A term coined by Slashdot columnist Jon Katz to describe the practice of judging and discriminating against middle and high school students by the clothes they wear (especially black trenchcoats) and their hobbies (especially computer gaming and roleplaying). Probably related to the practice of racial profiling reportedly practiced by some police officers--pulling people over just because they're of a minority race. See also zero tolerance.

In the wake of the Columbine High School tragedy in Littleton, Colorado, Jon Katz's "Voices from the Hellmouth" columns brought to light literally thousands of anguished emails from troubled students who claimed to be falling victim to geek profiling, abuse by jocks and teachers, and so forth. It is hard to determine the veracity of these reports, but almost all of us can remember enough stories from our own youth to suspect there is at least some truth in them.

Recently, reports on the Mosaic 2000 psychological screening software, and on the Pinkerton Agency's plan to create the W.A.V.E. informant hotline, have given rise to fears that geek profiling may be on the rise, despite statistics showing that school violence has actually already been on a decline in recent years.

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