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A GeekNation?

edited June 2008 in Flamewars
Imagine that in our time there was a nation where geek culture was dominant, with all of the strengths (Logical Thinkers, Frequent Spenders) and drawbacks (Obsessive Personalities, Eccentric and Diverse Behaviors).

Could such a homogeneous nation survive? Would they be able to unite and dominate the world? Could the Congress get anything done without a flamewar erupting?

Post your own predictions. This has been on my mind quite a bit lately.

Comments

  • What kind of geek are we talking about? There are so many different kinds with various interests, social skills, and aptitudes.
  • No. Meritocracy doesn't work.
  • edited June 2008
    What kind of geek are we talking about? There are so many different kinds with various interests, social skills, and aptitudes.
    Little bit of everyone. Some science geeks, some anime geeks, some gaming geeks, 4channers...

    If you need a benchmark, anyone who feels strong enough about their hobby to attend a convention.
    No. Meritocracy doesn't work.
    I'm not saying geeks would be considered the elite. I'm saying the culture would be dominant: animation would be more common in theaters, science and learning in general would be valued, and everyone would understand things like internet culture and conventions.
    Post edited by Schnevets on
  • As much as I wish it could I really don't think it would work. Doesn't a society need all kinds of people?
    What kind of geek are we talking about? There are so many different kinds with various interests, social skills, and aptitudes.
    Heh. If it was all otaku like me no way! :P
  • I'm not saying geeks would be considered the elite. I'm saying the culture would be dominant: animation would be more common in theaters, science and learning in general would be valued, and everyone would understand things like internet culture and conventions.
    You mean like South Korea, Japan, and much of Europe?
  • If geek culture becomes the mainstream then do geeks move onto other things?
  • If geek culture becomes the mainstream then do geeks move onto other things?
    Nerds do.
  • edited June 2008
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      CommentAuthorApreche
    • CommentTime1 hour ago
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    I'm not saying geeks would be considered the elite. I'm saying the culture would be dominant: animation would be more common in theaters, science and learning in general would be valued, and everyone would understand things like internet culture and conventions.
    You mean like South Korea, Japan, and much of Europe? You guys sure do have some wacky ideas about Europe. It is certainly NOT such a place and in many ways, including stupidity ratios, is pretty much the same as the US. We do have a more outward thinking nature because of all our neighbours and such though
    Post edited by Linton on
  • Yeah, Europe isn't a geek haven at all, barely even mainstream. Geek culture is even more rare in England than The States.

    When you say 'geek' I assume you mean Geeks like yourself, Rym, Scott and probably myself. Internet monkeys who watch Japanese animation, play video games (PC or otherwise) and know something technical about computers. Whilst we are generally considered 'geeks', this is internet culture you're talking about since anyone can be a geek in any unspecified field, such as 1980's rock music or American Football.

    With science the learning valued, who would run the farms? I understand that running a farm requires a wealth of knowledge, but probably not the type that people within geek culture strike for. Unless we have a mass transition to hydroponic farming, this just wouldn't work, probably.

    There are a lot of problems with Internet Culture being the dominate. If we were to say 'Internet Culture Lite' were the dominate culture, such as people loving animation, conventions and the internet you could argue that places like Otacon or Dracon wouldn't be even more popular, but they wouldn't exist at all! Since conventions usually only fit a small niche of people who aren't surrounded by their desired culture, such as anime now. If anime were to become the most popular genre in movies, there would be cons for actions films or real-life actors instead =P Maybe not.

    They're already claiming the tubes of the internet are already clogged up, with 250+ million people using the internet like you or I would, the tubes would burst... or they would find a reason to charge even more money for it.

    Enjoy your growing but still less populated culture whilst it lasts, I guess.
  • When you say 'geek' I assume you mean Geeks like yourself, Rym, Scott and probably myself.
    Awww, thanks. :D
    They're already claiming the tubes of the internet are already clogged up, with 250+ million people using the internet like you or I would, the tubes would burst... or they would find a reason to charge even more money for it.
    Not really. You see, if the majority of the world consists of geeks, it's very likely that more and bigger pipes have already been put down by the year 2008. It's won't be suddenly from one day upon another as you seem to think.

    I think it would be able to survive, if the majority of people are logical thinkers, they would most logically vote for those who are best suited for governmental tasks, who in turn would make the proper and smart decisions. I think it could survive.
  • Not really. You see, if the majority of the world consists of geeks, it's very likely that more and bigger pipes have already been put down by the year 2008. It's won't be suddenly from one day upon another as you seem to think.
    What if the pipe laying geeks were like Rym and Scott? Why we'd never get anything done because the performance:price ratios would never be good enough! We would need early adopter geeks to get the cool stuff but then they would spend too much money on the stuff and we would all starve and lack soap.
  • There are a lot of problems with Internet Culture being the dominate. If we were to say 'Internet Culture Lite' were the dominate culture, such as people loving animation, conventions and the internet you could argue that places like Otacon or Dracon wouldn't be even more popular, but they wouldn't exist at all! Since conventions usually only fit a small niche of people who aren't surrounded by their desired culture, such as anime now. If anime were to become the most popular genre in movies, there would be cons for actions films or real-life actors instead =P Maybe not.
    Rock and pop music is very, very mainstream. Rock and pop concerts are therefor some of the largest gatherings of people in Europe that happen regularly. What is the attendance of Glastonbury Festival? 250,000 or so? I can't keep track. Anime is less mainstream than other kinds of entertainment, but if it was the most popular form of entertainment, why would events be any less successful than film festivals or music festivals?

    After reading this thread I decided to do some research. I'm in a random small city in Germany called Kiel, so wondered what brands of geekery I could find without even trying hard. I looked in a bookshop for some new science fiction novels and found a large selection (maybe 3 blocks of shelves) of manga and other comics. A lot was translated into Germany, other into English. This wasn't a comic book store, just a mainstream bookshop. Next I looked in a large department store and found a whole load of boardgames that I consider real geeky. Torrus was 50 euro, so I didn't buy it in the end. Then, right in the city center, was a huge fantasy and science fiction store with 3 floors of novels, board games, role playing games, miniatures, etc, etc, etc. All this was pretty much within 200 meters of each other. Now I'm sitting in an internet cafe and maybe 20 people are playing World of Warcraft style games and Counterstrike games.

    I'd say geeknights style geekery is pretty much mainstream here in Germany. Not as big as F1 or rock music, but mainstream none the less. Even juggling (my favourite geekery) is pretty mainstream in Germany.
  • Rock and pop music is very, very mainstream. Rock and pop concerts are therefor some of the largest gatherings of people in Europe that happen regularly. What is the attendance of Glastonbury Festival? 250,000 or so? I can't keep track. Anime is less mainstream than other kinds of entertainment, but if it was the most popular form of entertainment, why would events be any less successful than film festivals or music festivals?
    That is true, but I wasn't considering music concerts or festivals being the same as an anime convention, comparing the anime conventions more to the Hollywood movie industry than that. But you have a point, although I think considerations have to be taken in for music, it being a different medium for entertainment.
    Then, right in the city center, was a huge fantasy and science fiction store with 3 floors of novels, board games, role playing games, miniatures, etc, etc, etc.
    Sounds like the GeekNights mecca.
  • Sounds like the GeekNights mecca.
    I think the point of something being a "mecca" is that it is the center of the world for that thing. Except, now I'm back in Berlin, there are three or four shops here of the same standard of geekiness that I know of, and I don't even look for them them. This was my point; they exist all over the place.
  • If a nation wouldn't work how about a whole state? That will be the true geek mecca!
  • We'd have to get the non-geek out of there.
  • Geek HOA? :P
  • Yeah, get that statewide. Stateowners' association?
  • Geek HOA? :P
    I've thought about that before. I've thought about geek condominiums, geek apartment building, etc. The only thing holding it back is you need a lot of money and a large piece of real estate in an area with a dense geek population.

    It would be super awesome if it could be done. Imagine an over 55 condo type place, but instead of the clubhouse having shuffleboard courts, it has lasertag. Instead of card tables, it has tabletop gaming tables. Instead of a swimming pool, it has, uh, a lake with awesome boats!
  • College?
  • Geek HOA? :P
    I've thought about that before. I've thought about geek condominiums, geek apartment building, etc. The only thing holding it back is you need a lot of money and a large piece of real estate in an area with a dense geek population.

    It would be super awesome if it could be done. Imagine an over 55 condo type place, but instead of the clubhouse having shuffleboard courts, it has lasertag. Instead of card tables, it has tabletop gaming tables. Instead of a swimming pool, it has, uh, a lake with awesome boats!
    It's in my dreams. Ah~
  • Geek HOA? :P
    I've thought about that before. I've thought about geek condominiums, geek apartment building, etc. The only thing holding it back is you need a lot of money and a large piece of real estate in an area with a dense geek population.

    It would be super awesome if it could be done. Imagine an over 55 condo type place, but instead of the clubhouse having shuffleboard courts, it has lasertag. Instead of card tables, it has tabletop gaming tables. Instead of a swimming pool, it has, uh, a lake with awesome boats!
    It could have one of those community workshops you guys were ranting about a little while ago!
  • Ooooh, Maybe it could be both above ground and under; Maybe an old missile base. Above ground would be all what Scott said, and underground would be an even bigger laser tag arena, a hockey rink, and large computing clusters. Oooh, and above ground there would be a racetrack complete with 10 car garage for go-karting and drifting.
  • Ooooh, Maybe it could be both above ground and under; Maybe an old missile base. Above ground would be all what Scott said, and underground would be an even bigger laser tag arena, a hockey rink, and large computing clusters. Oooh, and above ground there would be a racetrack complete with 10 car garage for go-karting and drifting.
    There would have to be some really rich nerds living there.
  • edited June 2008
    Or a whole mess of nerds pooling their money. It's not like there'll be a shortage of space. Its a missle base.
    Post edited by Victor Frost on
  • Watch out for Deep Crows.
    image
  • Look at that! You'd even get a stocked dungeon for some genuine hack and slash action!

    (Shotty druid)
  • Ooooh, Maybe it could be both above ground and under; Maybe an old missile base. Above ground would be all what Scott said, and underground would be an even bigger laser tag arena, a hockey rink, and large computing clusters. Oooh, and above ground there would be a racetrack complete with 10 car garage for go-karting and drifting.
    Bah, at that point it becomes more interesting to build a gargantuan pillar in the middle of the ocean, make our own country.
  • geek apartment building
    This would be my ideal living arrangement. I could live with all my friends, sharing common space and hanging out at each others apartments, while still maintaining enough private space to keep myself sane. Communal living. It would be like the International Residence, minus the centipedes.
  • To add to my list of easily accessible geekeries here in Germany, I was in a MediaMarkt (a big electrical shop, I guess like Best Buy) and there was a large anime selection. Well, I don't know if it was large or not, but it was a display 12 by 5 DVDs, with each stack 5 to to DVDs. Plenty enough variety to keep someone interested for a good while. Though not me, I'm not a Thursday person in the slightest.

    Also, I played Guitar Hero for the first time. I found it not quite as interesting as actually playing a guitar but still a lot of fun.
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