[humorix] The Socioeconomic Group Formerly Known As "Geeks"

[James Baughn <jbaughn@ldd.net>]

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Warning:  humorous content ahead.
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The Socioeconomic Group Formerly Known As "Geeks"
January 4, 2001

Nobody wants to be called a "geek" anymore.  The label,
once worn proudly by members of the tech community as a
symbol of their separation from mainstream society, is now
suddenly out of style.

It all started last week when some clueless PR firm
released a list of the "Top 100 Geeks"[1], including such
anti-geeks as Bill Gates, Janet Reno, Paul Allen, and Jeff
"One-Click" Bezos.  Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal
reported that businessmen in South Korea are striving for
the "Geek Chic" image by dressing like Bill Gates[2].

Now that the Chief Bloatware Architect has been identified
as a "geek", everybody else has bailed ship.  Still
undecided on a new label, the community now calls itself
the S.E.G.K.A.G. (SocioEconomic Group formerly Known As
Geeks).

"I cannot tolerate belonging to the same subculture as Bill
Gates!" explained one former geek.  "If that manifestation
of evil is called a 'geek', then so be it.  I am now
officially a nerd."

Such sentiments have echoed throughout the Geek^H^H^H^HTech
Community. Posted one Anonymous Coward, "Only a PR firm
would have the nerve to refer to Janet Reno as a  'Classic
Geek'.  Real geeks -- er, former geeks -- support
encryption and privacy rights, unlike Janet Reno who has
obviously been reading  and enjoying '1984' one too many
times.  What a joke!"

Another ex-geek commented, "How the hell could they choose
'Interrim-CEO-For-Life' Steve Jobs over Steve Wozniak as a
'Classic Geek'?  These people  have fallen into some kind
of Reality Distortion Field.  And why isn't Linus Torvalds
on the list?  Or Alan Cox, or Taco Boy, or Richard
Stallman, or hundreds of other people who have actually
participated in improving the computer industry?"

In related news, several thousand domain names that include
the word "geek" have been put up for auction on eBay, but
so far, no bids have been recorded.  Registrations of
domains containing "nerd", "dothead", "antigeek",
"ex-geek", and "segkag" are up over 2000% in the last two days.


[1] http://www.maccentral.com/news/0101/02.jobs.shtml
[2] http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2670475,00.html

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