Some of you – actually, probably most of you, given the publicity this story has gotten – have heard of Katie Goldman, the first-grade geek (and I say that as an honour) who was bullied this year for carrying a Star Wars backpack and water bottle to school.
Yeah, let’s back up and take a second look at that. A seven-year-old was bullied for liking Star Wars because “girls aren’t supposed to.”
What?
To make a long story short, legions of geeks (of every gender, of course!) have taken up Katie’s pennant, sharing stories of bullying solidarity, reassuring her that she is not alone, that things get better, and that she should be whatever she wants to be. She’s a pretty good poster girl, I reckon – she’s different from her classmates, and kids (and adults) who are different get bullied. I did, of course. I think probably most of my friends did – because, unsurprisingly enough, kids (and adults) who are different tend to gravitate toward one another.
And gravitate is what we are doing tomorrow, it would seem. Tomorrow, the tenth of December, has been declared all sorts of things – “Geek Pride Day,” “Proud to Be Me Day,” “Wear and Share Star Wars Day” – call it what you will, the point is that tomorrow, we wear who we are quite literally on our sleeves.
Got a silly Star Wars tie you keep in the back of your closet? Wear it to work.
Or what about that Battlestar Galactica patch in your desk drawer? Pin it to your backpack.
Your Doctor Who scarf? Not only will it look great when you run your errands in it tomorrow, it will keep you warm as well!
Not a geek? That’s fine, too. Wear your skater shoes, your Little League cap, that T-shirt you got at your local horse show. Whatever you like. The point is that you’re you, and if all it takes to boost the confidence of one or a hundred or a thousand kids getting pushed around every day on the playground is to show who you are, then that’s a purpose good enough for any of us.
Now… do I want to wear my Firefly shirt tomorrow, or the one from Blade Runner?
Oh! My!
Geek Pride Day! It sounds like any day of the week where we live… especially my children’s school, where individuality and flavor is celebrated every day. I feel so fortunate., and so happy for our children. What a waste of time and heart to bully anyone for being interested and interesting… so sad!
I would like to link back to this post, please?
We would hardly stand-out dressing for a Geek Pride Day, but I would love to spread the word: Geek Respect is in Peril! Stand Proud! Celebrate Geek!
Please, feel free to link as much as you’d like! The more geeks out there, the better. Thank you for being interested and supportive!
We all got worked up and emotional for poor Katie. And also appreciative of how easily and comfortably we are able to live as our true Geeky selves.
I was trying to think *how important is Geekness for us?* Then I realized my blog has separate labels for: Geek, Science, Art, SteamPunk, Make (Maker Faire and school club), Robotics, Paradox (FIRST Team), and LEGO… even GroundHog Day. I’d say we are committed.
I would love to read more about your high school robotics experience… should I look for a post?
I haven’t actually written about it – there’s not much to tell. Our school (tiny, academic) found out about and joined FIRST in 2004, when I was in grade 12. I was our team’s videographer, so didn’t actually get to travel to the competitions. As I recall, our robot did quite impressively well for the first half or so of the big one, and then something happened to it (either it hit something, or it just… you know… boom) and some important bits suffered an unfortunate fate. The people who had travelled there repaired it, but it didn’t do very well in the second half. Nor, I have to admit, was my video fantastic, but at least we had fun and made a good first (heh) attempt.
Your blog is clearly awesome, as evidenced by the labels. I shall have to do more reading!
I wish I had seen this yesterday!
I missed the Star Wars, first grader story. I think people just need to be reminded that their differences are completely valid.
Who knows why someone decides to attack you because you are “different”. There are so many reasons. Most likely you can find something different about your attacker and return the favor, but is that right, and even worth the trouble?
I think I might like a Dr. Who scarf. Particularly since I tend to not wear a coat, a scarf would really help
Hmmm….