Ever been bullied for being a geek?

Tony Lee

I've just read a blog post by writer Tony Lee that resonated with me, and I am sure with many others out there. Tony very kindly allowed me to blog about his post and link to it, and I would strongly recommend that if you have ever been bullied for being a geek or because you are/were the quiet boy/girl who isn't into sport, you should go to this link now, and then share it with all of your friends:


http://www.tonylee.co.uk/?p=359


The reason it resonated with me is that I too was not one of the cool kids at school. I was shy and very quiet, and much preferred reading and watching cartoons and films to joining the local or school sports teams. I did try hard at sport, but always seemed to fail dismally. I was also short and skinny. I was bullied as well, as I didn't fit in with the cool kids, and I hated much of my time at secondary school, but tended to keep that to myself and didn't talk about it. At my school it wasn't the done thing to complain about being bullied. Needless to say I have never been back since the day I sat my last A-Level.

Tony's blog post was inspired by a song by actress Felicia Day and The Guild. The song is called 'I'm The One That's Cool' and I downloaded it from itunes as soon as I heard it (see YouTube video at the end of this post). Geek culture, the kind of thing that Tony and I were picked on for liking, is now the new cool. The Avengers has become one of the best selling films of all time and millions of people tune in to watch each new season of Doctor Who. I do have one or two small regrets as far as being a geek is concerned: I had very little access to Marvel/DC comics and I never played D&D has a teen (I didn't know anyone who would play it with me), and all these years later I have still never played a RPG (and feel I have missed out, especially when I hear blogger friends and authors talking so animatedly about it).

Like Tony, my experiences as a teen have made me the person I am today. I hate bullying with a passion, and as a Head of Year for seven years at school I worked tirelessly to deal with any case that came my way. I also never judge a student for what they choose to wear, the music they like or the hobbies they have. I love geeking out with the boys, and have converted several to reading comics (several of my sixth formers now have standing orders with Forbidden Planet). And of course, I am doing everything I can at school to make reading cool.

As well as showcasing Tony Lee's blog post I want to add a little something to the quiet, shy kids out there. When I was a teenager the thought of any kind of public speaking filled me with abject terror, and I never dreamed I would one day be a teacher. These days I regularly present in assemblies of 240+ kids, or large groups of parents and staff, and do so with ease. I also DJ, and even though I am nervous before every event I do, once I am started I love it. I would say to any child like this not to worry about being shy, you can overcome it, but sometimes it takes a little time - I had been teaching for six years before I found the guts to lead an assembly!

Tony Lee is the writer of a multitude of comics and graphic novels, the most recent being a Doctor Who/Star trek crossover. Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of his MacGyver comic when it eventually hits the stores.

And here is the song that inspired his blog post: