Increasing conformity in geekdom

Source: http://myextralife.com/56geeks/

A geek used to be a person who had a strong particular interest (that was often not shared by many others). However, as "geekness" has become more mainstream (and acceptable), the understanding of what constitutes a geek became more uniform (See The Evolution of Geek):


A geek must love science fiction (ALL science fiction, but especially Star Wars and Star Trek). A geek must like fantasy books and movies (ALL of them). A geek must read and collects comics books. A geek must have numerous collectibles in his room and office. A geek must play role playing games (both tabletop and online). A geek must be into cosplay and attend conventions (such as ComiCon and DragonCon). 


Daljeet Singh from the "Geeks are sexy" blog wrote an interesting personal reflection of how the geek community started to outcast geeks who do not show interest for that whole "geek package". Read more here: I’m a Geek…and I Don’t Like Star Wars

I agree with Daljeet's observations. Geeks identify themselves by a particular interest and often had to endure being social outcasts for their passions. It would be ironic if the geek community would outcast fellow geeks for not being geeky enough.

Star Wars universe map

This enormous map shows the planets, regions, and hyperspace routes of the Star Wars universe [Click to enlage].

Source: http://i.imgur.com/TyAi9.jpg

The Jedi Career Path

The Jedi Path (Source: Wookieepedia)

According the book "The Jedi Path", the career of a Jedi is challenging and can lead to many different specializations.

I created the diagram below to illustrate the different career paths of a Jedi (in the time of the Galactic Republic) [Click to Enlarge]:

The Jedi Career Path

If an initiate did not get accepted as a Padawan, he/she could join the Jedi Service corps or leave the order.

If a Jedi Padawan passed the Jedi trials and became a Jedi Knight, he/she could join one of three branches: Jedi Guardian (typically blue lightsabers), Jedi Consular (typically green lightsabers), or Jedi Sentinel (typically yellow lightsabers).

From an educational perspective, the Jedi career path is a good example of apprenticeship learning: An initiate becomes part of a community of practice, mentored by a practicing master who assigns increasingly more challenging tasks, and learns from observing the master in action. Such situated learning is often used in trades, music, martial arts and other sports.

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