So I gave a talk at Arse Elektronika and here’s the prezi. I’m pretty damn proud of it.
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Thinking about the explicit nature of geek relationships (lulz) makes me think about the perception of geeks being socially inept. I don’t think it’s the case. People who tend to be geeks are incredibly cognizant of their interactions with people, pieces, and ideas. It’s that breaking systems means caring less for all the sections of those systems, and seeing the value in social niceties goes away with contempt for anti-intellectual culture.
Basically what I’m getting at is that I’m interested in geek sex. And not just in having it, but studying it! We had a fantastic conversation later in the day of Arse about Citizen Science for Sex Studies. I’m seriously considering doing a full-blown (again, lulz) sociological study on Hacker Pants. I’d want to know about disclosure, dark humor, consent, defining queer, gender roles, etc. What would you want to know about?
I reckon the explicit nature of geek relationships is part of the reason non-geeks tend to see geeks as socially inept. I see the broader culture as being so deeply uncomfortable with having that sort of conversation that it puts a premium on not having to. It’s severely self-deluding, but viewed through that lens “those people who have to negotiate relationships explicitly” look more inept than honest.