Anyone else sick of Star Trek fans being called "geeks"?

[Nerys Myk]

Not sure one should confuse Science fiction with the future.

Not all science fiction, but if you follow science fiction broadly, you can't avoid at least a passing glance at how our present actions might affect the future. Many though not all who don't follow SF do avoid any fleeting thought of the future beyond their lifetime and perhaps their childrens.

And many who do, don't think about the future beyond their lifetime and perhaps their children's.

I don't think being a scientist or a politician requires reading SF. Nor do I think reading SF makes you actually think about the future in realistic terms. A lot of SF is pie in the sky leaping to from point A to point E and avoiding the messy stuff in between.

 

[UnknownSample]

I think Piers Anthony and the Xanth community have reserved that.

The term "mundanes" goes back to A.E. Van Vogt, in the 1940s, and was used by fans to refer to non-fans shortly after. I know personally of its having been used in fandom at least as far back as the 1970s. By the way, Babylon Five used it in a sort of wink to fandom, to refer to non-telepaths, which is basically what the term started out meaning...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slan

 

[Sindatur]

Ok, unless anyone says otherwise, I'll accept that calling people mundanes is not a Xanth reference. I have nothing against mundanes, although I am a little concerned to see so many in positions of political power. I don't see how they can have much perspective on the long term future if they mock those who think about it.

Sigh, if only people in Political Power thought about the long term future, rather than just the next election and keeping their power to line their pockets

 

[Lance]

I wear my ‘geek’ badge with pride.

I was at a local garage sale recently where a fan who said she had “grown out of Star Trek” was off-loading all of her old gear. I picked up loads of the old Playmates toys, some books, and a shit load of other stuff for next to nothing. I was more than happy to end our transaction with a cheery “live long, and prosper”.

 

[David F. Weisma]

Truthfully, I confess I don't usually check out someone's taste in fiction before voting. I was coming up with an argument that Star Trek fans did give at least a passing thought to the future, and despite the correct points made against me, the average was still slightly better because people who gave it no thought at all were excluded. Logomachizing aside, I don't know if Trekkies would be better leaders on the average.

On the other hand, consider the title of the thread. Avenging some people's disdain is on topic, defending them might be off topic.

 

[Keith1701]

Oh yes....

 

[PopBoy]

I dont mind!!!

 

[TOSalltheway]

Nope. I am a cop and proud to be a geek !

 

[Romulus Prime]

Doesn't bother me.

 

[Stewey]

Without "geeks" there would be no modern world, we'd all be still in caves clubbing each other over the head. So no geeks are something to be proud of in my view.

 

[marksound]

Tired of being called a geek? Well, I went through nerd, weirdo, "Trekkie" (gasp!), and probably a hundred others, back around 1960/70-something. I got over it. So did they.

By the way, I've been called worse. Probably today.

 

[RandyS]

Nope. I am a cop and proud to be a geek !

And if anybody calls you one, you can always slap them in handcuffs and toss them in jail.

Or just slap them.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Without "geeks" there would be no modern world, we'd all be still in caves clubbing each other over the head. So no geeks are something to be proud of in my view.

Nah, those were the nerds. The geeks were in the back of the cave debating about cave drawings.

 

[Utopianvista]

I am embarrassed of being a Star Trek fan and having people assume I like that Abrams brofest crap film.

But, other than that, I really don't worry about what people think of me. I think I stopped doing that after I graduated high school.