Yesterday, I bought what I thought was a pretty terrific notebook… it had a geeky cover, consisting of binary speaking cartoons with Ctrl, Alt, Del in his brain, Facebook, Star Wars and other computer crazy things that impresses a select few. When I proudly exhibited it to my friend, she said “Nice!” whereas every feature on her face said otherwise. “What?” I asked, “Isn’t it cool?” “Not really” she confessed… “It’s so geek!!” I stared at her with a confused ‘so what?’ expression. She explained exasperated, “If you carry that around, everyone’s gonna think you’re this weird nerd!!”
I quickly connected the net for some Wiki-wisdom. No matter how much people slam Wikipedia for its lack of authenticity, I find it a really reliable site for quick clarifications. The most acceptable definition said:-
A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest. This definition is very broad but because many of these interests have mainstream endorsement and acceptance, the inclusion of some genres as "geeky" is heavily debated. Persons have been labeled as or chosen to identify as physics geeks, mathematics geeks, engineering geeks, sci-fi geeks, computer geeks, various science geeks, movie and film geeks (cinephile), comic book geeks, theater geeks, history geeks, music geeks, art geeks, philosophy geeks, literature geeks, historical reenactment geeks, 2012 geeks, video game geeks, and roleplay geeks. It didn’t sound so despicable that people should shy away from being called one. In fact, geeks sounded like eccentric, erratic people with an obsession that makes them outstanding in their field. To tell you the truth, it sounded like something of a prelude to a genius. But while genius is a much desired tag, geek stands as a derogatory one. It’s like appreciating the butterfly but calling the caterpillar disgusting. But if there were no caterpillars, where would the beautiful butterflies come from?
It is frustrating when your elders slam you as immature. But at times, I tend to agree with my Dad on this issue. We teenagers, with a not-fully-developed frontal cortex, do tend to exhibit truly amusing behavioral patterns. And what would top the list is our definition of cool. Going to insane reality shows is cool. Fooling around with five girlfriends is cool. Smoking cigarettes and taking drugs is cool. Wasting millions on high profile parties is cool. Attending IPL parties is cool. Buying branded, pricey clothes right out of fashion mags is cool. Going around in swanky cars is cool. But studying? It’s oh-so-uncool! Sitting in the library? Staying up late night to research something you find fascinating? Missing movies in pursuit of creativity? Disregarding parties to make projects for the fun of it? If you have dared to do any of these in front of your college friends, you are instantly labeled the class nerd… the dweeb who’ll never get a girl and whom the guys will never invite for the late night beer parties.
In spite of this, the geeks battle on. To do what they love. It takes real courage to disregard peer pressure and pursue your interest. All you ‘cool’ people out there, next time you slam a geek, I hope you realize he is a guy who is a deviant; who, unlike you, has refused to be run-of-the-mill. Just because he is quiet doesn’t mean he is a loser. He has got ten times the courage and guts as compared to you. And all you geeks, be proud. Put on those techno geek wallpapers and join those Art geeks clubs with zero hesitation… because, when night will fall on these teenage days, you will emerge as the brightest star!
Hold that thought!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Defining YOUTH in my words...
“As we all know, college is not just about books and studies,” read the opening lines of an article in a major newspaper. “What one wears is important too.” Really? And then the article went on and on about how to layer your dresses, wear ganjis this season, printed leggings, colorful flip flops and a whole arena of clothing articles that I cant make heads or tails of. Nothing offensive. What you don’t know cant hurt you, right? But what made me want to claw my face off were the pictures accompanying the article. Girls wearing yellow skirts that have the word ‘Yellow’ printed over it, bags that I would have felt embarrassed to carry even in my kindergarten years, pink shoes that look like cheap plastic, three-inches gladiator sandals that would make any kind of movement a potential hazard. But hey, according to designers, this is what students are supposed to wear to college this season. This is fashion. This is youth!!
The cynical me finds it irritating. The not-so-critical me finds it fascinating. TV channels and designers and a similar army of people have decided what the ‘youth’ is. They are a bunch of airheads who eat pricey pizzas, down it with a bottle of Carlsberg, throw around their money at CCDs, buy useless CDs of English songs without understanding a word, watches Roadies, Splitsvilla, finds love on shows like ‘Dare to Date’ and then spy on them through shows like’ Emotional Atyachar’!!! Brilliant! It is amusing to see the generation that will grow up to define the future of India is defined with such shallow parameters. Youth special shows mean blonde babes singing mindless songs in skimpy clothes. Shows like Roadies think the youth is about doing a few tasks and playing lots of tedious politics; and of course pepper it with occasional outbursts and the catfights make the icing on the cake. Splitsvilla thinks it can script love between a couple of teens and twenty somethings roaming around in scanty clothes and plotting petty plans. And why not? The people who win these shows are overnight sensations… and worse, youth icons!!
What amaze me are people who cannot tell the name of the guy who suggested the theory of evolution or the not-so-beautiful chicks who don’t even know what the Booker prize is associated with can shamelessly claim themselves to be youth icons. Or this crazy female who’s 21 years old goes and sits in a village in her designer clothes claiming to be ‘Desi Girl’ thinks she is the face of the new India. Truthfully, if they are the people who will define what the Indian youth is, I would rather be 50 years old right away. Youth is not about what MTV or Channel V tells us. Youth is not about Youngistan or any such funky name like that. Youth is about normal kids like us. People who sit in canteens and debate whether communism should continue its hold over Bengal and Kerala or should people rebel against it? People who take up ‘Rights of Third Gender’ diploma courses, not about people who say a kind word or two about them just to see their names in print. People who decide to be politicians, to cleanse up the political machinery of the country. People who intern in NGOs not because it will look good on their CV but because they really think that they can make a difference. People who miss their lunch to watch documentaries about how the Bhopal Gas Tragedy affected millions in the county, even before the blame games and mud slinging starts. People who blog, write columns or letters to editors on current issues affecting the world in their bid to bring in a change. People who would rather watch a thought provoking movie than a slapstick humorous one. People like you and me. We represent the youth.
Don’t get me wrong. I never said I don’t go to Pizza Hut or never spent money on CCD. What I mean is, I refuse these things to be the only part of my personality. I refuse to have my contemporaries get judged in the name of crazy designers or hip coffee houses. There is more to us. A lot more. Most importantly, our ‘youth icons’ may not have a brain. But we do. And we also know how to use one. I am the youth. And I don’t think anyone can do justice to who I am and what I think. I dare to take a stand for what I think is right. And I stand up today to represent myself. Youth is, after all, just a moment, but it the moment, the spark, that you will always carry in your heart!!
Hold that thought!
The cynical me finds it irritating. The not-so-critical me finds it fascinating. TV channels and designers and a similar army of people have decided what the ‘youth’ is. They are a bunch of airheads who eat pricey pizzas, down it with a bottle of Carlsberg, throw around their money at CCDs, buy useless CDs of English songs without understanding a word, watches Roadies, Splitsvilla, finds love on shows like ‘Dare to Date’ and then spy on them through shows like’ Emotional Atyachar’!!! Brilliant! It is amusing to see the generation that will grow up to define the future of India is defined with such shallow parameters. Youth special shows mean blonde babes singing mindless songs in skimpy clothes. Shows like Roadies think the youth is about doing a few tasks and playing lots of tedious politics; and of course pepper it with occasional outbursts and the catfights make the icing on the cake. Splitsvilla thinks it can script love between a couple of teens and twenty somethings roaming around in scanty clothes and plotting petty plans. And why not? The people who win these shows are overnight sensations… and worse, youth icons!!
What amaze me are people who cannot tell the name of the guy who suggested the theory of evolution or the not-so-beautiful chicks who don’t even know what the Booker prize is associated with can shamelessly claim themselves to be youth icons. Or this crazy female who’s 21 years old goes and sits in a village in her designer clothes claiming to be ‘Desi Girl’ thinks she is the face of the new India. Truthfully, if they are the people who will define what the Indian youth is, I would rather be 50 years old right away. Youth is not about what MTV or Channel V tells us. Youth is not about Youngistan or any such funky name like that. Youth is about normal kids like us. People who sit in canteens and debate whether communism should continue its hold over Bengal and Kerala or should people rebel against it? People who take up ‘Rights of Third Gender’ diploma courses, not about people who say a kind word or two about them just to see their names in print. People who decide to be politicians, to cleanse up the political machinery of the country. People who intern in NGOs not because it will look good on their CV but because they really think that they can make a difference. People who miss their lunch to watch documentaries about how the Bhopal Gas Tragedy affected millions in the county, even before the blame games and mud slinging starts. People who blog, write columns or letters to editors on current issues affecting the world in their bid to bring in a change. People who would rather watch a thought provoking movie than a slapstick humorous one. People like you and me. We represent the youth.
Don’t get me wrong. I never said I don’t go to Pizza Hut or never spent money on CCD. What I mean is, I refuse these things to be the only part of my personality. I refuse to have my contemporaries get judged in the name of crazy designers or hip coffee houses. There is more to us. A lot more. Most importantly, our ‘youth icons’ may not have a brain. But we do. And we also know how to use one. I am the youth. And I don’t think anyone can do justice to who I am and what I think. I dare to take a stand for what I think is right. And I stand up today to represent myself. Youth is, after all, just a moment, but it the moment, the spark, that you will always carry in your heart!!
Hold that thought!
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