The Moose's Wedding and more on Goobhood.
Attended the Moose's wedding yesterday. Wedding ceremonies lacked meaning for me until I experienced my own wedding ceremony. I've always "gotten" how it was a joyous occasion, an opportunity for family and friends to connect. However, the actual "union" aspect of the ceremony was lost to me on an emotional level. But now to my surprise, every wedding I've attended have been exceptionally moving. I'm truly honored to be a witness to the union and the Moose's Wedding was no exception.
I can't tell it better than theDiscourser in his 7/11 blog so check out his entry for all the details.
I was glad that the goob crew had a chance to read and discuss my Goob blog entry. It created both conversation and debate, which is what I intended. Needless to say, theProf took issue with my ratings; both in the scores and the science behind my methodology. I have to admit,...their was no science at all, the scores were purely subjective...I gave the scoring very little thought. I have to say though, I think theProf goob factor score is much higher than I had once thought....he is one hell of a goob. My goodness, he wants to create a rubric and operationalize the "Goob Factor" scoring...and the crazy thing is I want to help him work on it!
So at this point in time, I'm going to throw out my "goob factor" ratings in the previous posts and help theProf develop a legitimate rating system; one with inter-rater reliability and validity. Needless to say, I think the scores would change dramatically. I truly believe my friends are much goobier than I had once thought.
So re. criteria to be operationalized; here are some dimensions that should be taken into account. I'll be presenting this to theProf. and we can brainstorm further. Again, its a work in progress:
Dimension One:
1. How gooby does he/she look like?
2. How gooby does he/she sound like?
These are very important criteria. We can spot dorks and geeks from a mile away. But then again, some pass very well...until they open their mouths (think theSupertechnician). Credit should be given for those who are able to "pass" and higher scores should be given to those who are incapable of appearing normal.
NOTE: The severity of the scoring should be mitigated by one's "skill" at passing...ie. thePerfectLine is attuned to his goobhood and is quite skillful at keeping it under wraps.
Dimension Two:
1. Number of hobbies
2. Goobiness of said hobbies
High scores in this dimension can really put someone over the top and into the realm of abject freakdom. Folks with alot of hobbies tend to display several important psychological features; limited ability to control their obsessiveness bordering on if not fully into addiction, disregard toward the repercussions related to the amount of energy and money paid to these hobbies, inability to focus and prioritize, and an almost manic flavor to their desire to delve as deeply into the hobby as humanly possible. Furthermore, and regarding item 2 in dimension two, some hobbies are viewed as culturally accepted and at times even appropriate. Think; the thrill seeker, poker player, sports fan, Scrabble player (yep Craftsman) etc. This is in sharp contrast with the gamer, airsoft, and LARP'ing, among others.
Dimension Three:
1. The depth to which one delves into the goob hobby.
This is a critical point that I feel is separate from Dimension Two. Dabblers score very low. I'm taking about the level to which one's make-believe world has replaced the real-world when it comes to meeting their emotional needs. There was a time in my life when I scored quite high in this dimension...probably higher then all the other goobers. Why?...I'm certainly the only guy among our group that has physically assaulted another player (theDiscourser) because he killed a beloved character (Shaka Jesus). TheProf. scores very high in this dimension when it comes to his miniature gaming hobby (as all of you know).
Dimension Four:
1. Negative impact on one's life.
This is huge. Some goobs are well-adjusted folk with happy lives, successful careers, and satisfying relationships DESPITE how poorly they pass, or how much time and energy they place on their hobby, or how emotionally important their hobby has become to them. I'm taking about the addicted, the dysfunctional, the guy who will NEVER get laid EVER. They have NO insight in how absolutely absurd they are both inside and out, and have neither the capacity to realize nor the inclination to change this...but of course, imagine this on a continuum for ratings sake. To illustrate, some of us let it all hang out at conventions, but are quick to shut it off the moment we step outside the convention doorways...that's good.
I've got to get back to work so my brainstorming ends here for now. If anyone would like to chime in, please feel free in the COMMENTS section. I'll be taking to theProf. and perhaps we can create a survey/questionnaire, but that'll be crazy difficult to develop. Self evaluation is a poor way of obtaining accurate measurements but lets see what he says. Either way, this should be a terribly embarrasing excercise for all of us.
Later...
I can't tell it better than theDiscourser in his 7/11 blog so check out his entry for all the details.
I was glad that the goob crew had a chance to read and discuss my Goob blog entry. It created both conversation and debate, which is what I intended. Needless to say, theProf took issue with my ratings; both in the scores and the science behind my methodology. I have to admit,...their was no science at all, the scores were purely subjective...I gave the scoring very little thought. I have to say though, I think theProf goob factor score is much higher than I had once thought....he is one hell of a goob. My goodness, he wants to create a rubric and operationalize the "Goob Factor" scoring...and the crazy thing is I want to help him work on it!
So at this point in time, I'm going to throw out my "goob factor" ratings in the previous posts and help theProf develop a legitimate rating system; one with inter-rater reliability and validity. Needless to say, I think the scores would change dramatically. I truly believe my friends are much goobier than I had once thought.
So re. criteria to be operationalized; here are some dimensions that should be taken into account. I'll be presenting this to theProf. and we can brainstorm further. Again, its a work in progress:
Dimension One:
1. How gooby does he/she look like?
2. How gooby does he/she sound like?
These are very important criteria. We can spot dorks and geeks from a mile away. But then again, some pass very well...until they open their mouths (think theSupertechnician). Credit should be given for those who are able to "pass" and higher scores should be given to those who are incapable of appearing normal.
NOTE: The severity of the scoring should be mitigated by one's "skill" at passing...ie. thePerfectLine is attuned to his goobhood and is quite skillful at keeping it under wraps.
Dimension Two:
1. Number of hobbies
2. Goobiness of said hobbies
High scores in this dimension can really put someone over the top and into the realm of abject freakdom. Folks with alot of hobbies tend to display several important psychological features; limited ability to control their obsessiveness bordering on if not fully into addiction, disregard toward the repercussions related to the amount of energy and money paid to these hobbies, inability to focus and prioritize, and an almost manic flavor to their desire to delve as deeply into the hobby as humanly possible. Furthermore, and regarding item 2 in dimension two, some hobbies are viewed as culturally accepted and at times even appropriate. Think; the thrill seeker, poker player, sports fan, Scrabble player (yep Craftsman) etc. This is in sharp contrast with the gamer, airsoft, and LARP'ing, among others.
Dimension Three:
1. The depth to which one delves into the goob hobby.
This is a critical point that I feel is separate from Dimension Two. Dabblers score very low. I'm taking about the level to which one's make-believe world has replaced the real-world when it comes to meeting their emotional needs. There was a time in my life when I scored quite high in this dimension...probably higher then all the other goobers. Why?...I'm certainly the only guy among our group that has physically assaulted another player (theDiscourser) because he killed a beloved character (Shaka Jesus). TheProf. scores very high in this dimension when it comes to his miniature gaming hobby (as all of you know).
Dimension Four:
1. Negative impact on one's life.
This is huge. Some goobs are well-adjusted folk with happy lives, successful careers, and satisfying relationships DESPITE how poorly they pass, or how much time and energy they place on their hobby, or how emotionally important their hobby has become to them. I'm taking about the addicted, the dysfunctional, the guy who will NEVER get laid EVER. They have NO insight in how absolutely absurd they are both inside and out, and have neither the capacity to realize nor the inclination to change this...but of course, imagine this on a continuum for ratings sake. To illustrate, some of us let it all hang out at conventions, but are quick to shut it off the moment we step outside the convention doorways...that's good.
I've got to get back to work so my brainstorming ends here for now. If anyone would like to chime in, please feel free in the COMMENTS section. I'll be taking to theProf. and perhaps we can create a survey/questionnaire, but that'll be crazy difficult to develop. Self evaluation is a poor way of obtaining accurate measurements but lets see what he says. Either way, this should be a terribly embarrasing excercise for all of us.
Later...
posted by supergoober at
3:38 PM
4 Comments:
Dimension 4 is the key. It also brings spouses into play. while the discourser and myself have managed to fool women into marrying us, our wives do scrapbook. This is a goober hobby. It may be based in reality however, IT IS A GOOBER HOBBY. The Perfectline on the other hand has managed to have entire relationships (albeit short ones) without the other person knowing about the miniatures in the closet, or the huge collection of comic books, or the computer games, or the, ren fair, or the Dickens Fair costume, or the gaming books... Need I continue? so clearly the Perfectline scores quite low on the number 4.
-craftsman
Well, i guess its time for me to finally chime in. There needs to be some "objective" standard for nerdiness, etc. (as objective as can be, anyway; really we'll just be assigning numbers to our very subjective rating system so that it is reproduceable and can generate a more reliable numeric score - as always, there will be much debate about the criteria).
I would humbly submit, however, that supergoober's scale from the previous blog really only attempts to rate us relative to each other rather than to some standard by which others could also be rated. This is similar to reference based norms rather than standards based norms. If there is an external standard, for example, you know how many you would need to answer correctly on a test to score an A. If there were reference based norms, then all you would need to do is make sure everyone else gets a lower score then you to assure yourself of top standing.
The negative impact on life is what truly separates the goob scale - yes, many of us have spent thousands of dollars on miniatures, airsoft, or models, but how many of those expenditures actually impact our standard of living? To really achieve uber-goob status, you must give up a career or a career aspiration to work in or near a game or comic book store, and the dilemma between purchasing the newest miniatures and making rent seems like a really difficult choice to you. There also must be a level of social maladaption that goes hand in hand with this - you find it difficult to maintain relationships with people who don't share some aspect of your goobish tendencies - even to the point of alienating family members.
Sorry guys, but we just don't rank by comparison to many people (and I use the term loosely) out there.
Just thought I'd put in my two cents, plus interest at 22.99% compounded continuously. And by the way, does anyone else think that trivializing your existence by shrinking you down to a simple numeric score is somewhat dehumanizing?
"I am not a number, I am a free man"
-theprofessor
aka johndrake6
I agree with the Professor....in comparing our Goobness amongst our own little gaming enclave SuperGoobers ratings work well. In comparison to say the guy who wears the same red shirt and blue nylon shorts all three days of the Con....we pale on the Goobness scale. The majority of us are/were married......and yes my Wife Scrapbooks as well (I see a correlation right there P...Mrs. Craftsman, Mrs. Discourser and Mrs. Cajun....oh and I believe Mrs. Professor as well.....throw that one in your equation.)
I wrote this ridiculously long retort to my getting a 10. I mean a 10? I am pretty sure I have slept with more women then our entire group combined. Now while that might not mean anything as it relates to my ability to grow up or become a complete human being. It MUST count towards one's goober rating.
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