As an artist, I am accepted in many circles without a problem because an artist has cultural permission to be 'odd'. It is almost expected of me. Physicists and suchlike have that social permission as well, they can look, act, and think differently without being outcasts. Narrow minded people will accept them because everyone else does, but tolerance generally ends there.
The same applies for computer people. In fact with computer people you dont even need to be a PROFESSIONAL computer person - the simple fact that you can type in line commands and expect them to work seems to permeate your enviroment and your expected to be odd.