Sally@Always Lost in Stories
13 April, 2013 at 9:45 amI love these posts! I’m going to write one myself next week and link to you:D
x
Lucy
18 April, 2013 at 7:48 pmThat would be lovely! Thank you! 🙂
Amber @ The Mile Long Bookshelf
13 April, 2013 at 9:58 amGreat post, Lucy! I want a badge 😀
No one makes fun of people who sit in front of their Xbox all day so why should we get made fun of for reading? Something that annoys me is when people say reading is boring. How is that true? For a couple of hours, you get to escape to a different world full of different people. -rant over- Hehe 🙂
Amber
The Mile Long Bookshelf
Lucy
18 April, 2013 at 7:49 pmI’ll be giving a few away in my blogoversary giveaway so be sure to enter and you may win. 🙂
That’s exactly what I think! Glad to see I’m not the only one!
So Many Books, So Little Time
13 April, 2013 at 11:48 amFantastic post, Lucy!
Lucy
18 April, 2013 at 7:50 pmThank you, Sophie!
Zoe Crook
13 April, 2013 at 3:13 pmI LOVELOVELOVE this post! *gives massive hugs* I hate how other people look down on geeks. We don’t criticize them for listening to music so why should they make fun of people who like reading? I also really hate it when people say reading it boring when they have never tried a book. One girl in my year said to me “I have never read a book in my life. And I’m proud!” Why is she proud of not reading a book? Of not stepping into someone else’s shoes or escaping to a different world? I’d hardly call being captured my pirates, going to Hogwarts, being a tribute, or kissing Will Herondale boring either.
Thanks for posting, Lucy. I can’t wait to do my EMIG post for your blogoversary. I can relate to these posts a lot and I am so happy that you started doing them 🙂
Lucy
18 April, 2013 at 7:51 pm*gives massive hugs back* Thank you, Zoe! YES, YES, YES. That’s exactly what I think. We are actually incredibly awesome people!
I’m really looking forward to seeing yours! 🙂
Lesley
13 April, 2013 at 3:58 pmGood for you! There’s nothing wrong with being a geek. If I had a badge, I’d wear it too. Actually, that’s not strictly true. I don’t really like badges.
I will never understand people who don’t like books, I can’t imagine my life without books. I guess all you can do is feel sorry for anyone who can’t take pleasure from reading. They’re missing out on so much.
Lucy
18 April, 2013 at 7:52 pmI’m sure you can wear a metaphorical badge instead!
Yes, they really are. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
Vegan YA Nerds
13 April, 2013 at 10:37 pmI don’t understand when people make a big deal out of reading because almost everyone I know enjoys reading. And saying they’ll burn a book is so extreme, I get a lot of similar stupid comments regarding being vegan. Some people are just odd!
Lucy
18 April, 2013 at 7:54 pmThey are! Some people really should keep comments to themselves. 🙂
booksandwritersjnr
15 April, 2013 at 4:38 pmI get that question too- I have a Geek Girl geek badge as well!
Nobody reads at all in my class. Literally. So I’m the only reader- and I reply to the ‘why would you ever like books? question exactly the same as you do! They make fun of me, as I expect happens to a lot of us geeks, but I just reckon they’re jealous of our awesome geekiness 😉
I’m so glad you wrote this post, by the way! It’s EXACTLY how I feel!!
ohdamnbooks
18 April, 2013 at 7:26 pmI’m with you 100% Lucy! Except that I don’t have a GEEK badge. Such a disappointment. ):
Where can I get one? ;D
Anyways, people are like YOU READ?! like it’s such a disappointment. Then they shake their heads at me and are like you read too much Kelly. A person I JUST MET literally got so angry at me because I was half ignoring what she said because hey, I just read through a big mind-blowing reveal from the book, that she snatched the book from my hands and literally ran to the opposite of the room, refusing to let me get it back. Seriously. You could not imagine how angry (trying not to write the “p” word) I was.
Awesome post Lucy! 😀
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