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The starkness with which he divides geeks from non-geeks makes me a little sad. People can learn to reason at multiple levels of abstraction.

tomswartz07 12y ago
It's unfortunate to see this, but there are so many constantly reinforced stereotypes regarding geeks and 'geek culture' that very few want to embrace it. Take a look at the (terrible, imo) TV show Big Bang Theory. The main characters are purposely socially awkward and distant. Real-world geeks are typically far from that: far more exist on the socialable side of the spectrum than those who are constantly portrayed in the media. :(
- minopret 12y ago
  The Big Bang Theory got on my nerves until I started reading a biography of Oppenheimer. Sheldon is not an appropriate symbol of whatever all geeks are. He might be an Oppenheimer though. He is certainly a Sheldon. I can appreciate that. The idea that some people are more technically focused than others works for me as a definition of "geek". Especially I like when people use the word in a way that accepts that some people are simply like that, and that that's OK for them even if it's foreign to a majority of the populace. Like you, I'd prefer to consider "geek" a category with a permeable boundary. I'd argue however that there are many people who spend practically their entire lives inside the category and others outside the category. Donald Knuth seems admirably sensible about many things, one of which is publicity. I see him putting himself before the public where he is thereby able to accomplish something that he considers worthwhile, profitable. So I think that there's a side we don't see and that the side we see should surprise us if we imagined that geek behavior is whimsically self-indulgent. Nevertheless the word "geek" fits his activity that we see. He concentrates his attention as much as he can in a delineated technical arena where he seems unlikely to meet with conflict. Look at the good that he does and the grace with which he does it. If that's being a geek, it must be a really good thing.
kilbasa 12y ago
To be fair, he also said that reasoning at multiple levels of abstraction is an acquired skill, albeit a difficult one to acquire.
ArkyBeagle 12y ago
Once they can reason at multiple levels of abstraction, they (we, presumably) are geeks. All that's left is learning when not to do that out loud. It's ai'ight. It might be like unto a superpower.

tomswartz07 12y ago

It's unfortunate to see this, but there are so many constantly reinforced stereotypes regarding geeks and 'geek culture' that very few want to embrace it. Take a look at the (terrible, imo) TV show Big Bang Theory. The main characters are purposely socially awkward and distant. Real-world geeks are typically far from that: far more exist on the socialable side of the spectrum than those who are constantly portrayed in the media. :(

minopret 12y ago
The Big Bang Theory got on my nerves until I started reading a biography of Oppenheimer. Sheldon is not an appropriate symbol of whatever all geeks are. He might be an Oppenheimer though. He is certainly a Sheldon. I can appreciate that. The idea that some people are more technically focused than others works for me as a definition of "geek". Especially I like when people use the word in a way that accepts that some people are simply like that, and that that's OK for them even if it's foreign to a majority of the populace. Like you, I'd prefer to consider "geek" a category with a permeable boundary. I'd argue however that there are many people who spend practically their entire lives inside the category and others outside the category. Donald Knuth seems admirably sensible about many things, one of which is publicity. I see him putting himself before the public where he is thereby able to accomplish something that he considers worthwhile, profitable. So I think that there's a side we don't see and that the side we see should surprise us if we imagined that geek behavior is whimsically self-indulgent. Nevertheless the word "geek" fits his activity that we see. He concentrates his attention as much as he can in a delineated technical arena where he seems unlikely to meet with conflict. Look at the good that he does and the grace with which he does it. If that's being a geek, it must be a really good thing.

kilbasa 12y ago

To be fair, he also said that reasoning at multiple levels of abstraction is an acquired skill, albeit a difficult one to acquire.

ArkyBeagle 12y ago

Once they can reason at multiple levels of abstraction, they (we, presumably) are geeks. All that's left is learning when not to do that out loud. It's ai'ight. It might be like unto a superpower.