At 09:56 AM 11/04/1999 -0500, you wrote:
>
>When I was 9-12 years old (late 70's, early 80's),......
>Maybe the social consequences for being a geek are worse for women than for
>men. The male geeks were pretty marginalized in high school, but beyond
>that they found this whole male-centered geek culture waiting for them...
>The women kind of STAY on the fringes.
>
I am not too sure of this, but, then my experience is in a different era.
Both my beloved and I were "geeky", back in the 60s, alas, when that meant
being brains, liking science. hating Phys Ed, and lacking the skills to
play by the social rules of the time. Comparing experiences lo, these many
moons gone, it would appear that geeks of either persuasion tend to be
marginalised in youth.
Since then, both went on to find careers in which our geekiness was less
important than our skills. Major difference is that his career gave him
the standard uniform (suit) to hide behind, mine didn't (culture, then
computers). So, it is just easier to spot me, since I refuse to alter the
habits of yonks now that old age encroaches. But we have a standing joke
about him being a "closetted" geek.
As for the world of computers, it is true that it had/has a certain culture
of reverse machismo to it up until, say, 1996 or so. However, I have
noticed that has changed pretty radically, at least where I look, in the
last few years, and the stereotypical "insecure teenage geek" seems to have
retreated to the world of warez and vxers. So, perhaps the growing weight
of numbers, not to mention an entire generation of young males raised by
more aware parents, is making a difference.....
Just my two cents....
Janus
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