Why do people hide their geekiness?

I don't understand why people get all embarrassed about stuff they enjoy.  They hide the fact that they enjoy playing MMOs or doing fantasy sports or building computers.  Nowadays, who doesn't participate in some form of nerd behavior?  I don't feel ashamed about anything that I do for fun.

social awkwardness
a fear that girls won't love them
ect...

It's okay to love something geeky and show it as long as it doesn't border on obsession.

I find it ridiculous too. I know this sounds like going off on a tangent, but this is related. Mainstream culture no longer exists like it used to. Forms of entertainment, culture, and lifestyles are slowly being pluralized. Everyone is into their own little niche. Eventually, everyone will have to accept that things are going to be very, very different. Things that people enjoy will probably grow weirder and weirder. I blame the internet.

Peer Pressure

"I find it ridiculous too. I know this sounds like going off on a tangent, but this is related. Mainstream culture no longer exists like it used to. Forms of entertainment, culture, and lifestyles are slowly being pluralized. Everyone is into their own little niche. Eventually, everyone will have to accept that things are going to be very, very different. Things that people enjoy will probably grow weirder and weirder. I blame the internet."

That is why as an adult, I separate work from hobbies. When I want to discuss things that I find enjoyable, I find like minded people. Most of the time people are embarrassed because if they tell someone the type of 'nerdy' things they do, they will be stereotyped. Just because I have the weirdest hobby of making conceptual sketches of costumes and making them and exchanging tips on how to make the costumes, does not mean I am going to go out and wear the costume and act like the character. I just like making the costume because I enjoy costuming and the design and innovation put into taking something from paper to material. But I would be stereotyped, so I don't tell most people what I do. 

Basically because society looks down on geeks. Apparently, it's OK to have been on the football team in high school and have your own fantasy football team, but as soon as you discuss being head of your community game night (that did not involve some massively popular game) or how your Ninja/Magic Knight/Red Mage/White Mage combo is the best team to take down Exdeath, prepare to see the inside of a locker or other cramped space more often than you see sunlight.

I dunno, if you have BAD TASTE then you should probably keep it to yourself because no one wants to see that. It's like a 90-year-old man's penis. We know it's there, we just don't want to be exposed to it or even think about it because it's nasty and flaccid and it has cobwebs growing on it. Like one of my friends loves Eurobeat music. Do a youtube search for Eurobeat and listen to all the identical stuff that pops up. It's defined by one repetitive sound and that's it. I was disappointed when I found out :(

"I dunno, if you have BAD TASTE then you should probably keep it to yourself because no one wants to see that. It's like a 90-year-old man's penis. We know it's there, we just don't want to be exposed to it or even think about it because it's nasty and flaccid and it has cobwebs growing on it. Like one of my friends loves Eurobeat music. Do a youtube search for Eurobeat and listen to all the identical stuff that pops up. It's defined by one repetitive sound and that's it. I was disappointed when I found out :("

Because they're stupid.

"It's okay to love something geeky and show it as long as it doesn't border on obsession."

Here here! Even as an older geek, I still have pals who seem to shun or hide the geek shit they love. It's utterly insane to me. There is no difference between being a fool into games or a fool into sports or a fool into opera.... It's all just entertainment. People are fucking weird.

I had an assignment earlier today where I had to draw a picture to show the use of a vocabulary word. I drew a picture of Darth Vader. I shall not hide my geekiness!

"I had an assignment earlier today where I had to draw a picture to show the use of a vocabulary word. I drew a picture of Darth Vader. I shall not hide my geekiness!"

I proudly show my geek/nerd pride

It has to do with what they do, who they hang out with, what their interests are and so forth.

As an example I will fully admit that I am more of what one would call a "closet-geek." Why? I am a International Affairs major and I am very interested in politics. The people that I meet and the group which is involved in that area is much different than those who I would call my true friends where we are gamers and know so much about Star Wars its scary. Granted I realize this all comes down to stereotypes and how society judges everyone, but sadly that's just the way it is. So we have got to deal with it. Therefore I put on two different "outfits." I am the same person, but I don't tell a particular crowd about my other hobbies.

So I would argue that there are times that, perhaps because of societies demands, it is alright and even needed to "hide your geek."

Fear, mostly.  Society rejects geeks.  A lot of closet-geeks are in the "popular" crowd.  If they ever mentioned anything remotely geeky there is a chance they get kicked out of that crowd and become a social outcast.

For example.  I'm 20.  Ever since Pokemon came out when I was 10 I never really stopped playing the games (main games of course) except for times I took breaks from it.  Now my close friends know I do because some of them play it too but most people I just say "sup" to in college every day I would never even bring up Pokemon let alone have a discussion about it.

My friend actually refused to go to Walmart to buy Pokemon Platinum because some girls he knew worked there and he didn't want them to see him buying it.

I don't promote the fact that I play video games. I won't wear game-related clothing, though at times I've considered it, especially with some of the GTA stuff I've seen. I don't think of it so much as hiding it, but rather... not trying to present myself as an open book. If you want to find out that I play games extensively, you're just gonna have to get to know me. Even then, it sure won't be long before I start rambling on about them. I'm not exactly ashamed of it, afterall, I do plan to make a living from it. Though, I guess I can't say I'm too proud of it either.

Well somtimes girls can do it. I tend to not tell them that I like to much gaming.

*walks up to one of his non gaming friends*

Me: "hey i just bought a set of 4gb of RAM so i can play Empire: Total War when it comes out, only cost me 50 bucks."

Non gaming friend: "... what?..."

thats why.

'Cause it's cool to be a fake-geek, rather than an actual geek.

Hiding your interests, especially one that is as involved as gaming, is one of the most unhealthy things you can do when approaching new relationships, romantic or otherwise.  Don't do it!

Everyone's a geek nowadays. It's the information age after all. I find it funny that people will still cling to belittling 'geeks' while sending electronic messages, updating the HTML and embedding Youtube video on their Myspace/Facebook/Whatever. Good ol human condition.

Dang, who would've thought taking part in a clan could help out a bit...

Many spot-on thoughts have been put down here, but one that seems to be missing is the culture fact.  Video gaming here in the states carries it's own meanings and associations that differ to those in Japan.  I'm sure we all heard the podcast where they're in Japan.  It's almost normal to go to the arcade after work or what not and spend some time there.

Even in the states, if you mention what Gunner above said about walking up to a friend and talking about RAM and upgrading your computer, you're going to be taken differently than if you to mention that in San Jose, as opposed to rural South Dakota.

Yeah next time im at a rave im gonna tell the bitches i once logged 100 hours of world of warcraft in a week.
Thatll surely get me laid.

;)

Most of my friends have no idea what I'm talking about anyways so I don't bother bringing it up.

not me nobody can enter my house without knowing. the first thing you see when you walk in the door is my flat scree, my ps3, and all of my games. 

"Fr0Br0 said:

"I had an assignment earlier today where I had to draw a picture to show the use of a vocabulary word. I drew a picture of Darth Vader. I shall not hide my geekiness!"

"Squirtle aggressively used tackle""

In my opinion you become a nerd or a geek when you get overly obsessive about something. That could be everything from gaming to sports. For example: Someone who watches football all day, talks about football all day and has plastered his walls with football posters is a football geek.

I don't hide it.  I am however, very aware that most random people I meet don't give a shit.

In society today the only people that really care to judge other's these day's, are the people who are ultimately two-faced and very transparent, in which case the public will tend to either idolise that person (American Idol's: Simon cowl.) OR really Hate them  (The leader of the suffering african nation: Mugabe.)

I look at it like this: "I'm a pretty normal guy with some normal interest's and some nerdy interest's mixed in too. I'm completely comfortable with these nerdy interest's and if someone/you aren't, then that's your problem because I'm not changing unless I want too!"
Besides why would I change something about myself that isn't harming either me OR anyone else, to satisfy some else's view of me. Whether their view has anything to do with my reputation or my appearance, I could give a shit.

They're angsty teenagers. I have a very close friend who never spoke of his geekiness or to many of his geeky friends in public, but would splurge when he was among nerds. I was guilty of hiding it until high school, when I stopped caring. Now a days I don't really hide it. I don't wear it on my shoulder, but I'd never deny it.

The only way the stereotype will stop is if other non geeks see us geeks as the normal people we are. You can still tell that there are people that judge you for it, usually girls who themselves are caught up in the latest series of Gossip Girl or Skins etc. which to me is geeky in itself. 

From what I could tell from high school is that bros get everywhere, geeks don't. Even now when it's accepted, try and find a girl who will fuck you for being a lvl 80 character on WoW rather than fucking you because you're captain of the team. That being said, if you're a geek and you're still trying to get with those girls, you have missed the boat.

In the case of women, if they judge you then they are the wrong kind of person to be around. 

Some geeks tend to be defensive due to public ridicule, alienation from the opposite sex, and a perception of living in their parents basement well beyond what's reasonable.  Geek is now only a more socially acceptable version of terms like nerd or dork which, in a high school setting, are meant to separate individuals from the group for easier humiliation.  Growing up, it's not who you are that counts but who others perceive you to be.  Under the stresses of these expectations, some geeks never get a chance to develop decent social skills.  Fear drives them underground and they never have the opportunity to meet with other like-minded geeks and flourish into proud geeks.  It's too bad because there is a large number of closet geeks of all types (comics, anime/film animation, computers, games, scifi, cosplay/larp, etc...) running around out there. 

When I was a kid, "geek" was the term which described students into the performing arts, while what is currently considered "geeky" was, back then, for "nerds".  Language is fun!

I think there's a bit of a distinction between being a nerd and being a geek. I've always seen nerds as people who care more about fantasy more than sports, or who could spend hours talking and writing about how awesome The Elder Scrolls universe is. Geeks, on the other hand, I've seen as the stereotyped oddball with suspenders and a duct taped glasses' bridge. That could just be my love for drawing semantic distinctions/arguing for the sake of it, but it's a distinction I believe in, nevertheless.

Anyway, I don't hide the fact that I'm a nerd. Not to anyone. =P

I don't hide my geekiness, but I don't bother talking about it unless someone else brings it up. What's the point? Who besides another geek/nerd is going to laugh if I say "I was walking around near Oasis last night and some physics glitch caused a Yao Guai to start humping the fuck out of a mole rat"?

I don't hide my geekiness either, but I do know a lot of people that do. When I am in public with some of my friends, who all play World of Warcraft and other PC games, and I start talking about it, they get all embarrassed and tell me to stop talking about it. I love the geeky part of me. I will share it with the fucking world.

" I don't understand why people get all embarrassed about stuff they enjoy.  They hide the fact that they enjoy playing MMOs or doing fantasy sports or building computers.  Nowadays, who doesn't participate in some form of nerd behavior?  I don't feel ashamed about anything that I do for fun. "

Some people just feel such a sense of peer pressure and embarrassment in social situations that means they can't admit their geekiness, while others are taking a more active approach and deciding straight out not to let their geekiness show in an attempt to protect their social standing. I am a very socially unconfident person myself but I never hide my geekiness, it's who I am and if I try to hide it I'm just tricking people into liking a person that isn't me. Be yourself people, it's the best policy.

I'm wearing my Foxhound shirt right now.  But only because it's badass.  And it's maybe the only game related shirt I have.

Everyone should be proud to be a geek!

" I proudly show my geek/nerd pride "

Cos' it rarely contributes to you getting laid.

Be proud of your geekiness! It's great!

" social awkwardnessa fear that girls won't love themect... "