Neither iTard nor Fanboy shall I be

In episode 7 of Worst Kind of Geek, we meet Edge, a geek who doesn't buy into some of the marketing ploys by some of the most clever pseudo-geek companies around.

Just a few examples:

Image via Wikipedia

Apple: To be cool and rock like U2, you need an iPod. To be hip, you need an iPhone. And only the creative who think differently use Mac.
Me: First of all, I don't want to rock like U2. There are many alternatives to iTunes, all of which run better, smoother, and faster (including my favorite, Zune). As for the iPhone, I will admit it's cool, but I prefer a phone like the G1 or my Instinct over it. Why? Can you say REMOVABLE BATTERIES and VIDEO? Let's touch on Mac. Twenty-three Brazilian (that means a lot, btw) programs available for PC versus about 63 apps available for the Mac. Even Linux (run on PC's) has more (and most of it is free or less expensive). Why pay the Mac tax? To be cool? Since when do geeks want to be cool?!?!?!

Image via Wikipedia

Nintendo: Only the coolest of hipsters have a Wii. We even have Wii Fit to help you lose weight. And our products look nice and white like another company whose products are all shiny and white and hip and cool.
Me: I see what you're doing there, and I'm not falling for it. I have an X-B0x 360 that does all we need or want it to do and then some. I don't care so much for Mario games anymore (1980 called; it wants its video game back!), and I do my exercise and dieting the old fashioned way: away from the TV!

Image by geognerd via Flickr

Toyota: If you're really hip and cool, you will drive a Prius. It gets great gas milage, it's hybrid, and did we mention it's hip and cool?
Me: If I want to drive a car that gets more than 40mpg, it wouldn't be a Prius. It'd be a VW Jetta TDI (turbo diesel) which puts far fewer harmful chemicals and pollutants into the environment than the Prius will and even gets better gas mileage. How, dare you ask? All the manufacturing required to make a Prius coupled with the toxic components that will one day need to be disposed of are FAR GREATER than the amount of pollutants the ultra-clean burning Jetta TDI will ever create in its lifetime. The batteries in one Prius alone has enough harmful pollutants to make anyone cry. You wouldn't want that stuff buried anywhere near your backyard.

It IS possible to keep your geek cred and not sell out.

You can remain true to your geek roots and not buy into the marketing hype that tries to sell you your image.

Be true to yourself, your geekiness, and you will sleep better at night (and probably have more money in the bank, too. I mean $2400 for a Mac when the same-stat PC would run you $1200 tops? C'mon!!!).

BTW, I'm not being cynical. I have been known to be a brand-loyalist, just not for brands that try to sell me the "cool" and "hip."

ADDED: GeekWife mentioned to me that she noticed that a lot of the products I purchase and use are either Microsoft, or Microsoft-compatible. This is true. However, it's not because I am rendered tragically hip or cool through their use; it's because I believe that they are the superior product, and that they perform the tasks I need them to perform in a manner that is conducive to higher productivity and efficacy. Further, I feel they are a high-quality product that bring me enjoyment and pleasure. I was hoping I wouldn't have to state (or re-state, as it were) the obvious, but here it goes: when you buy a product, do so because it suits you, not because its marketing hype or because social currency dictates that others who have purchased said products will admit you into their "cool kid" club.