Heya, Shane! I don’t know about “levels” of geek: more or less by definition, being a “geek” means being a little bit extreme, and that’s the sort of point of entry to the “club”. E.g.: a guy who “likes” computer RPGs plays Zelda for a couple of hours on the weekend, but a guy who is an RPG “geek” plays a dozen or more hours a week, reads fan fiction regarding the games, follows development notes and release dates years in advance, and could name main characters, rough plots, and lines of dialog from at least half a dozen games (“go for the eyes, Boo!”).

I think the essential thing for many geeks (using my own experiences) is a degree of support and inclusiveness. That is, Star Wars geeks have more in common with Dr. Who geeks than they have with the “jocks” or “popular kids”. I may not understand why someone would be a Manga geek, but I’d probably feel way more comfortable chatting with them than I would with a football jock or a guy who goes hunting every weekend.

It is like any “club”, I suppose, but one with a high degree of flexibility. It starts with being an “outsider”, someone with one or more intense interests in something outside the “accepted” standard. And perhaps it also requires a lack of social graces / likeability. These “outsiders” then gather together and find they have more in common (being picked on, being left behind/ignored/shunned) than their different interests might suggest. There is usually a lot of common ground: people who play D&D usually read a lot of Fantasy; Fantasy often overlaps with science fiction; people who read science fiction often like Star Trek or Star Wars obsessively; Comic books and horror often have fantasy or science fiction elements… etc. But the most important common ground is, possibly, being “outsiders”. And geekdom acts as a “safe place” from the “mundanes”.

I know having that “safe place” was pretty important to me when I was younger. I would have been pretty doubtful if the Cool Kids had started showing up, because I would expect them to “kick me out”, or figure out a way to embarrass or hurt me. Because, in my experience, that’s what they did.

Of course, I grew up. I like to think I’m stronger now, and better able to stand my ground as a real person with interests and abilities that are just as good or better than others. But some folks don’t grow up, they never find that sense of self. The world kicks them down more that I was kicked down, or maybe they are a little more fragile than I was.

As for being a “bad-ass Harley Davidson motorbike rider”- hahahahaha 😉 Thanks, but I don’t fit that image very well. I am a Harley geek, although a budding one: I probably know more about the history, models, and mechanics of Harleys than average, and also have a pretty good understanding of motorcycles in general. I’d rather talk to someone who can point out to me the differences between a knucklehead and a panhead, or explain how a suicide shifter works, than talk about “hos”/bitches, pub crawls, my latest tattoo or big-ass ring, and “beat downs”. I’m not a “bad-ass”: I don’t play the part, I’m not an “outlaw”, I don’t try to conform to the stereotype, not even on weekends 😉

There are a lot of things that kind of get me in trouble with the “biker” people. I am the first to admit that a Harley has less horsepower than a comparable displacement Japanese or European bike, that liquid cooling has some notable advantages, that a full face helmet is safer than my (preferred) 3/4 helmet, or that straight pipes are obnoxious and that “loud pipes” don’t really save lives any more than “loud stereos” do. Heck, I even take heat from the Japanese bike owners, which is kind of comical since I’m often on their side.

I spend far more time thinking about things bike-related, trying to understand why I like or dislike things as well as understanding the facts (the two aren’t necessarily related: e.g.: I like Harleys, even though there are many facts that demonstrate others are technically superior). I know enough so that when I meet a Japanese bike owner I can call them on their bullshit about Harleys, and vice versa. I don’t just spout more “Jap bikes suck!” lines. I’m on the outside most of the time amongst “bikers”, but I’m confident enough to generally be okay with that.