# You are taking it way to far. How much more of a nerd can you be? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027 "2003-07-17T01:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027/41 "2003-07-17T23:04:22Z")
**X~Slayer** Al Gore is an actual person, not a fictional, make-believe character. I think that’s a pretty major difference. And I don’t think I need to open the whole “was he or wasn’t he elected” can of worms… ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027/42 "2003-07-17T23:09:43Z")
**DdDHellspawn** , The whooshing you suffered is because you took a story from BBSpot and built your OP around it. BBSpot is a site that specializes in satirical news stories. Some other classic examples are [Steve Ballmer Sells Soul to Satan](http://bbspot.com/News/2003/05/satan.html), [Microsoft Alleges US Government is a Monopoly](http://bbspot.com/News/2000/5/govt_mono.html), [OJ Simpson Unearths the Real Killers](http://bbspot.com/News/2002/01/oj.html) and [Mir Hits Taco Bell, Kills Four](http://bbspot.com/News/2001/03/taco_mir.html). That being said, the topic of people taking their hobbies/interests too far and descending into terminal geekiness is one often discussed on this board, but something to keep in mind is that my interesting hobby can be your irrational obsession, and vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027/43 "2003-07-17T23:42:08Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by X~Slayer(ALE) \* > \*\* What I am getting at is that if a person goes to work in a multi-colored mono-suit with a “tricorder”, does her job well, believes in the reality of Star Trek, How is that different from a guy going to work in a 3 peice suit and a PDA, doing his job well,_\* If you have to ask this question then you are not ready to know the answer. It’s not ‘wrong’ or imorral or anything. In fact if it makes her happy - good on her. BUT it is still weird and nerdy. ---
**Author:** ![DdDHellspawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@DdDHellspawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DdDHellspawn)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027/44 "2003-07-17T23:42:35Z")
Thank you JohnM for the inlightenment. I also can see the vice versa concept. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027/45 "2003-07-18T01:45:43Z")
The guy I’m talking about is on the short side, about 5’4". white, brown hair, and I think he was wearing a white robe. He didn’t talk to Triumph but he’s in the background. I wish I could give more specific details! ---
**Author:** ![TeaRoses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@TeaRoses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaRoses)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027/46 "2003-07-18T02:11:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Just in case anyone isn’t sure where they stand in the pantheon of nerdiness/geekiness, here’s a handy reference. Er… sorry to post again but this is making me reconsider this whole thing, because I am on that chart in about ten places. I know it’s a joke, but really… anime fans who insist on subtitles, pokemon fans over the age of 6, people who write erotic fanfiction, and there’s many more… Excuse me while I go cringe for the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027/47 "2003-07-18T03:01:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Er… sorry to post again but this is making me reconsider this whole thing, because I am on that chart in about ten places. > > I know it’s a joke, but really… anime fans who insist on subtitles, pokemon fans over the age of 6, people who write erotic fanfiction, and there’s many more… > > Excuse me while I go cringe for the rest of my life. Take pride in your geekiness. Geek is just another word for “people who give a flying fuck about things.” It’s not cool to care to much in this day and age–about anything except, possibly, sex and sports. There’s nothing wrong with caring, babe. My life would be a much more boring place, otherwise. Be proud–it’s telling you you’re alive! Of course, that motivational little speech could be the result of me being on that chart in quite a few places m’self. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027/48 "2003-07-18T03:09:36Z")
There is a difference between ‘giving a flying fuck about things’ and being a geek. I give a flying fuck about music, cycling, computer games, programming, creating (3d art), photography, films etc… But I don’t dress up like Harry Potter or talk 20 million hours a day about babylon 5. I had ONE friend at University. Me and him were the only two who didn’t spend every waking minute talking about babylon 5 or our uni work. Having said that, my stance is not that geeks are bad people. It is that geeks should accept their geekiness - that a person wearing a star-trek uniform complete with tricorder to work IS a geek. A person talking enthusiastically with friends about what happened on Voyager last night probably isn’t. A person arguing and going into great detail about why Voyager is better than Enterprise E probably is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-taking-it-way-to-far-how-much-more-of-a-nerd-can-you-be/189027.md?page=2)