Geeks

Those who know me would agree, but those who are less familiar should know that I am a geek.

I don’t mean it in that snarky iGeneration sense; I’m not ultra-net savvy, or up-to-date on one specific yet esoteric music scene. It’s nothing like that.

I’m a geek in all the un-glorious traditional ways: I used to play D&D (and would still if I could find players). I’ve seen live shows from the likes of They Might Be Giants, Depeche Mode, and a Blues Brothers cover group. In high school, I was involved in the theater, the choir, the orchestra, and a start-up improve troupe. In college, I liked classes, hated frats, delivered pizza, and ran security at the student union (where I also facilitated the orientation training for new student employees). And through it all I’ve been reading sci-fi and fantasy or watching X-Files, Star Trek’s various incarnations, and now BSG (love me some BSG).

So, with my geek-credential all in order, I feel qualified to say the following:

Geek culture in Hungary is identical to the geek culture I am familiar with in the States. They read Phillip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut. They play RPGs in basement bookstores called “Dark Rider Books” (my translation). They sit quietly in rowdy bars, discussing chess strategy---

Actually, let me explain that last one. Kazi (Dora’s cousin) and Kati recently had a baby boy. They named him Alfred. He was born five weeks early, but there were no serious problems. He is completely healthy. So, to celebrate we all went out for a drink. Kazi’s friends make up a raucous crowd, and that night was no exception. To quote David Brent, “El vino did flow.” What struck me as out of place were these five guys there at the bar. They not affiliated with the festivities. They were sitting around a chess board. They were not playing chess, however. They were setting the pieces up in little chess puzzles, working from a set of printed out notes, and arguing the merits and shortcomings of certain moves in each scenario.

While watching these guys, I was flipping through a local sci-fi/fantasy magazine with illustrations, short stories, poetry, and a serialized graphic novel. And that’s when I saw it. In this country, where the concept of cool is far removed from what we Americans consider to be cool, the geek culture is indistinguishable.

Is that as interesting to any of you as it is to me?