As a kid, I had crappy social skills and got picked on at school. I got excellent grades despite being a year younger than everyone else and goofing around a lot. (For example, I would turn in assignments written entirely backwards, or essays that consisted of cryptic jokes directed solely at the teacher in question.) I could never figure out what was in style quickly enough to actually be in style. My main interests were science fiction and fantasy novels (reading and writing) as well as art, drama, and nature. I was never athletic at all and in fact was so clumsy that adults often commented on it. The awkwardness didn’t subside until college, when thankfully I landed in a social group that considered all these attributes cool.
Back then, I was universally considered “geek” or a “nerd” due to the above traits. Nowadays, when I hear people throwing around the word “geek” it always has something to do with folks who have high-level computer knowledge. I don’t have a clue as to any programming (although I learned BASIC when I was a kid; now you all know how old I am), or website building. I’m still clueless when it comes to fashion, but have learned to overcome shyness and klutziness; I even possess some athletic skills (not team sports though – never! I’ve come out of the childhood “ugly duckling” stage (thank God) to be considered even above average looking by some. I still like sci-fi, but not as obsessively as I used to. People that I meet nowadays are surprised when I tell them that I used to be the bottom-of-the-social-ladder, school underling as a child.
The question is, am I still a geek? What constitutes geek-dom? In the back of my mind, I still consider myself a nerd or a geek of some stripe. I probably still am. Anybody have the same thoughts lurking around? Any opinions on the general topic? MPSIMS.
Nerd: Smart, highly focussed on a small number of areas of interest (generally those requiring intellect plus skill to perform), few social skills, a tendency to talk about only the things that interest them, and be clutzy with topics that don’t interest them. They tend to act older in intellect and younger in emotional aspects than their age peers. People with Asperger’s Syndrome are also often categorized in this group, though they can’t exactly help it without good behavioral coaching.
Geek: Same as above, only with social skills. Geeks (at least in my def) may still have a few minor areas of social ineptitude, but they’re more likely to fall in the style/fashion/clothing area, and tend to be coupled with a ‘why would anyone really CARE what I wear?’ attitude - (the engineer gene expressing itself: These clothes function for their purpose, why would I change the design to one that isn’t as functional?). They can, however, hold conversations on a variety of topics, don’t look openly bored when the topic isn’t a favorite, and are capable of making friends outside special interest groups.
Most nerds don’t stay nerds. Growing up makes a big difference. If you aren’t a technical or detail-focussed person anymore, you might not be a geek, either. I am a geek about professional topics, writing, and many of my favorite other topics, but I can also dress myself.
I equate nerd with someone who’s TOO focused on what s/he’s doing. A nerd will rattle on and on about long after they should’ve realized that 1. No one knows what they’re talking about and even if they did, 2. They’ve been going on and on about it so long no one cares.
I use Dork/Geek to indicate a strong interest in something. Like I’m a Video Game Dork. I play a ton of games, write about them, discuss them…but I can talk about a range of other topics, too. And I know when to shut up.
