Hey There,
This week's trolling for laughs went fairly well. I find that some jokes are timeless on the Internet (What if MS built a "Name Of Something/Anything Here," and the like). Although, if you just continue to follow the flow, you'll eventually end up somewhere that could get you fired if you check it out at work ;) This week, I ran into a great site called UberGeek. And, while I'm one of those guys who has to constantly fight the urge to smack everyone and anyone who uses that term to describe someone who's either risen above Cro-Magnon intelligence or happens to be good at what he, or she, does, I really like this site despite the fact that it includes that word in the title (and, for me, it's always worse when the bestower of the title actually thinks I might consider it a compliment. Obviously, we haven't all been reading the same dictionary ;)
I've actually given this whole phenomenon some consideration over the years and I've always thought it would be fun to, one day, turn this whole "geek/nerd glorification complex" over on itself and reflect it back on the rest of society. I actually wasn't an official "geek" until I turned 26 or 27 and decided I'd actually buy my own computer so I could play Solitaire without having to lug around that unwieldy deck of cards ;) Perhaps that's why I don't care for the term. I'd always felt is was derogatory and was glad no one referred to me in that way. I, still, sometimes find myself feeling a little embarrassed for folks who actually embrace the term as it's applied to them (Who wants to work on the "Geek Squad?"). When I was a little kid growing up, all the way through my mid 20's, nobody ever called me a geek. I considered it a negative term during that period of my life, as well, and never used it to describe any individual that I had the slightest amount of respect for.
What I propose is that, on an agreed-upon date, we begin an experiment by referring to each other in as humiliating a manner as possible (torturing the white male of the species, exclusively, during the testing, as is only fair, since they get dibs on everything else -- I'm a white male, by the way, so please refrain from becoming any more offended than you already are ;). "Regular" men (whom we now may refer to as "guy," "dude, "pal," what-have-you) will henceforth be referred to as "b1tches." Phrases such as "I'll be back in a few; I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat with these b1tches," "What's up, b1tch?," and "Hey, bitch, could I borrow a couple bucks until tomorrow" will become standard immediately. If you refer to any "b1tch" as a "friend," "fellow man," "co-worker," etc, you will be subjected to the shame of a constant and omnipresent delusion that everyone else doesn't think you're "cool." When people start complaining about feeling degraded by the terminology, we'll politely remind them that we mean "b1tch" in a good way. They should feel empowered about being deemed "b1tches." They should wear that dubious distinction like a badge of honor. There'll be a lot of crazy "b1tches" running around frothing at the mouth for a while, but eventually, they will conform and somehow manage to rationalize feeling good about being the best "b1tches" they can be ;)
I seriously doubt this experiment will change the "b1tch-geek" dynamic, but you never know. It's worth a shot. Worst case, you'll get to call a lot of people something that would normally guarantee you a visit to the ICU, mean it whole-heartedly, and not suffer any repercussions. In the initial phase it will be highly recommended that you publicly identify your fellow "b1tches", as often as possible, in the form of a standard greeting. Everything from an enthusiastic "Hey, b1tch. What's up?" to a simple, "b1tch, " coupled with the universally-understood man-nod, should do it. Kind of like when doctor's introduce themselves. "Doctor." "Doctor." It will eventually become second nature.
But, hey, enough about my issues with pent-up-rage ;)
Enjoy the embedded game and be sure to check out UberGeek's main site (or go directly to the Penguin Blood Ninja Fiasco page if Google strips the code out or blocks the redirection). There are plenty of other videos you can get to from the Penguin Blood Ninja Fiasco page, as well. Some are funny, one is actually serious and very touching ( A neat roto-scoping technique wrapped around a guy's mother recollecting how she and his father first met and her struggle to cope with his death. Possibly an exercise in catharsis for the animator ) and there are a few that I can only describe as humorless and disturbing (and, my inclination is that they were supposed to make me giggle).
Enjoy your Saturday, ladies and gentlemen :)
, Mike
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