Although the jocks and prissy girls dominated the popularity competition in high school, the geeks were busy developing their own style and subculture. Now the geeks — those who excelled at math, science, and computers — occupy senior positions up and down the corporate ladders of every major high tech company on the planet.
This has been a major upset for those who put geeks down in the past. Today, the geeks who were walked all over by others in their youth, now sign the paychecks of those who found pleasure in pushing the geeks around in the past. They also are quick with a stylus, and can grab the latest retail info off sites like HoursMap.com.
But how did the geeks overcome the stigma of being labeled as social outcasts?
Self identification
In one fashion or another, every group in society adopts certain attributes that help to distinguish it from other competing social groups. The geeks, by in large, were no different.
They gravitated toward some kind of intellectual pursuit that lead their minds to contemplate some deep subject or another. They paused to appreciate the details of the world around them that others overlooked or took for granted.
They even identified themselves by their dress, which inspired the term Geek Chic, with high water trousers, suspenders, braces, and the perpetually popular fashion move of wearing oversized, black horn-rimmed glasses.
Group influence
Another distinguishing facet of geek style is that it has exerted an influence on others that drew more people into its ranks. In the 2000s, as Geek Chic came to the fore, even celebrities flirted with presenting themselves as geeks in public.
Singers such Justin Timberlake and NBA players adopted some of the minor fashion ideas of Geek Chic, and identified themselves with the character of Steve Urkel. This brought the movement further out of the shadows and into the media limelight.
Unnatural selection
Where nature may grace some with beautiful feathers or a more symmetrical face, the geeks refused to be victims of the DNA lottery. They hid their nose in books, absorbed all the information they could, and learned to master skills that others saw little value in studying.
From the use of differential equations to model intricate systems, and the syntax of computer algorithms that express such systems in terms a computer can process, the geeks learned to speak the language of machines, and express ideas that were beyond the reach of others who scoffed at the value of a proper education.
Their rise to inherit the reins of many corporations may not be a product of natural selection. It arises more as a self-determined path of one’s own intelligent design. It was a desire to get more out of life that motivated the geeks to rise to the occasion, and put in the hours necessary to achieve what they hoped to accomplish.
It’s a testament to the fact that hard work, determination, and sacrifice really can pay off for those who are willing to suffer through the ridicule and sweat through the learning curve that’s associated with becoming a successful geek.