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Hail to the Geek
Apr. 23rd, 2008 02:09 pmThere's a song out right now called "Hail to the Geek" by the Deaf
Pedestrians (a band I'd never heard of before). It's kind of catchy and
with a chorus of "man it's good to be a geek," it's ostensibly positive.
And if you couldn't tell by the pseudonym, I'm fairly proud to be a geek.
the trouble I have with the song, though, is that while it claims "it's good
to be a geek," it just doesn't seem... sincere. I mean, yeah, it tosses out
lots of nice morsels for us geeks, and who doesn't like singing about a 13th
level halfling fighter/thief? But it talks about how he (the geek) would
rather spend his time on the Starship Enterprise than talking to girls that
he meets. Practictly from the very beginning the song associates 'geek'
with 'creep' and 'freak,' which are definitely negative terms. "It's good
to be unknown, it's good I'm never waiting right beside the telephone
because no one ever..." If you listen to what he's actually saying, you get
the impression of someone who's in denial, saying all these negative things
are good because he has to believe that, because if they *aren't* good then
his life is kind of a waste. And then towards the end, half-spoken behind
the music, he talks about how someday he'll be rich and famous and you, Mr.
High School Bully, will be pumping gas. He'll be on top and you'll
be the geek, and he'll do unto others as they've done unto him. And I think
that's kind of shitty.
My mom tells a story about me in 6th grade, when one of my friends' mothers
came to her rather concerned because I'd given her sone a note talking about
how I was a geek, and she (my friend's mom) was concerned I had self-esteme
issues. My mom just laughed: I've always been proud to be a geek.
And I don't really want to be anything else. I don't want to be rich and
famous and rub it in the faces of everyone who ever wronged me. I do want
to be important, but I want to be important because I'm a geek,
because I'm the Guy Who Knows Things.
Yeah, it is good to be a geek. I just wish they meant it when they
said it.
( Lyrics )
Pedestrians (a band I'd never heard of before). It's kind of catchy and
with a chorus of "man it's good to be a geek," it's ostensibly positive.
And if you couldn't tell by the pseudonym, I'm fairly proud to be a geek.
the trouble I have with the song, though, is that while it claims "it's good
to be a geek," it just doesn't seem... sincere. I mean, yeah, it tosses out
lots of nice morsels for us geeks, and who doesn't like singing about a 13th
level halfling fighter/thief? But it talks about how he (the geek) would
rather spend his time on the Starship Enterprise than talking to girls that
he meets. Practictly from the very beginning the song associates 'geek'
with 'creep' and 'freak,' which are definitely negative terms. "It's good
to be unknown, it's good I'm never waiting right beside the telephone
because no one ever..." If you listen to what he's actually saying, you get
the impression of someone who's in denial, saying all these negative things
are good because he has to believe that, because if they *aren't* good then
his life is kind of a waste. And then towards the end, half-spoken behind
the music, he talks about how someday he'll be rich and famous and you, Mr.
High School Bully, will be pumping gas. He'll be on top and you'll
be the geek, and he'll do unto others as they've done unto him. And I think
that's kind of shitty.
My mom tells a story about me in 6th grade, when one of my friends' mothers
came to her rather concerned because I'd given her sone a note talking about
how I was a geek, and she (my friend's mom) was concerned I had self-esteme
issues. My mom just laughed: I've always been proud to be a geek.
And I don't really want to be anything else. I don't want to be rich and
famous and rub it in the faces of everyone who ever wronged me. I do want
to be important, but I want to be important because I'm a geek,
because I'm the Guy Who Knows Things.
Yeah, it is good to be a geek. I just wish they meant it when they
said it.
( Lyrics )
