Lately some of my non-Magic friends have been getting on me on how I play Magic. It never has really bothered me before, I would go on Salvation in school and if someone asked what it was I would kind of shunt the question aside. Now, they just kind of get on me for it...sometimes making fun of me for it, sometimes just asking why...and people just think it's a "kid game" like Pokemon. I try to explain, look, there are guys making $40 grand a year on the Pro Tour and they write articles and essentially make a living off of Magic. [non sequitor] And since my school entails a community of which 90% of people there have families making over $200,000 a year, they say "that's **** money." Two of my family members live very nicely in Florida and Connecticut making about $50,000 respectively. And just to make sure we're clear-I live in one of the top 3 most expensive counties in the country (Somerset in New Jersey) [/nonsequitor aside]. I tell them that hey, it's a hobby like paintball or poker. I try to tell them it's like poker with flavor, but they don't want to hear it. Nor do they care that the level 6 guys make a living on essentially having fun. I tell them, at these tournaments it's mostly 15-30 year olds but they interrupt me saying "all of whom live with their mothers, have no lives, and no girlfriends/wives?" as if the whole stigma of a hobby makes them a loser in their whole life. Ug. I'm not asking what I can do to change their attitudes, because I know they won't. But does anyone want to share these feelings with me?
Magic does have this stigma associated with it. Because of this, I usually speak about Magic only with my Magic friends - most of the others would find a hard time understanding why I spend so much time and money on this game.
In a way I can understand the feeling - when some of my mates speak about pimping their car my mind just wanders off and I tend to find it hard to understand.
I know how that feels, and I have some suggestions.
- When you're on Salvation, just say "oh, it's a message board for an online game." I guarantee that if they think you're talking about WoW or something similar, they won't care. And technically, Magic is an online game.
- Ignore them. Seriously. You can't change their attitudes and what they say to you, but you can change your attitude. People pick on other people to elicit a reaction. If they say "hahah, you're playing Magic? That's a kid's game", just say "okay." If they keep bugging you about it, just totally ignore them. Don't say anything at all. They'll leave you alone because they're not getting a reaction out of you. And if they keep bugging you after that, that's blatant harassment and they could get in administrative trouble for that.
Or, if you feel a little gutsy, if they say something like "Magic is so stupid," then say "at the moment, I feel stupid, actually, because he had a Twincast in his hand, I played Peek, and I saw it but I didn't remember it for some reason, I thought it was some Kamigawa jank, so when I Blazed him for 6, I ended up losing six permanents because I have a Lich's Tomb in play." Or whatever. Either they'll say something like "whoa, that's too complex for me," or "whatever" and walk away, OR they might say "wait, really? Lichs? Like in D&D?" and they'll be your new best friend!
Seriously, though, either say nothing, or say something you know they won't respond to. You have a right to enjoy whatever it is you're doing, whether it's Magic or Pokemon or reading a book or skateboarding. Nobody can take that enjoyment away from you unless you allow them to.
I don't go out of my way to mention this particular hobby, but I never lie to hide it. In the end, I find myself only friends with those who can understand my passion, or at very least couldn't care less.
As an aside, the former bass player from a popular local band plays Magic in our area often, so I've got a convenient point to prove it's "cool, no really."
All else failing, and assuming I actually want to win the favour of this person who dislikes my choice of hobby for some reason, I use humour. (For example, telling them they're just jealous with a grin on, or perhaps gesticulating wildly while proclaiming myself emperor of the nerds in a sarcastic tone.) Most of the time, if someone WANTS to see your side of something, but thinks their decision has already been made by their social position, humour is a great way to give them an emergency exit and let them agree with you. Rational arguments will not work in this situation.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I'm sure it came with the place. I don't think you build one on purpose." —Gerrard Flavour text from Bottomless Pit.
The first rule of fight club is that you don't talk about fight club. Don't talk about magic either. I'm not saying hide that you play magic, but don't bring it up. Visiting mtgs while in school probably isn't a good idea.
Do any of these people participate in the hobby known as "Fantasy Football" where you live in a magical world of make believe that allows you pretend that you are in control a team of your favorite sports stars? The hobby where you spend hours of time researching online for something that isn't even real anyway?
You can make any hobby sound geeky. Magic is just a card game to relax and have fun with, there's nothing wrong with that unless it takes over your life.
I know what you're talking about. This is the attitude I feared (not really expected) if I ever introduced the game to my non-Magic friends at school. This meant that for more than 2 years, none in my class (except one, my closest non-MtG friend, but he used to play, and he was the one who taught me the game) knew I was playing a geek game every Friday, and most of my Saturdays. Now I must say that my class and my school isn't like most others. The classes aren't divided into the usual stereotypes (MAN, I was seriously about to write archetypes here... I play too much XD) - computer geeks, "gangsta's", school nerds and so on - it's an sports athlete school. So so-called geeks are kind of rare here, and I didn't know how my classmates would react if they knew I spent so much time and money playing a card game. I should rather be exercising...
But some weeks ago, I had to give the truth away at last. I said I had to go to Oslo for some days, taking some days off school. My classmates wondered what I was going to do in Oslo, and not having thought up a cover story yet, I told them that I was going to compete in the Norwegian nationals of a card game called Magic. "What, like Poker or Bridge?" They asked. "No, it's got it own cards, own rules, and all that. It's quite difficult to explain..." Now I half-way expected the "What, like Pokemon??" reply, but my classmates aren't silly, so they said like: "Heh, cool! Are you any good?" And demanded that I sent them text messages during the tournament to tell them how it's going.
And when I got back to school after the event - I finished 5th, by the way - My classmates thought it was really cool, and mildly interested, they asked me what the game was like and so on. What the prizes were in large tournaments, stuff like that. Their reaction was quite different from what one could expect/fear, and I was really pleased. I understand I'm really lucky there, and I believe I have some unusually nice and intelligent classmates
I feel you man. People usually don't know that I play magic and are surprised when I do.
A friend of mine is like one of the best players there is but at school know one this.
Also a lot of people used to play magic but they quit, so when they see you looking at salvation or brainstorming, they mention it. So as a result, since they quit, they make it sound like magic is dumb(it isn't).
I have similar issues with some people at school. My friends and I are mostly used to it, and of all my friends who play, I can say I am probably the only one that hopes to have some sort of Pro Tour career, however long it may be.
As said before: Ignore the people who give you crap. One time, someone who didn't play Magic asked me why I; "wasted all my mney on a stupid game. I mean, you don't even have a job anyways" and somehow it ended up that we don't speak to each other anymore. I don't regret defending my hobby in such a harsh way, but I hope it got accross to her that I am not obsessed, just dedicated.
I, thankfully, have a couple people interested on how to play. They just want to understand what goes on while we play games at lunch. My school is pretty much a good mix of everythig when it comes to stereotypes. We have athletes and nerds and geeks and such, but being a small-ish school (class sizes of about 100-110) we all know each other to some extent and just understand some people are passionate about sports, some about music, and some about games.
Edit: Probably 90% of the "gamers" at our school at one time played Magic. Just a result of a survey I did for a class.
I think the worst I get is from my parents, when my mom (understandably) frets that I'll be labeled a child molester because I spend so much time hanging around tournament venues, and so little time buying a house/getting married/starting a family. After rolling my eyes, I explain to her that I judge, but this only somewhat mollifies her. Taking responsibility and organizational skills are highly valued in my culture, almost enough to forgive me for having anything to do with a "teenage boys' fantasy" game. But most of the time I keep my Magic life and my personal and professional life very separate. Because although my career requires a high level of education, it doesn't require a lot of open mindedness about what people do with their free time.
EDIT: even worse I suppose, is that my fiancee and I are filling out immigration forms and we must describe how we met...playing a card game? discussing one online? Very embarrassing when the immigration officers assume you mean that is what you have in common but how did you actually MEET?
The first rule of fight club is that you don't talk about fight club. Don't talk about magic either. I'm not saying hide that you play magic, but don't bring it up. Visiting mtgs while in school probably isn't a good idea.
What kind of advice is that?! We're Magic players, not members of al-Qaeda!
Everyone's said it, but yea. Ignore 'em. They're just a bunch of fools. People who don't like to have fun with games or hobbies are most likely the kind of people who think that a "night at the bar" and "getting plastered" is a good time. (That's just my personal experience speaking, but don't let it deter you. >_>)
The people who play (or once played) at my high school recognize me as a good player, only 'cause I take the game seriously. There are at least two people better than me, but they don't have the will or want to keep spending. Admittedly, my MtG clique waned at the whole Mirro-Kami thing (and I don't blame them), and I managed to revive it at TSP. Lately, there aren't enough people around in the city, let alone at my college, where I can easily say "Hello, I play Magic. A card game. Yes."
I've learned to expect stigma from idiots who don't appreciate things. Sure, we spend a lot of money on the game, but we're (I would assume) a lot more enlightened about anything and everything. Hell, MtG is one of the few places I look to for obsoletely random words that no one's ever heard of. People probably can't just accept the fact that some people make a living by doing what they want, which is probably contrary to most other people.
Finally, if people make the claim of it being "a children's card game", feel free to point them towards Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. No offense to the players of those games, but their general age average is anywhere in the adolescent to pre-teens. I like Magic for the fact that it's not only an extremely well-designed game, but that there are people out there who share my mindset, and not just that 12-year old kid who came to play at a pre-release. Also, Magic's life expectancy > Pokemon/YGO.
I guess to wrap it up, don't worry too much about it, Trains, 'cause chances are you're much smarter than these people who ridicule you. And let's face it, who lives without fun?
I second the whole "no-silencing" thing. Spread the word while you can, get more people involved. Again, it is not al-Qaeda...
Also, most people would take offense to me saying it, but it is true. Most people I know who play Magic are smarter than the average person. Take Bush for example. Odds are, he has never played Magic, and look at him try to speak.
Really, I liked Kamigawa...or at least Champions of Kamigawa...The books were good...I am the only one, aren't I?
Another aspect of magic is making friends. Like a friend of mine said, Magic is a social event. Playing in FNM, you meet new people and make new friends. A lot of people don't see this.
Everything you guys have said makes me feel a lot better. I mean, lots of times I compare it to poker...but when no one wants to hear it, whatever. I mean, these guys are my friends, and they know that while I have this one geeky aspect, we're all on my school's varsity baseball team, they just think it's a stupid hobby, and oftentimes when they ask why I spend the money I ask why they spend money playing paintball. Works as well.
i went to a similar high school in scottsdale az, i know how this is. generally the types of people that would mess with you for playing magic are not really worth your time and they are not open minded enough to think outside the norm.
**** em.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Current Fallen Angel (Anson Maddocks art) Count:449!!!
Most of my friends are fine with it. Mostly cause they are nerds too, and alot of other people in my social group play magic. But you need to keep these things quiet sometimes. I know I don't go traipsing around my school with deckbox in hand. We try to play in secluded areas, so we wont get disturbed. ALso, if you magic people think you have it bad, I modify Nerf Guns and have wars with them. Now there's a hobbie with stigma attached. Most of the time you just need to ignore some of the *******s and keep your hobbie somewhat private.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My Decks
Type 2-
Mono B Zombie Control Aggro BR Gargadon/gravepact suicide (In construction)
Extended- UBG Raffinity WUG Slide/Blink
Casual- BWG Multiplayer Control UB Peasant Madness Aggro RWG Sliver Zoo
i've been given a hard time about magic since i started playing 10 years ago. especially since i live in east tennessee. in high school a lot of teachers would label it "satanic" or whatnot and wouldn't let us play it. so i'd break out a serra angel and ask, "does that look satanic to you?" but normally would get no response. just a stubborn attitude. not all of my teachers were like that, but some were. and my dad has always had a bit of a problem w/ it. he doesn't understand it, therefore he doesn't like it. most of my friends either play or used to play, or play something else (like d&d or heroclix or something). being labeled a dork doesn't bother me at all. but being judged (no pun intended) for playing a card game is ridiculous. i don't see the difference between guys getting together on saturday's to play a round of golf and guys getting together on saturday's to sling some card board. it's all just a hobby. and just like in golf some of those guys are making bank from their hobby. jon finkel is to magic as tiger woods is to golf, am i right?
I used to have this problem in middle school. In middle school (I'm a junior now) I was small and shrimpy and was pretty quiet except with my my friends, and we'd get made fun of by some of the jocks. I was never one to respond to that kind of thing, but for a while whenever one of them would say anything I'd respond ,"Yeah, because spending time with my friends and having fun sucks compared to being white trash, right?" That's what all of them were too, stereotypical white trash and it made me feel a little bit better.
Now that I'm a junior and my group of friends has expanded and I'm taller and more intimidating than most of those jocks, I'm quiet most of the time and treated with respect by most. I'm generally not messed with because me and my friends are pretty close knit; we've all got each others backs. So yeah, I guess I'm les made fun of out of fear, but hey, it works. =)
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Thanks to Le_Gambit at the [Æther] for the awesome signature and banner!
I laugh, cause a lot of the jocks at my school seem to get some sort of pleasure out of making fun of how we "waste" money on cards. We have never even reacted to it, we've just been like "Whatever."
Then, the other day, a friend of mine got really pissed off (he was already having a bad day and to have them 'push his buttons' sent him over). When they told him he was going to waste his life playing a stupid game and would probably be better off just doing drugs, that way he'd get some real enjoyment out of it. So he snapped and told them "Oh, yeah!? You spend how much money on your stupid football ****? Your hobby ends up costing more than mine, with all your camps and equipment, and we all know nobody on our school team is getting anywhere because of football. What are you guys now, 0-13?"
Our school has never had a decent football tradition:no:
Because magic is pretty much the only "geeky" thing I'm into, most of my friends tend not to play it (for the most part they would fall under the emo-goth category... :)) Fortunately they don't care that I play it because they know who I am regardless of wether or not I play Magic, in fact I have gotten a few of them to start playing because I do.
However even if my friends were not supportive of whatever I do, I honestly wouldn't care. I've learned that this world is filled with ignorant people who do not matter and that you are better off just ignoring them. You will most likely never see the kids you go to school with ever again in your life so why the Hell should they matter anyway? They just give you crap without realizing they are the one's who are losing out. You can meet some of the most amazing people if you only give them a chance. Some of my best friends I met playing Magic, and I will enjoy my hobby with them regardless of what the crowd may think.
I just laugh off what they say, as for the most part it only proves their stupidity. Wether it's a football player criticizing you on wasting money when his sport most likely costs more (never fails... :p) or some overzealous fool spouting the classic "Magic is satanic and you are going to rot in Hell for playing it!" it all comes from the same ignorance.
I just realized. Mycoloth perfectly demonstrates the devour mechanic.
Mycoloth: NOMNOMNOM on Dragon Fodder.
One turn later, 1/1 turds come out.
Quote from kalkris »
btw i did it because i could. i was bored and decided to let my little med-free spree go ahead. I am bipolar, explaining all the drama that ensued after. I have problems.
Quote from ShadowWaveInc. »
Jon Finkel can simply walk into Mordor.
"When an artist dies the world loses two lives, that of the artist and that of his unfinished work."
At my school, people react to magic in different ways.
"Damn, you win that much in cards sometimes? And money, too?" (MSSes= lots o' packs, legacy tournaments= free money for me :D)
or
"Ughh... Stop talking about that, man! I hear it so much!"
But no one has ever really made fun of me for it, except for a few kids, but I retorted with some nice comebacks that shut them up for a while... And they weren't exactly people I value the opinions of (failing all their classes, don't even play sports or do activities, but still think they're better than everyone).
I am 32, have my own apartment, and recently got promoted to a position where I am practically my own boss. I am not some lonely obsessed nerd. I have a life. i have friends. I have a girlfriend (and she is really fine, and plays magic as well) I am in band.
Honestly, if your friends make fun of you for your hobbies...you have the wrong friends. As an adult, Magic has never been a Stigmata in my life. If you take pride in what you enjoy and speak about it with confidence, then there really is nothing anyone can say against it. Some still will, but that is true even if you fix cars for fun. You could just as easily get labeled a grease jockey as a geek.
In a way I can understand the feeling - when some of my mates speak about pimping their car my mind just wanders off and I tend to find it hard to understand.
- When you're on Salvation, just say "oh, it's a message board for an online game." I guarantee that if they think you're talking about WoW or something similar, they won't care. And technically, Magic is an online game.
- Ignore them. Seriously. You can't change their attitudes and what they say to you, but you can change your attitude. People pick on other people to elicit a reaction. If they say "hahah, you're playing Magic? That's a kid's game", just say "okay." If they keep bugging you about it, just totally ignore them. Don't say anything at all. They'll leave you alone because they're not getting a reaction out of you. And if they keep bugging you after that, that's blatant harassment and they could get in administrative trouble for that.
Or, if you feel a little gutsy, if they say something like "Magic is so stupid," then say "at the moment, I feel stupid, actually, because he had a Twincast in his hand, I played Peek, and I saw it but I didn't remember it for some reason, I thought it was some Kamigawa jank, so when I Blazed him for 6, I ended up losing six permanents because I have a Lich's Tomb in play." Or whatever. Either they'll say something like "whoa, that's too complex for me," or "whatever" and walk away, OR they might say "wait, really? Lichs? Like in D&D?" and they'll be your new best friend!
Seriously, though, either say nothing, or say something you know they won't respond to. You have a right to enjoy whatever it is you're doing, whether it's Magic or Pokemon or reading a book or skateboarding. Nobody can take that enjoyment away from you unless you allow them to.
As an aside, the former bass player from a popular local band plays Magic in our area often, so I've got a convenient point to prove it's "cool, no really."
All else failing, and assuming I actually want to win the favour of this person who dislikes my choice of hobby for some reason, I use humour. (For example, telling them they're just jealous with a grin on, or perhaps gesticulating wildly while proclaiming myself emperor of the nerds in a sarcastic tone.) Most of the time, if someone WANTS to see your side of something, but thinks their decision has already been made by their social position, humour is a great way to give them an emergency exit and let them agree with you. Rational arguments will not work in this situation.
Flavour text from Bottomless Pit.
You can make any hobby sound geeky. Magic is just a card game to relax and have fun with, there's nothing wrong with that unless it takes over your life.
But some weeks ago, I had to give the truth away at last. I said I had to go to Oslo for some days, taking some days off school. My classmates wondered what I was going to do in Oslo, and not having thought up a cover story yet, I told them that I was going to compete in the Norwegian nationals of a card game called Magic. "What, like Poker or Bridge?" They asked. "No, it's got it own cards, own rules, and all that. It's quite difficult to explain..." Now I half-way expected the "What, like Pokemon??" reply, but my classmates aren't silly, so they said like: "Heh, cool! Are you any good?" And demanded that I sent them text messages during the tournament to tell them how it's going.
And when I got back to school after the event - I finished 5th, by the way - My classmates thought it was really cool, and mildly interested, they asked me what the game was like and so on. What the prizes were in large tournaments, stuff like that. Their reaction was quite different from what one could expect/fear, and I was really pleased. I understand I'm really lucky there, and I believe I have some unusually nice and intelligent classmates
A friend of mine is like one of the best players there is but at school know one this.
Also a lot of people used to play magic but they quit, so when they see you looking at salvation or brainstorming, they mention it. So as a result, since they quit, they make it sound like magic is dumb(it isn't).
As said before: Ignore the people who give you crap. One time, someone who didn't play Magic asked me why I; "wasted all my mney on a stupid game. I mean, you don't even have a job anyways" and somehow it ended up that we don't speak to each other anymore. I don't regret defending my hobby in such a harsh way, but I hope it got accross to her that I am not obsessed, just dedicated.
I, thankfully, have a couple people interested on how to play. They just want to understand what goes on while we play games at lunch. My school is pretty much a good mix of everythig when it comes to stereotypes. We have athletes and nerds and geeks and such, but being a small-ish school (class sizes of about 100-110) we all know each other to some extent and just understand some people are passionate about sports, some about music, and some about games.
Edit: Probably 90% of the "gamers" at our school at one time played Magic. Just a result of a survey I did for a class.
EDIT: even worse I suppose, is that my fiancee and I are filling out immigration forms and we must describe how we met...playing a card game? discussing one online? Very embarrassing when the immigration officers assume you mean that is what you have in common but how did you actually MEET?
How did you meet?
--We met playing M:TG.
No, how did you meet?
--Oh god
What kind of advice is that?! We're Magic players, not members of al-Qaeda!
The people who play (or once played) at my high school recognize me as a good player, only 'cause I take the game seriously. There are at least two people better than me, but they don't have the will or want to keep spending. Admittedly, my MtG clique waned at the whole Mirro-Kami thing (and I don't blame them), and I managed to revive it at TSP. Lately, there aren't enough people around in the city, let alone at my college, where I can easily say "Hello, I play Magic. A card game. Yes."
I've learned to expect stigma from idiots who don't appreciate things. Sure, we spend a lot of money on the game, but we're (I would assume) a lot more enlightened about anything and everything. Hell, MtG is one of the few places I look to for obsoletely random words that no one's ever heard of. People probably can't just accept the fact that some people make a living by doing what they want, which is probably contrary to most other people.
Finally, if people make the claim of it being "a children's card game", feel free to point them towards Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. No offense to the players of those games, but their general age average is anywhere in the adolescent to pre-teens. I like Magic for the fact that it's not only an extremely well-designed game, but that there are people out there who share my mindset, and not just that 12-year old kid who came to play at a pre-release. Also, Magic's life expectancy > Pokemon/YGO.
I guess to wrap it up, don't worry too much about it, Trains, 'cause chances are you're much smarter than these people who ridicule you. And let's face it, who lives without fun?
[GTC] Gatecrash Patch for MWS (249/249)
Also, most people would take offense to me saying it, but it is true. Most people I know who play Magic are smarter than the average person. Take Bush for example. Odds are, he has never played Magic, and look at him try to speak.
Really, I liked Kamigawa...or at least Champions of Kamigawa...The books were good...I am the only one, aren't I?
Check out the Cube Discord channel here
**** em.
Type 2-
Mono B Zombie Control Aggro
BR Gargadon/gravepact suicide (In construction)
Extended-
UBG Raffinity
WUG Slide/Blink
Casual-
BWG Multiplayer Control
UB Peasant Madness Aggro
RWG Sliver Zoo
calibretto
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
Now that I'm a junior and my group of friends has expanded and I'm taller and more intimidating than most of those jocks, I'm quiet most of the time and treated with respect by most. I'm generally not messed with because me and my friends are pretty close knit; we've all got each others backs. So yeah, I guess I'm les made fun of out of fear, but hey, it works. =)
Official Member of the [ARD]
Then, the other day, a friend of mine got really pissed off (he was already having a bad day and to have them 'push his buttons' sent him over). When they told him he was going to waste his life playing a stupid game and would probably be better off just doing drugs, that way he'd get some real enjoyment out of it. So he snapped and told them "Oh, yeah!? You spend how much money on your stupid football ****? Your hobby ends up costing more than mine, with all your camps and equipment, and we all know nobody on our school team is getting anywhere because of football. What are you guys now, 0-13?"
Our school has never had a decent football tradition:no:
However even if my friends were not supportive of whatever I do, I honestly wouldn't care. I've learned that this world is filled with ignorant people who do not matter and that you are better off just ignoring them. You will most likely never see the kids you go to school with ever again in your life so why the Hell should they matter anyway? They just give you crap without realizing they are the one's who are losing out. You can meet some of the most amazing people if you only give them a chance. Some of my best friends I met playing Magic, and I will enjoy my hobby with them regardless of what the crowd may think.
I just laugh off what they say, as for the most part it only proves their stupidity. Wether it's a football player criticizing you on wasting money when his sport most likely costs more (never fails... :p) or some overzealous fool spouting the classic "Magic is satanic and you are going to rot in Hell for playing it!" it all comes from the same ignorance.
"Damn, you win that much in cards sometimes? And money, too?" (MSSes= lots o' packs, legacy tournaments= free money for me :D)
or
"Ughh... Stop talking about that, man! I hear it so much!"
But no one has ever really made fun of me for it, except for a few kids, but I retorted with some nice comebacks that shut them up for a while... And they weren't exactly people I value the opinions of (failing all their classes, don't even play sports or do activities, but still think they're better than everyone).
My List
Live at home with mom?
I am 32, have my own apartment, and recently got promoted to a position where I am practically my own boss. I am not some lonely obsessed nerd. I have a life. i have friends. I have a girlfriend (and she is really fine, and plays magic as well) I am in band.
Honestly, if your friends make fun of you for your hobbies...you have the wrong friends. As an adult, Magic has never been a Stigmata in my life. If you take pride in what you enjoy and speak about it with confidence, then there really is nothing anyone can say against it. Some still will, but that is true even if you fix cars for fun. You could just as easily get labeled a grease jockey as a geek.
Take some pride in what you do.