Proud to be a Girl Geek...with a Drop of Schadenfreude

Monday, May 9, 2011
You know, I've never attended a high school reunion. I'm in touch with a few folks I knew in my teen years, but mostly from the equestrian youth group where I spent most of my time, and one or two others from high school. I just don't care, and I can't see why anyone would care about what I'm doing, either, almost 30 years after the fact.

Which brings me to an article over on Jezebel called "Why Geek Girls Shall Inherit the Earth." It basically posits that those characteristics that make you successful in high school (conformity, one-upmanship, cliquishness, passivity) are not the things that make you successful as an adult (creativity, originality, free-thinking, vision, resilience, authenticity, self-awareness, integrity, candor, curiosity, love of learning, and courage).

Needless to say, I was (and am) a geek. I was never, by any stretch of the imagination, popular. And I believe the thesis is fundamentally correct.

I haven't really thought much about those girls who gave me crap and made me miserable when I was in high school. I've just never cared enough to find out if they self-destructed, and I can't see the point in giving someone who behaved like a self-involved harpy when we were 15 the energy it takes to wonder if they're ugly, or (still) stupid, or unhappy, or unsuccessful. It's always been enough for me to know that I'm smart, and happy, and successful.

And now I have a confession to make.

After reading that article, I googled the girl who was the bane of my existence when I was 15. And guess what? She's ugly. And fat. And I have to assume (still) stupid. And she has a mediocre job that the Department of Labor reports doesn't pay very well. And while I have no way of knowing if she's personally happy or not, I'm delighted to report that I still don't care, even after satisfying the idle curiosity brought on by reading the article.*

I love my life, and probably won't waste much thought on her for the next 30 years, either. And I'm happy and proud to confirm that my Smart Twins are even geekier than their mother - which I think will be indicative of even more successful adult lives.

Dorks FTW!

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*But I do wonder - did she ever think about her own behavior when we were teens and realize what an awful, horrible, mean bitch she was? Or did cognitive dissonance kick in, and she ended up perceiving herself as a victim? People are WEIRD.

8 comments:

neurondoc said...

Janiece, this post made my day!

Anne C. said...

I think you can almost guarantee that she doesn't think of herself that way. Few recognize themselves as the villain in anyone else's story. They're always the main character.

Janee said...

Yes ! No matter what happens, continue to love life.

Janiece said...

Welcome, Janee. Good advice, no matter what your teen experience.

Jeri said...

Hmmm.... You know, I haven't been able to post on your blog lately. Two days in a row - error message and lovely, well thought out, unbacked up comment gone. So, y'know, I'm testing.

Janiece said...

Jeri, we can't have that. Let me know if it continues, and I'll see if there's a known issue.

Juan Federico said...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110510/us_yblog_thelookout/why-geeks-make-better-adults-than-the-in-crowd

A book about this very thing... go figure

Janiece said...

Juan, the Jezebel article was about the book, too.