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Originally posted by mephisto:
Please don't start a flame war.....

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I think that's almost a given.

First of all: I firmly believe that to complain is the human condition. I've known tons of people who bitch about how much their life sucks without doing a damn thing to change it -- and believe me, not all of em are geeks. Not even close to all of em.

Second: change is something that is difficult for most people even under the best of conditions. That's hardly something unique to the geek set. Most people prefer the misery that they know to the risk of something new -- change is unknown and scary, especially when the outcome may be worse just as easily as being better. It may be a bit harder for most geeks, but that ties in with the problems most geeks tend to complain about (ne social ineptitude) rather than being unique to the geek condition per se.

Third: frankly, complaining in the company of friends with similar experience is about more the complaining. It's supportive for one thing; complaints tend to garner "I here ya, my friend, been there too" sort of responses, and in many cases that human connection is enough to provide relief from the pain or stress that was causing the complaint to begin with. It also sometimes elicits advice and suggestions on how to overcome the problem. Acting on those suggestions, of course, is then left to the complainer, but that's true whether or not they've sought advice, so argubaly it puts them in a better position than it would have if they'd kept their mouth shut.

Too much complaining, of course, is no good for anyone -- but that's true of just about anything, isn't it?

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Originally posted by ZorroTheFox:
Whining about whining, I love it..........Z

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I guess we could call it meta-whining.

Seriously though, while I'm a firm believer in personal responsibility, sometimes an all out bitch, whine, and moan fest can be fun, cathartic, and healthy. Of course, these bitch fests only work among peers, which is why you hear a lot of geeks bemoaning geekiness on these boards.

Please note that whining is like alcohol, sleep, and chocolate - healthy only in moderation!

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Originally posted by mephisto:
Next up: I'm going to start a geek boot camp where you can come, complain, whine and then when you're done. there will be a person assigned to you to make sure that you acheive such a state where you will never complain about the same thing again. The scrawny will eat properly and work out, the quiet will be made to give public speeches and go to frat parties and so on and so forth.......
geek hell, anyone?

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You know, I like it, but I have a nasty sense of humor some times.

quote:

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Originally posted by mephisto:
The scrawny will eat properly and work out, the quiet will be made to give public speeches and go to frat parties and so on and so forth.......
geek hell, anyone?

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The frat party/public speaking sounds terrible. Then again, I don't complain about my anti-social nature.
The eating right part is a luxury I would love to have time for, but then I may have to cut back on working out ('cuz cutting back on school is out of the question).

quote:

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Originally posted by mephisto:
Next up: I'm going to start a geek boot camp where you can come, complain, whine and then when you're done. there will be a person assigned to you to make sure that you acheive such a state where you will never complain about the same thing again.

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-Charisma

"Hacking is not a
crime... no wait, it is."