Kanegrundar
Explorer
I think so.
Mac saves teen from D&D
- Thread starter Grimstaff
- Start date
Merlion
First Post
Oh I know, but uphill battles happen to be my speciality
I understand that. And oftentimes, its good and useful. When dealing with things...objects etc, effects, and some types of ideas its great.
When dealing with people tho it is more often than not downright destructive and certainlly counter productive.
That can be true in a lot of ways, and on a lot of levels. This whole thing came up in another thread a while back. When I said I dont consider myself a geek or nerd or care to be labeled as one by others, many made comments about me being "out of touch with my inner geekdom" and things of that sort, and seemed to feel that I just didnt want to be thought of in connection with the negative stigma attached to the words.
And that is part of it. Both in the basic way they are thinking of ("nerds" never get the girl, or guy in my case, are socially inept, possible unhygienic etc), but also because in my experience many people use those words in the way a bigot uses racial epithets and I consider them...I guess tainted by that.
But on the deeper level, its not the specific stigma. Its the "boxing". Its being limited to one thing...and not just one thing, but one persons idea of what that thing is. I dont like innaccuracies or un-truths of any kind, and thats what those terms generally are.
I apologize for my ranting tho. I'm off work today, sitting at the computer trying to compel myself to write...which I suppose I am
ahhh well...
Kanegrundar
Explorer
Merlion, I think we're in agreement here. Like JD said, we're just going in different directions to get to the same destination.
Kane
Kane
Majoru Oakheart
Adventurer
That's really an opinion and not a strict truth. By strict definition, LIVING is a hobby, it's just something you do in your spare time while you aren't dead.Kanegrundar said:
What each person chooses to do with their life is up to them and any value judgements you make about what they choose to do are purely opinion and nothing else. Some people spend their entire life watching one sports game after another for 90% of their time when not sleeping or at work. I think this is pretty bad, but that's their choice to make. And people like that are much more mainstream than role players are. Most of them are socially accepted.
It's just a matter of finding someone who has the same values you do. I play video games, watch movies and TV, play RPGs and board games, listen to music, sit around and talk to my friends, work, and read about technology on the internet. I pretty much don't do anything beyond that. I've been told that I'm not well rounded enough because I don't like to go out drinking and/or go to clubs. I could be "too focused". Or I could just be that sort of person.
I know I'm currently talking with a girl I met in a MMORPG that I get along with really well because we both watch enough TV and movies to be able to make and recognize pop culture references constantly and we play the same game so we have a point of reference to relate to each other. She says she hasn't played D&D yet, but would love to try it. I'll have to arrange that sometime.
Majoru Oakheart
Adventurer
There isn't a single thing, but if I listed the things I like (which I did in the previous post), and I asked almost everyone I know who plays D&D what their likes were, at leat 80% of my list would be in theirs as well.Merlion said:
There are variations on geeks, I have friends who like sports and those who aren't big on computer games, but there is about 80% crossover of hobbies.
We all like Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, and almost everyone knows something about computers and technology. I don't label myself a geek because I think that one thing defines me, I label myself a geek because it seems to define what I like as a category rather than one specific thing. Almost everytime I've met a "geek" I've found I've had enough in common with them to be friends if I wanted to. It doesn't define one thing, it defines more of a lifestyle.
Kanegrundar
Explorer
To Oakheart:
Once again, Used gaming as a reference point. ANY hobby taken to the extreme with little or no regard to anything else is unhealthy. Sure, it's my opinion, but it's one that I consider pretty much set in stone.
Of course you need to find someone that shares at least a few of your interests, but when all some people do is play D&D (or any other game) they decrease the likelihood of finding someone. They've pigeonholed themselves into one arena, making their odds of finding anyone to have a romantic relationship or even a friendship beyond their gaming group slimmer and slimmer.
Kane
Once again, Used gaming as a reference point. ANY hobby taken to the extreme with little or no regard to anything else is unhealthy. Sure, it's my opinion, but it's one that I consider pretty much set in stone.
Of course you need to find someone that shares at least a few of your interests, but when all some people do is play D&D (or any other game) they decrease the likelihood of finding someone. They've pigeonholed themselves into one arena, making their odds of finding anyone to have a romantic relationship or even a friendship beyond their gaming group slimmer and slimmer.
Kane
Last edited:
Majoru Oakheart
Adventurer
Hey, as long as you remember that one valuable fact life will take on a whole new meaning. My work here is done.Grimstaff said:uh...ok
Merlion
First Post
Majoru Oakheart said:
Despite the other things I have said, I agree with this as well in many ways. "well rounded" is mostly a matter of opinion. I get similar reactions from people when they find out most of my time is spent doing various things on the computer (writting, posting, researching esoterica etc), reading, watching anime and the like.
Its not like I never do anything else. And of course I do work a nearly-full-time job, but many people feel my life is somehow deficient because I dont "socialize" in one way or another as they feel I should and what have you (although I have come to the conclusion that "socializing" in our culture is a lot less common than it used to be anyway, but I digress).
However as I have been driving at even within those things its possible to encompass a lot of stuff. People, especially Americans I think have these ideas of what everyone's life is supposed to be, and especially this thing about being well rounded...they seem to think everyone has to do everything (I am not saying this in reference to anyone who has posted in this thread).
Thats also what I mean when I say, why cant people just be people? Without labels, without judgements (except the neccesary ones like you should go around axe murdering).
To quote various young anime heroes: I am myself. I am me.
Whatever that may mean.
Majoru Oakheart
Adventurer
Depends what you think of as unhealthy. You can have a perfectly "normal" life doing nothing but playing D&D. As long as you have a group of friends who also want to do that. I don't do this, though(as said above, I have other hobbies).Kanegrundar said:
These people won't know much of anything beyond their group of friends and D&D, but what is "healthy" is purely a reflection of your own opinion on what normal and healthy is combined with the current predominant attitude of the culture and society in which you live.
I'm sorry, I'm big on seperating people's opinions from predominantly held "facts" from "truth". You'll find in this case, the only reason it is "unhealthy" is because a vast majority of people define it as unhealthy.
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