Geek Chic: You Didn't Earn Those Stripes

Earlier today I was at the gym with my brother Spencer. During our work out I noticed a young man playing basketball. What really caught my attention was his shirt. It was a Marvel superheroes t-shirt with various characters. I was curious if he knew who all those characters are and if he even really cared or really loved those characters. Needless to say I really wanted to start testing the young man on the Marvel Universe and it's individual characters and stories. Now, I know it sounds a bit extreme and sick, but I was really curious to see what he knew. But, I didn't. Which brings me to my point that you should know and love the characters you wish to represent on your t-shirt. Whether it's Marvel, DC, Transformers, G. I. JOE, Thundercats, Ghostbusters or even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Know the material! There has been a trend of "Geek Chic" going on for a couple of years now. Which consists of a geek t-shirt, plaid shirts, thick plastic glasses and and ill fitting pants. I know that this trend will go away in a few years, but it's bugging me now. Because, I feel that some people don't know what they are wearing. They wear it just because it's "cool" and they have not officially earned the right to wear those clothes. Whether it's because they haven't been reading comic books for a very long time or know certain cartoons or TV shows and have seen every episode or been playing Dungeons and Dragons for a while and are now a dungeon master, they have not earned it. Now I have dubbed a few people "honorary geeks", such as my father in law. But, most of the others that wear such clothes have not earned the right. Which makes me want to quiz you on your t-shirt or slam you into a locker and tease you relentlessly so you can earn your stripes and what it felt like to be a geek back in the day. So for the same reason I wouldn't wear a NFL t-shirt or a t-shirt dealing with a certain video game or cartoon I've never heard about; should go for the same for all those other people who wear something geeky and have no idea what it's about. And believe me, I am watching and I will test you if you wear such an article of clothing.

Next time: Geeks vs. Nerds!