Re: Nerds, Dykes, Niggers, Dweebs, Fags, Bimbos, and Geeks

["Peter Trei" <trei@process.com>]

> 
> At 6:40 PM 7/26/96, Bill Frantz wrote:
> >At  9:09 AM 7/26/96 -0700, Timothy C. May wrote:
> >>... I hate the term "nerd," as I hate the
> >>names "dweeb," "geek," "jerk," etc. Believe me, anyone who thinks being
> >>called a "nerd" is complimentary, or anyone who labels himself as a "geek,"
> >>is probably one who would call himself a "nigger," or a "queer.")

[...]

> >People with pride in themselves and what they do can make their detractors
> >eat their insults.  We should make it clear that "nerd," "dweeb," "geek,"
> >"jerk," etc. are where the money is.  We should turn them into terms of
> >pride in what we are and what we do.
 
> Maybe it's a generational thing (though Bill is as old as me, I think), but
> terms of insult are just that. The biggest users seem to be clueless
> journalists, like blonde bimbette Sue Hutchinson of the "S.J. Mercury
> News," who writes repeatedly of "nerdfests," and "geek conventions." (Hey,
> maybe womyn need to reclaim the terms "bimbo" and "airhead"?)

[..]

> --Tim May

Isn't it a little strange that Tim was on the exact opposite side of this argument
when I started a thread titled:

"CypherPUNK considered harmful"

... in which I argued that we needed a better name for folks like us?

Peter Trei
trei@process.com

[I'm off to the Security WG of the W3C in Redmond, so I won't see replies until
 Wednesday.]