Thursday, June 01, 2006

I have been thinking about another stereotype that has been getting more and more play in recent years, and the people who fit the general image are playing it to the hilt. This stereotype is that of the nerd, the dork, the geek--though I refuse to let anyone call him/herself a geek after learning that a geek in carnival days was the person who bit the heads off of chickens. I learned this through having to read a book called "Geek Love." If you want to read something that is really off the wall try reading that book.

But back to the point. We have been trying for decades to rid the world of stereotypes based on gender, race and culture, but stereotypes based on what a person does in life or their intellectual interests are free game, and that is something I just don't understand. Why is it not okay to "joke" about anything to do with a person's appearance, but it is okay to make fun of other things that can't be controlled, like a person's intellect.

I know I would be considered a nerd, in fact I have actually been called a nerd before, but that ignores the fact that I am also an athlete and a photographer and a klutz. I am many things, I can't be relegated to just one.

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