One of the really interesting things I notice about geeks is the contradictions they have with what they consider to be “cool”. Geeks like mechanics, they like parts, they like techie stuff – you know, the kinds of things that a normal, average person would have to probably take a week-long course with PowerPoint slides and big, unreasonably colorful pie charts. So the consequence is that some of them really tend to go all “anti-trend” on people.
Peeking out from behind their laptops and 27-inch widescreen monitor monstrosities, they IM to friends with a palpable self-assurance that they are above such things like the most popular music in the top 40, name brand shopping, and other things “everyone” is doing. In fact more often than not, geeky folks are torn down by their peers for not following the crowd and being “with it”.
Well, to those of you who’ve ever felt stupid about not knowing how to dance to the latest hip-hop song with the combination of the words “shawty”, “hey”, and “baby”, don’t worry – there’s hope. You too, are a trend whore and you probably don’t even realize it! I’m talking about a certain set of items that Steve Jobs simply had to put the lowercase i before, just because he could to increase the artistic flair, y’know.
The iPhone, iPod, and other such items are perhaps one of the biggest trend whore items of the last couple of years. It’s like all those Harry Potter books when they’d come out – you can’t seem to go anywhere without seeing the telltale white earbuds in someone’s headholes. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear it was some kind of freaky mind control, contrived by Apple to get people to buy more fruity-looking, pastel-colored goodness.
And the best part is that they’ve fooled all the geeks into buying into it too. High, overpriced techie gadgetry is like a siren song to geeks. As long as it is mildly useful and can be modified in some form or fashion, you too are a sucker for the iRevolution. People who would rather spend quality time with their PCs instead of persons walk side-by-side with those who dress in the hottest get-me-laid threads and shell out hundreds in club cover charges. If Apple may have found the key to finding someonthing in common with everyone, it’s putting out a product named so that it rolls easily off the tongue and which looks good doing it, too. iPeace, anyone?
So the next time you’re stuffed in a locker, had yourhead put down a toilet, or had the super glue on the keyboard office trick played on you (again), just smile back, reach into your pocket, and pull out that iPod. I guarantee you you’ll be making a new friend that day – or at least someone who will leech all your songs off you andmake you their tech slave. Either way, it’s good to feel wanted.