Culture

Geek As Citizen: To Play, Dream, and Experiment

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As I previously explored, analyzing where we Geeks fit in as citizens, we’re passionate retainers of information that also apply that knowledge. We aren’t so much pure academics (though many of us are professional academics), nor are we just about doing things and being active.  Instead we’re about the interplay of that knowledge and doing something with it. That’s what we’re inclined to do, frankly, and thus it is also something we can contribute as citizens.

We’re information and application bundled together. Actually considering the whole “passion” part it’s pretty hard to separate them anyway from geeks. Passion is often about getting your hands dirty.

There is however, a flip side to our role of “Applied Knowledge” that is also something we can do in society. Geeks also like to get wild and crazy with our applied knowledge, imagining and trying out all sorts of crazy stuff because it’s fun. In short, the flip side to or applied knowledge is toplay, to dream, to experiment and in short, to at times get stark raving bonkers in what we do.

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Geek As Citizen: To Apply

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As noted last column I think one of the major roles of geeks as citizens is to do something they do anyway – retain and value knowledge and information. Even if something is not seen as relevant, important, or cool, then geeks will retain it – and one day revive it when it is important. Our enthusiasm and love of knowledge allows us to do a great deal of good, even if it’s “eventually.”

However, we geeks are not usually passive acquirers and retainers of information. Part of what makes us who we are is that we put this knowledge we’re passionate about into action. A geek, as I noted early on, gets active in fanfic, games, writing, cosplay, whatever. Frankly you can’t really stop us.

(Ever seen someone experiment with some new piece of technology “because?” or seen someone continue a TV series via fanfic for years? you know what I mean).

That in turn leads to our second role in society – that of applying knowledge actively. OK we’d do it anyway, but seriously, it’s important.

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Does Consumerism Undermine Sustainable Government?

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So as I watch the meltdown in DC, it’s an oddly destructive course.  Looking at it distantly, it appears to be people elected to assist people undermining the very system they are to sustain and indeed that sustains them.  It is, frankly, insane.

So I’ve wondered just what are the various people who backed the shutdown expecting?  What do their backers – both the voters and their donors – expect?  What of the media people who appear to back this insanity, the talking heads and talking mouths?

Of course threatening the financial stability of the government – and with the debt ceiling, the country and world – is insane.  Yet there seems to be less panic than I would expect, and it doesn’t seem to be bluff.  I feel, at least intuitively, that far too many people are passive over this, or even flippant – and that’s honestly how some people feel.

Now I could probably analyze the various factors about this forever.  Indeed, I expect some historians, scholars, and writers will get weeks, months, or years of work out of this.  But the flip attitudes keep making me think – because they seem familiar.

They remind me of the people who would complain endlessly about free services and websites they contributed nothing too, as if they themselves were capable of making them.

They remind me of people who write off disasters that “don’t affect them” and then wonder why prices on something have gone up or why their vacation is ruined.

They remind me of people who figure we can change the environment with no repercussions.

They, in short, are people who seem to act like there’s always an option.

So it struck me that a lot of this is a “consumerist” attitude.  That you can always buy more, that people’s work is only to please you, that there’s always options.  It’s a lack of sense of what is necessary to create that thing you like, or the society you enjoy and the government you’re part of.  It’s the idea you can always go to the store and buy a new one.

Government that functions long-term can’t be consumerist.  It requires a plan and it has to be long-term.  It has to be realistic.  It is to an extent an act of caution, like an insurance policy.  Government can’t function on the idea of discardable and purchasable.  When it gets away from these things it has trouble.

(Not that the U.S. government hasn’t had trouble with some of these things for awhile, but that’s another story.)

So, no, this isn’t exactly a well-formed thought, but it’s made me think that one of our problems with the U.S. government is it’s treated as something we can wad up, toss away, or purchase anew with ease.

This isn’t the case, as we’re finding out.  Hopefully, enough people find out fast enough.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.