The majority of teenagers today confuse me. Surprised? Okay, so I may be a teenager myself, but there’s one thing that has me flummoxed.
Sometimes (well, quite a lot of the time), I get looked down upon for reading, and for actually bothering to pay attention and learn something in lessons. I get called a ‘geek’ and a ‘nerd’ and that’s just by my friends. I’d hate to think what some people think of me, but that’s a conversation for another post. Yet, I see these same people that would look at me in contempt posting pictures of themselves on Facebook wearing t-shirts with the word ‘geek’ emblazoned over the front and oversized glasses on their faces. Needless to say that most of these people have perfect eyesight. Are the terms ‘geek’ and ‘nerd’ derogatory as they once were, or do they have a different meaning entirely now?
I’m not ashamed to admit that, yes, I own one of these geek t-shirts that everybody seems to be wearing. To be fair, I didn’t pay the 20-30 pounds I’ve seen asked for on some websites, because I found one in a charity shop for a very cheap price. If I hadn’t have found it that day, I would never have thought to have bought one on the Internet because I don’t feel like I need a t-shirt to show who I am. Nevertheless, I invariably bought it, not because I wanted to follow the latest trends or be like my friends, but because I am proud of the fact that I like to learn and am not ashamed to show it. Whether I have a t-shirt/badge/insert other geeky item here or not, I’m still going to show these habits that give people reason to call me a ‘geek’ or a ‘nerd’. After all, I’m not going to change myself for someone else or let them tell me who I am. Knowledge is very important to me and without it I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
I’ve never been one to follow the crowd. I deliberately won’t shop in designer shops like Superdry and Hollister because this is where the majority of people at my school shop. I want to be original and originality is another thing that is very important to me. I want to be the person that stands out and not blends in. What’s the point in being the same as everyone else?
I have gone off on a wild tangent here, but I suppose what I’m trying to say is that this is the chance to really embrace your inner geek and celebrate it. Times are changing and it’s not always a bad thing to show your superior knowledge now. 😉
What do you think? How do you show your geekiness?
Don’t forget to wear your geekery like a badge!Â