Peter> For me, the defining characteristic of computer geeks or
Peter> nerds is their propensity to condescend towards those who
Peter> lack their expertise.
I think this is largely a stereotype; after all, what's more condescending? Microsoft's Talking Paperclip, and the attitude that ordinary people are too stupid to really understand anything about their computers; or giving away your code to the world at large to read, study, and learn from, and then assembling that code into operating systems that are challenging but give users a tremendous amount of power.
Yes, some computer people are condescending, but I'd imagine it's at roughly the same proportions as most groups of highly-technical folk are condescending to others.
Just my 2 sociological cents.
Kendall Clark
PS--I'm still a bit puzzled that the word 'geek' is what people found interesting from my essay; I was sure I'd be jeered at for the talk of not wanting to cooperate with evil institutions. Go figure. :> -- THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS http://monkeyfist.com/